Even though motorways are considered, on the whole, the safest class of roads in England and Wales, their high speeds mean that when an accident occurs, it is likely to be more serious than on a lower speed road. The UK’s motorways are amongst the safest roads in Europe; however there are still thousands of collisions every year, around 90% of which are caused by driver error, with the remaining 10% being due to mechanical failures.
In 2006 there were 164 fatal collisions on motorways in England and Wales, and a further 8,379 moderate or serious collisions were reported. Although this number is lower than the number for A-roads or minor roads, high speed motorway collisions often mean more cars are involved in an accident than on other roads, for example, there is a higher risk of a “pile up”. On a motorway, even a minor accident can be more dangerous because of high speed traffic on a motorway.
If you have been involved in a road accident on the motorway, then call our Specialist Advice Centre on 0844 854 5090.