- Website maps open source accident data onto interactive map
- Users can see the most dangerous roads around them
- Collisions are classified according to their severity
Cyclists, pedestrians and cautious drivers may find the data offered by interactive online mapping service RoadRisk invaluable when trying to plan the safest routes to get from point A to point B.
The online tool, which primarily uses OpenStreetMap and STATS19 accident reports from police forces in England, Scotland or Wales, easily plots all collision data from 2000 to 2025 on an easy-to-navigate map.
Simply enter a postcode and the website will reveal all the data on crashes in around 350 local authorities over the past 25 years, color coding it according to the severity of the collision: minor, serious and fatal.
Not only can you see the most dangerous routes in your area or a proposed location, but you can also drill down into the data to see the date, time, location, road and intersection details, weather and surface conditions, and full records for every vehicle and victim involved.
STATS19 data does not contain names, addresses, telephone numbers or vehicle registration details, with only age, gender and an area-level deprivation score reported.
Interestingly, the site’s home page also lists the worst roads for fatal accidents (that will be the A38) and the worst local authorities for collisions, namely Birmingham.
RoadRisk says the UK Department for Transport typically releases each year’s crash data around September of the following year, with the maps updated shortly after each release.
RoadRisk is an interesting proposition, and while you can’t plan a route using the software and navigate the “safest” roads, it is a great tool for determining accident hotspots in the local area.
As a parent of children old enough to walk to school on their own, it was interesting to explore the roads near me where accident rates are highest. Even more interesting, many of them involved people between the ages of 11 and 15.
These shocking results reinforced my decision to accompany them on some of the more perilous routes before calling them in the morning.
Likewise, there are a number of roads in my area that appear to be hotspots for collisions involving cyclists, which may well influence the next route I take into town.
Additionally, RoadRisk claims that anyone can use the data to cite statistics, take screenshots, and use the information for any purpose – a boon for anyone lobbying local authorities for safer roads.
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