Road traffic collisions recorded by neighbourhood deprivation decile in London (2022)
Over 23,500 road collisions were recorded in London in 2022. The vast majority of these resulted in only slight injuries such as whiplash and bruising, but around 3,725 resulted in serious injuries such as fractures and burns. Sadly, 101 road collisions in London in 2021 led to the death of one or more drivers, passengers, riders, cyclists or pedestrians.
There are more road traffic collisions recorded in the most deprived neighbourhoods in London than the least deprived. The 10% of areas with the highest deprivation saw just under 2,800 collisions in 2022. This is more than double the 1,242 collisions in the 10% of areas with the lowest deprivation.
A similar pattern is also seen on 'local streets' - or streets with a speed limit below 30mph. This implies that collisions affect residents in deprived areas more, rather than just taking place on main roads passing through them.
Road traffic collisions on local streets recorded by neighbourhood deprivation decile in London (2022)
This trend is even more extreme when looking only at collisions involving pedestrians; these are nearly two and a half times as common in the most deprived neighbourhoods compared to the least.
Road traffic collisions involving pedestrians recorded by neighbourhood deprivation decile in London (2022)
The relationship between road collisions and deprivation can be seen most clearly in collisions involving slight injuries. This is probably because these are the most common types of accident. With relatively few serious and fatal accidents it is more difficult to find a clear pattern.