24 vehicles crash into stationary cars on the hard shoulder every week

There are 24 cases of vehicles crashing into stationary cars on the hard shoulder every week, new data shows.

Between 2015 and 2017, there were approximately 750,000 traffic incidents on UK roads – equivalent to an average of 684 every day during the three-year period, according to figures from Green Flag. Almost 9,000 of these accidents involved a vehicle colliding with a stationary car, and 42 per cent of those 9,000 took place on the hard shoulder of a motorway or major A road.

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This means there are between three and four vehicles crashing into stationary cars on the hard shoulder every day. Of these approximately 3,780 accidents, 19 per cent resulted in death and/or serious injuries for the persons involved.

In terms of stationary vehicles being hit by moving traffic in general, London is the hotspot, with 41 per cent of such incidents taking place in the capital. The city’s most dangerous boroughs for traffic incidents are Wandsworth, Lambeth, Westminster and Brent. Meanwhile, other high-risk locations in the UK for crashes include the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Green Flag expects that the upcoming August Bank Holiday will “wreak havoc” on the UK’s roads, with a high number of traffic accidents likely to occur. In the last three years, 42,000 incidents have happened during August Bank Holidays – equal to 440 per day. Of these, 52 per cent take place on motorways.

For every road traffic accident that takes place in the UK, an average of 1.4 casualties occur. Of those killed or injured, 76 per cent are drivers, 18 per cent are pedestrians and five per cent are passengers. There have been a total of 85,700 deaths and serious injuries as a result of collisions on UK roads in the last three years.

Damon Jowett, head of service delivery at Green Flag, commented: “It’s important for people to be aware of the danger of driving on motorways, which are a hotspot for traffic incidents and resulting fatalities.

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“Many accidents can be prevented. If there is a vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder, drivers need to slow down and move their vehicle over to the next lane if safe to do so.

“This simple manoeuvre not only helps protect the drivers and passengers in the stationary vehicle, but it also safeguards our roadside workers as they assist them.”