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Leading Causes of Car Accidents UK 2026
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) behaviour or inexperience—this factor is marked as a contributory factor in three quarters of accidents. But what types of behaviour are the worst, and what other factors cause accidents? Let's dive into the numbers.
To understand top causes of car accidents, we can look at both broad categories of risk factors, as well as specific factors. First, let's look at broad categories. In terms of broad categories, "driver (or motorcycle rider) behaviour or inexperience" is a factor in 74% of accidents, followed by speed (42% of accidents) and road conditions (19% of accidents).
| Contributory Factors in Car Accidents (broad categories) | Percentage of Accidents |
|---|---|
| Driver behaviour or inexperience | 74% |
| Speed | 42% |
| Road | 19% |
| Distraction or impairment | 15% |
| Pedestrians | 8% |
| Vehicle | 3% |
Note, an accident can have more than one risk factor, which is why the numbers add up to more than 100%!
Within these broad categories, it's interesting to understand the specific factors—for instance, what specific risky behaviours most commonly contribute to accidents?
"Ineffective observation by driver, rider or pedestrian" is a factor in 60% of crashes, making this behaviour the leading cause of car accidents in Great Britain.
Next, a driver or rider being aggressive, dangerous or reckless accounts for 25% of accidents.
The third most common car crash behaviour is driving too fast for conditions, accounting for 19.5% of accidents.
Slippery roads contribute to 7% of accidents.
Learner or inexperience drivers/riders contribute to 6.4% of accidents (as does harsh or sudden braking).
Impairment by alcohol contributes to 5.8% of accidents.
Exceeding the speed limit contributes to 4.9% of accidents.
| 10 Most Common Car Accident Causes in Great Britain | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ineffective observation by driver, rider or pedestrian | 10,805 | 60.0% |
| 2 | Driver or rider being aggressive, dangerous or reckless | 3,039 | 25.2% |
| 3 | Driver or rider travelling too fast for conditions | 3,442 | 19.5% |
| 4 | Driver or rider overshot junction or poor turn | 4,987 | 18.1% |
| 5 | Road surface was slippery due to weather | 2,161 | 7.3% |
| 6 | Driver or rider inexperienced or learner | 1,787 | 6.4% |
| 7 | Sudden braking or braking unsuitable for conditions | 1,654 | 6.4% |
| 8 | Illegal turn or direction or not comply w/sign/signal | 1,813 | 6.1% |
| 9 | Affected by alcohol | 1,635 | 5.8% |
| 10 | Driver or rider exceeding speed limit | 2,854 | 4.9% |
| Total number of accidents | 20,409 | ||
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 20 years. The accident count has risen a touch in the past few years following an unsurprising drop during the pandemic when fewer cars were on the roads—but the overall rate of collisions has stayed relatively low since then.
Last year, there were 100,927 reported collisions in Great Britain, 26,734 of which involved a fatality or serious injury.
Car Accident Statistics FAQs
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 2024.
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 Also, the DfT reporting system has changed; as of 2024, a significant portion of the road safety factor data was directly recorded using the new road safety factor system.
Sources
All Data
In the table below, "RSF" refers to "Road Safety Factor":
| Contributory factor reported in accident | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any behaviour or inexperience RSF | 15,248 | 74% | |
| Driver or rider illegal turn or direction of travel or failed to comply with traffic sign or signal | 1,813 | 6% | |
| Driver or rider disobeyed double white lines | 194 | 0% | |
| Driver or rider overshot junction or poor turn or manoeuvre | 4,987 | 18% | |
| Ineffective observation by either the driver or rider or pedestrian | 10,805 | 60% | |
| Driver or rider inexperienced or learner | 1,787 | 6% | |
| Driver or rider passing too close to another road user or pedestrian | 2,113 | 2% | |
| Vehicle door opened into path of another road user or pedestrian | 59 | 0.5% | |
| Sudden braking or braking in a way unsuitable for conditions | 1,654 | 6% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 4% | |
| Any distraction or impairment RSF ** | 5,781 | 15% | |
| Affected by alcohol | 1,635 | 6% | |
| Affected by drugs | 888 | 1% | |
| Driver or rider too tired to drive or ride safely | 667 | 2% | |
| Driver or rider had uncorrected or defective eyesight | 147 | 0% | |
| Illness or disability | 978 | 3% | |
| Using mobile device | 340 | 0.4% | |
| Distraction to driver or rider from inside or outside or on vehicle | 2,335 | 4% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 0% | |
| **Any non-motorised road users RSF | 2,834 | 8% | |
| Incorrect use of crossing facility by person crossing the road | 828 | 1% | |
| Vehicle entering road from pavement | 240 | 1% | |
| Pedestrian showing risk taking behaviour in carriageway | 534 | 1% | |
| Pedestrian careless or in a hurry | 1,554 | 5% | |
| Pedestrian or cyclist or equestrian hard to see | 1,181 | 1% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 2% | |
| Any road RSF | 4,544 | 19% | |
| Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road | 563 | 2% | |
| Road surface was slippery due to weather | 2,161 | 7% | |
| Driver or rider view obscured by stationary or parked vehicles | 892 | 3% | |
| Driver or rider view obscured by vegetation or buildings or layout or road signs | 605 | 2% | |
| Driver or rider vision affected by adverse weather or dazzling sun | 1,069 | 4% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 4% | |
| Any speed RSF | 7,377 | 42% | |
| Driver or rider exceeding speed limit | 2,854 | 5% | |
| Driver or rider travelling too fast for conditions (including loss of control or swerving) | 3,442 | 19% | |
| Vehicle used in course of crime | 371 | 0% | |
| Driver or rider being aggressive or dangerous or reckless | 3,039 | 25% | |
| Driver or rider moving too slowly for conditions | 157 | 0% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 1% | |
| Any vehicles RSF | 1,249 | 3% | |
| Vehicle defective tyres | 181 | 1% | |
| Vehicle defect (excluding tyres and light) | 304 | 1% | |
| Vehicle or trailer was overloaded or poorly loaded | 43 | 0% | |
| Driver or rider view obscured by blind spot | 675 | 1% | |
| Vehicle with defective lights or not using headlights when visibility is reduced | 89 | 0% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 0% | |
| Any not coded RSF | [x] | 3% | |
| Not mapped to specific RSF | [x] | 3% | |
| Any RSF | 20,409 | 100% | |