Great Britain has the 8th highest yearly fatal HGV collision rate in Europe, according to analysis by SNAP, the haulage industry’s digital marketplace.
New research has revealed that Great Britain has a staggering average of 1.13 HGV fatalities per 10,000 road miles annually. Through analysing the latest data from the Department for Transport and European Road Safety Observatory, SNAP established a hazard rating system, comparing the average HGV fatality rate to the country’s total road network.
When examining all vehicle types, the UK takes the 6th place among the most hazardous highways in Europe, followed by Lithuania in 5th place, with Romania ranking number one for the most dangerous roads with an average of 213.24 fatalities per 10,000 road miles.
With the winter months upon us, drivers are faced with a substantially larger number of threats when driving, such as ice, stormy conditions, darker nights, and surface water on the roads, which create greater hazard risks. To combat the effects of the cold season, experts at SNAP urge truck drivers to be correctly prepared, by:
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- Ensuring visibility in all conditions
- Following winter tyre regulations
- Making sure to take breaks when driving conditions become dangerous
- Plan rest stops in advance to ensure safety away from the road
During the winter months drivers should exercise caution on rural roads as they present unique challenges, especially given that they already account for the highest number of fatal collisions.
Over the past decade, the average number of fatal collisions involving HGVs on rural roads has been more than double that on urban roads. From 2014 to 2023 the annual average of fatal collisions involving HGVs was alarmingly high on rural roads, with a shocking 183.9 incidents per year, compared to just 63.3 on urban roads. Between 2014 and 2023 fatal collisions on rural roads decreased by just 18%, while urban roads saw a significant reduction of 43%.
Matthew Bellamy, managing director at SNAP commented on the findings:
“HGV driver safety is an absolute priority within the haulage industry, so it is crucial that we focus on this during the winter months when roads are more dangerous. With Great Britain ranking in the top 10 most hazardous countries for drivers in Europe, the haulage industry must ensure that we are addressing these statistics and focusing on driver safety. We hope that by using our platform to raise awareness of these alarming statistics this will encourage haulage leaders to put extra measures in place to help reduce these numbers and keep their drivers safe. We are however pleased to see fatal collisions decreasing both on rural and urban roads and we hope that moving forward we can continue to see these numbers declining.”
SNAP’s hazard rating system also revealed that Denmark and Sweden are Europe’s safest countries for truckers with hazard ratings of 0.25 and 0.06.
To discover SNAP’s in-depth research on the most hazardous highways in Europe, visit: Hazardous Highways
