Paul Darlington is a cycle and catastrophic injury solicitor at Fletchers Group. Having years of experience investigating road traffic accidents, Mr Darlington has highlighted a number of contributing factors to road traffic accidents that he’s seen over the years.
These include the time of year, car colour, areas of the UK, road conditions and lifestyle habits.
Time of year
Mr Darlington said: “Casualties for all categories of road users are generally high in January and low in April.
“The summer and autumn months tend to see an increase, with a slight dip in November.”
“For cyclists specifically, the casualty rates are highest from May through to September.
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“The reasons are complex, requiring consideration of various statistics and trends.
“Still, it’s apparent that cycling in the warmer, dryer, lighter days of the year between spring and autumn is more popular and hence contributes to the increase in casualties around this time.”
“In the months of October to March, there are fewer cyclists on the road, which could be a contributing factor to why we see these trends.
“However, comparing the casualty rate against the distance travelled shows a distinct correlation with this period, suggesting that for a combination of reasons, it’s the more dangerous time to be a cyclist.”
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Colour of the car
Mr Darlington said: “Black, silver, grey and blue cars are those with the highest collision statistics.
“There are a number of theories on why this may be the case, including the fact that these cars are more muted tones and therefore stand out less on the road.”
Areas of the UK
The expert explained: “There are a number of areas in the UK which tend to have a higher number of road traffic accidents, including Hampshire, Surrey and Lancashire.
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“These include: the condition and nature of the road, vehicle issues, driver error, driver behaviour, visibility, pedestrians not paying attention and (one of the top contributors) vehicle doors being opened negligently.”
Lifestyle habits
The expert said: “Driving drunk, driving after having used recreational drugs and using your mobile phone whilst driving are the main lifestyle causes of road traffic accidents.
“It’s important to eliminate as many distractions as possible whilst driving, and not to get behind the wheel when any substances may impact your ability to drive safely.”
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