New research has revealed a stark contrast in road safety across England, with vehicles in London almost 16 times more likely to be involved in an emergency incident than those in Kent.
The study, carried out by safety experts Direct365, analysed callout data from 31 Fire and Rescue Services in England to reveal how many road incidents they attended in the past year and how much of their workload these incidents represent.
The areas in England with the most vehicle incidents:
- London: 453
- Tyne and Wear: 343
- East Sussex: 268
- Merseyside: 263
- Lancashire: 255
- Nottinghamshire – 219
- Greater Manchester – 206
- Leicestershire – 194
- South Yorkshire – 194
- West Yorkshire – 193
(*Incidents per 10,000 registered vehicles)
Leading the national figures is the London Fire Brigade, which attended a massive 7,572 vehicle incidents in the recorded period, equating to 453 incidents per 10,000 vehicles.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue service received the second highest number of incidents, with 343 callouts per 10,000 vehicles registered in the area.
In third position is East Sussex. The Fire and Rescue Service received 268 vehicle related incidents per 10,000 registered vehicles.
The areas of England with the least vehicles incidents:
- Kent: 29
- Durham & Darlington: 46
- Derbyshire: 114
- Cornwall: 117
- Lincolnshire: 128
- West Midlands – 130
- Oxfordshire – 135
- Hereford and Worcester – 140
- Buckinghamshire – 143
- Gloucestershire – 145
(*Incidents per 10,000 registered vehicles)
Kent Fire and Rescue Service received the lowest volume of vehicle-related callouts relative to its car-owning population, with only 29 incidents per 10,000 vehicles. This makes it the only service in the country to record a figure below 30.
In second position is Durham & Darlington, which received 46 vehicle-related callouts per 10,000 vehicles.
Derbyshire followed in third with 114 incidents per 10,000 registered vehicles – nearly four times lower than London.
The areas of England with the highest percentage of workload dedicated to road incidents:
- Buckinghamshire – 20.4%
- Lincolnshire – 17.5%
- Shropshire – 16.6%
- West Midlands – 16.4%
- Hereford and Worcester – 16.0%
- Derbyshire – 16.0%
- Durham & Darlington – 14.4%
- Cornwall – 14.3%
- Oxfordshire – 13.9%
- Cumbria – 13.1%
While London leads with the highest number of incidents relative to vehicles registered, these emergencies accounted for just 5.5% of all London Fire Brigade callouts in the past year.
Leading the national figures for Fire and Rescue Service demand is Buckinghamshire, where road vehicle incidents represent 20.4% of all callouts.
Lincolnshire (17.5%) and Shropshire (16.6%) Fire and Rescue services also saw road incidents dominate their operational focus in the past year.
Karl Bantleman at Direct365 commented, “Data from Fire and Rescue Services across England clearly illustrates the tireless, around-the-clock work of this sector, ensuring our nation’s safety.
“The disparity between vehicle safety of counties like Kent and the high incident rates in areas like London and Tyne and Wear shows that road risk is heavily influenced by local infrastructure and traffic density. We’ve seen road incidents account for over 20% of Fire and Rescue callouts in areas like Buckinghamshire which demonstrates the fluctuating pressure placed on different regional services.
“Regardless of location, vehicle owners must take proactive steps to reduce risk. Routine maintenance is vital to preventing incidents and ensuring our essential emergency services can focus their resources where they are most needed.”
For more information please visit: https://www.direct365.co.uk/safety
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