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Leading Causes of Car Accidents UK 2025

In the UK, a few factors are consistently at play in causing road traffic accidents each year. The NimbleFins car experts gathered statistics from the Department for Transport on the most common causes of car accidents in Great Britain. Being aware of these factors is important because it can help you reduce the likelihood of getting into a car accident.

Contents

Top Ten Causes of Car Accidents in Great Britain

The #1 most common cause of car accidents in Great Britain is the driver (or motorcycle rider) failing to look properly—this factor contributes to 32.7% of car accidents. The next most common causes of car accidents is the diver or rider being careless, reckless or in a hurry (a factor in 18.7% of accidents) and the driver or rider failing to judge other person's path or speed (16.9% of accidents). You'll notice that the percentages add up to more than 100%—this is because many car accidents have more than one contributory factor.


10 Most Common Car Accident Causes in Great Britain
NumberPercent
1Driver or Rider failed to look properly21,80732.7%
2Driver or Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry12,48218.7%
3Driver or Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed11,29816.9%
4Loss of control7,03010.5%
5Poor turn or manoeuvre6,86010.3%
6Exceeding speed limit5,0727.6%
7Slippery road (due to weather)4,4586.7%
8Pedestrian failed to look properly4,2826.4%
9Driver or Rider impaired by alcohol4,0896.1%
10Travelling too fast for conditions3,7175.6%
Total number of accidents66,667
chart showing the most common causes of car accidents in Great Britain
Most common causes of car accidents in Great Britain

Combined Factors

An accident can have more than one contributing factor—for instance, a driver who is in a hurry might fail to look properly as a result. In fact, 4.7% of all accidents had both "Driver/Rider failed to look properly" and "Driver/Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed" as factors. This is the most common pair of contributing factors, followed by failing to look and being in a hurry. Here are the ten most common pairs of car accident causes:

Most common pairs of contributory factors reported togetherPercent
Driver/Rider failed to look properlyDriver/Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed4.7%
Driver/Rider failed to look properlyDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry2.9%
Poor turn or manoeuvreDriver/Rider failed to look properly2.3%
Driver/Rider failed to judge other person's path or speedDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry1.4%
Exceeding speed limitDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry1.3%
Poor turn or manoeuvreDriver/Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed1.2%
Loss of controlDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry1.1%
Slippery road (due to weather)Loss of control1.0%
Poor turn or manoeuvreDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry1.0%
Aggressive drivingDriver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry0.9%

Number of Car Accidents GB

Despite a growing number of vehicles on the roads, the number of accidents has dropped pretty steadily over the past 30 years. The accident count has risen a touch in the past few years following an unsurprising drop during the pandemic.

Last year, there were 104,258 reported collisions in Great Britain, 24,960 of which involved a fatality or serious injury.

Chart showing the number of car accidents in the GB

Car Accident Statistics FAQs

In 2023, 6.1% of all car accidents in Great Britain were caused by drunk driving. For more information see our article on drink driving statistics.
A driver or rider being impaired by alcohol contributed to 4,089 car accidents in 2023 in Great Britain. Another 746 accidents were caused by pedestrians impaired by alcohol. For more information see our article on drink driving statistics.
A vehicle door being opened or closed negligently contributed to 84 car accidents in Great Britain, which is 0.1% of all accidents.
Driver using a mobile phone contributed to 463 car accidents in Great Britain in 2023 (0.7% of accidents).
Defective traffic signals contributed to 93 car accidentsin Great Britain (0.1%).
Vehicle defects were a cause in 1,350 UK car accidents a year which represents 2% of car accidents. This includes defective or under inflated tyres (384 accidents), defective lights or indicators (138), defective brakes (553), defective steering or suspension (211), defective or missing mirrors (11) and overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer (95).
Defective brakes are a contributing factor in 553 car accidents a year in Great Britain (0.8% of accidents).
A car driver or motorcycle rider being impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) is a factor in 1,853 road traffic accidents a year, or 2.8% of all accidents.
Exceeding speed limit contributed to 5,072 car accidents in Great Britain in 2023 (7.2% of accidents) and travelling too fast for conditions was a factor in 3,717 (5.6%).
Weather contributed to 7,635 car accidents a year in Great Britain in 2023. A slippery road (due to weather) was a factor in 4,458 car accidents (6.7%). Rain, sleet, snow, or fog was a factor in 1,307 accidents (2.0%). Spray from other vehicles contributed to 100 accidents (0.1%). Dazzling sun contributed to 1,770 accidents (2.7%).
We don't have statistics on dogs in particular, but animals or objects in the carriageway contribute to 631 accident a year in Great Britain, or 0.9% of accidents.
Learner or inexperienced drivers and motorcycle riders cause 2,433 accidents a year, which is 3.6% of all accidents.

