Car Insurance: Collisions Per Head is A Metric Worth Noting

Here’s another data metric to think about on claims; collisions per head of population. Again, it doesn’t give us the whole picture, since it takes no account of passing traffic, notorious junctions or roundabouts, or the speed limits within different parts of that borough, town or city. But still, another useful layer when it comes to pricing risk;

Data crunchers at One Sure Insurance analyzed the stats from the Home Office on reported road collisions in the UK in 2022. The total number of collisions was weighed against the population in each area to determine the final ranking. As you might expect, the relatively sparsely populated region of Westminster in London ranks at the top, with 602.75 road collisions per 100,000 people in 2022. The area experienced 1,274 collisions during the year; this is the highest number of collisions among the top ten locations in the ranking. 

Coming in second is Doncaster, with 503.62 accidents per 100,000 inhabitants. The city reported 553 road collisions throughout the year. (Whether or not the M1 is included in that geo location isn’t made clear in the study, but it could affect the ratio of course – Ed)

Third in the ranking is Kensington and Chelsea, with 417.37 collisions per 100,000 people. The borough reported 610 road collisions in 2022. 

Rotherham places fourth, with 371.95 road accidents per 100,000 residents. There were 408 collisions during the year. Rotherham and Doncaster are the only two areas outside of London in the top ten.  

DOUBLE BUSY LONDONERS, THERE’S A REASON YOUR CAR INSURANCE QUOTES ARE SO HIGH

In fifth comes Lambeth, with a staggering 1,167 road collisions in 2022 – the second highest among the top ten. Against the population, Lambeth experienced 368.36 collisions per 100,000 inhabitants. Camden comes in sixth, with 344.88 accidents per 100,000 people and 752 reported road collisions throughout the year. Seventh on the list is Haringey, with 339.56 collisions per 100,000 residents. The area had a total of 889 road collisions in 2022. 

In eighth place is Southwark, with another high number of total collisions – 1,026. Against the population, that equates to 328.94 road collisions per 100,000 inhabitants in the area. Tower Hamlets ranks ninth, with 318.92 road collisions per 100,000 people. The borough reported 1,039 total collisions in 2022 – the third highest among the top ten. Landing the tenth spot is Hackney, with 304.03 road collisions per 100,000 residents in 2022. Hackney experienced a total of 795 collisions throughout the year.  

East Dunbartonshire ranks last with the lowest number of collisions per 100,000 people – 28.53, to be exact. There were only 31 reported road collisions in East Dunbartonshire in 2022.