The UK’s most dangerous junctions for pedestrians revealed
Almost 24,000 people were hit by cars while trying to cross the road in 2017, with 470 fatally wounded – police figures show.
The shocking stats reveal two London junctions saw eight separate incidents in which a pedestrian was either killed or hurt, during that year alone.
These were revealed as the Oxford Circus junction of Oxford Street and Regent’s Street; and the junction of Tooting High Street and the A217 in Tooting, South London.
Most dangerous road junctions:
| Junction | Area |
|---|---|
| The Oxford Circus junction of Oxford Street and Regent’s Street | London |
| Tooting High Street and the A217 junction outside Tooting Broadway | London |
| The A6008 outside the Victoria Centre | Nottingham |
| Elizabeth Street and Everest Lane junction | Corby |
| The A6181 Hall Ings and Bridge Street junction | Bradford |
| Middlewood Road and Rudyard Road junction | Sheffield |
| Bishop Street and Corporation Street junction | Coventry |
| The A660 Headingley Road and Hyde Park Road junction | Leeds |
| The A660 Ottley Road and St Michael's Road junction | Leeds |
| The B384 Bristol Road and Dawlish Road | Birmingham |
| Hollyhedge Road and Woodhouse Lane junction | Manchester |
| The A4018 and Unity Street | Bristol |
According to the official figures, 17,741 people were slightly injured after being struck by a car at a crossing in 2017, while a further 5,588 suffered serious injuries.
Worryingly, a total of 3,632 of those pedestrians killed or injured crossing the road were using a designated pedestrian crossing.
At the junction outside Tooting Broadway underground station, a 77-year-old was killed using a crossing while a further seven pedestrians were injured.
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There were also eight injury-causing collisions at the Oxford Circus junction, popular with tourists and shoppers due to its location in London’s main retail district.
Outside the capital, three junctions saw five pedestrians sustain injuries while crossing the road, with no fatalities.
These were the A6008 outside the Victoria Centre in Nottingham; the junction of Elizabeth Street and Everest Lane in Corby, Northamptonshire, and the junction of the A6181 and Bridge Street in Bradford.
Rebecca Ashton, Head of Driver Behaviour at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, says naming these dangerous junctions will help make road users more aware of the risks.
She said: "Distracted pedestrians are an issue and using two of the key skills of advance driving, observation and anticipation can be really useful, partially if you have your eyes on a mobile phone rather than what is going on around.
"The problem of impaired pedestrians seem to be growing so extra care is needed around people who maybe drunk or tired.”
Copyright Press Association 2019. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.
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