Methodology

We analysed road traffic accident statistics produced by the Department for Transport and available at Gov.uk. The most recently available data at the time of writing reflected data from accidents in 2023. Note, the Department for Transport is no longer publishing the common pairs of contributory factors table, so the data for that section reflects data that is a few years older, but we still think it's interesting for motorists to see.

Note: The data in this study only includes road traffic accidents where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported.

Sources

Gov.uk

All Data

Contributory factor reported in accidentNumberPercent
Behaviour or inexperience17,01825.5%
Driver or Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry12,48218.7%
Aggressive driving2,7224.1%
Learner or inexperienced driver or rider2,4333.6%
Driver or Rider nervous, uncertain or panic8141.2%
Unfamiliar with model of vehicle3970.6%
Inexperience of driving on the left2290.3%
Driving too slow for conditions or slow veh (eg tractor)830.1%
Driver or Rider error or reaction40,61560.9%
Driver or Rider failed to look properly21,80732.7%
Driver or Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed11,29816.9%
Loss of control7,03010.5%
Poor turn or manoeuvre6,86010.3%
Sudden braking2,6804.0%
Swerved2,1703.3%
Junction overshoot1,4402.2%
Failed to signal or misleading signal1,1711.8%
Too close to cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian8011.2%
Junction restart (moving off at junction)7571.1%
Impairment or distraction11,67517.5%
Driver or Rider impaired by alcohol4,0896.1%
Distraction in vehicle2,4353.7%
Driver or Rider impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)1,8532.8%
Driver or Rider illness or disability, mental or physical1,8312.7%
Fatigue1,2761.9%
Distraction outside vehicle8871.3%
Driver using mobile phone4630.7%
Rider wearing dark clothing3130.5%
Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility2410.4%
Uncorrected, defective eyesight1820.3%
Injudicious action14,39421.6%
Exceeding speed limit5,0727.6%
Travelling too fast for conditions3,7175.6%
Following too close2,7334.1%
Disobeyed 'Give Way' or 'Stop' sign or markings1,8312.7%
Disobeyed automatic traffic signal1,1191.7%
Illegal turn or direction of travel5720.9%
Cyclist entering road from pavement5530.8%
Disobeyed pedestrian crossing facility3190.5%
Vehicle travelling along pavement2180.3%
Disobeyed double white lines2000.3%
Pedestrian only (casualty or uninjured)6,99710.5%
Pedestrian failed to look properly4,2826.4%
Pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry1,6312.4%
Pedestrian failed to judge vehicle's path or speed1,2041.8%
Crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle9581.4%
Pedestrian impaired by alcohol7461.1%
Pedestrian wrong use of pedestrian crossing facility5180.8%
Pedestrian wearing dark clothing at night4990.7%
Dangerous action in carriageway (eg. playing)4670.7%
Pedestrian disability or illness, mental or physical2610.4%
Pedestrian impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)1240.2%
Road environment contributed7,82711.7%
Slippery road (due to weather)4,4586.7%
Road layout (eg. bend, hill, narrow road)1,6362.5%
Deposit on road (eg. oil, mud, chippings)6551.0%
Animal or object in carriageway6310.9%
Poor or defective road surface5720.9%
Inadequate or masked signs or road markings3240.5%
Temporary road layout (eg. contraflow)1630.2%
Defective traffic signals930.1%
Traffic calming (eg. road humps, chicane)890.1%
Slippery inspection cover or road marking280.0%
Special Codes3,2224.8%
Other1,9332.9%
Stolen vehicle5290.8%
Vehicle in course of crime5180.8%
Emergency vehicle on a call3830.6%
Vehicle door opened or closed negligently840.1%
Vehicle defects1,3502.0%
Defective brakes5530.8%
Tyres illegal, defective or under inflated3840.6%
Defective steering or suspension2110.3%
Defective lights or indicators1380.2%
Overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer950.1%
Defective or missing mirrors110.0%
Vision affected by external factors6,4489.7%
Dazzling sun1,7702.7%
Stationary or parked vehicle(s)1,4672.2%
Rain, sleet, snow, or fog1,3072.0%
Vehicle blind spot8881.3%
Road layout (eg. bend, winding road, hill crest)7371.1%
Dazzling headlights2160.3%
Vegetation1930.3%
Buildings, road signs, street furniture1520.2%
Spray from other vehicles1000.1%
Visor or windscreen dirty, scratched or frosted etc.870.1%
Total number of accidents66,667100.0%

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The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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