Where are the UK's worst drivers?

• Calderdale, West Yorkshire - 14.22%
• Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall - 13.25%
• Kirklees, West Yorkshire - 12.89%
• Leeds, West Yorkshire - 12.20%
• Torridge, Devon & Cornwall - 11.33%
• Mansfield, Nottinghamshire - 11.03%
• Teignbridge, Devon & Cornwall - 11.02%
• West Devon, Devon & Cornwall - 10.91%
• Liverpool, Merseyside - 10.80%
• South Hams, Devon & Cornwall - 10.47%
• Cornwall, Devon & Cornwall - 10.40%
• Reigate and Banstead, Surrey - 10.37%
• Gloucester, Gloucestershire - 10.36%
• North Devon, Devon & Cornwall - 10.35%
• Torbay, Devon & Cornwall - 10.33%

Local authorities in Devon & Cornwall took up 8 of the top 15 destinations for drivers with at least one penalty point. The figures suggest it’s easy to get caught out in these areas, so following the rules of the road and driving sensibly is key—otherwise, you could face a fixed penalty notice or points on your licence.

You can receive between 3 and 11 penalty points for different driving offences, from using a mobile phone at the wheel to speeding or driving without insurance. If you reach 12 points within three years, you could face a driving ban.

However, for new drivers, the rules are stricter. If you accumulate 6 points within the first two years of passing your test, your licence can be revoked.

Which police force areas have the most insurance offences?

Driving without insurance remains a significant issue across England and Wales, with some police force areas recording far higher numbers of offences than others in 2024.

London stands out with the Metropolitan Police recording 11,675 offences, the highest of all the police forces included in the research by a substantial distance. The top five is completed by other areas that still record notable levels of offences:

• Greater Manchester - 3,554
• West Yorkshire - 3,375
• Thames Valley - 2,572
• Staffordshire - 2,166

Driving without insurance is a serious offence. Even if it’s unintentional, you could face:

• An automatic £300 fixed penalty
• 6 penalty points
• Potential vehicle seizure/destruction

If taken to court, you could also face unlimited fines, driving disqualification, and a criminal record.

It’s always worth checking if you're insured to drive a car, especially if you’re borrowing someone else’s vehicle.

A single lapse in judgement can result in you getting points on your licence - which in turn will affect your risk profile, meaning you’re likely to end up paying more for future insurance policies.

To put your mind at ease, you can take out temporary car insurance. This comprehensive coverage is flexible to your needs and available from 1 hour to 28 days.

Which police force areas have the most speed limit offences?

Speed limit offences are more frequently recorded in areas with higher traffic volumes and greater levels of enforcement activity, which can naturally result in more drivers being caught compared to less populated regions.

In 2024, London recorded the highest number by a significant margin, with 439,970 offences logged. The following four areas also had a high number of speeding offences.

• West Yorkshire – 197,558
• Devon & Cornwall – 171,414
• Greater Manchester – 166,566
• Warwickshire – 137,373

Beyond the top five, many other police force areas still recorded tens of thousands of offences, highlighting how widespread speeding remains across the country.

If you’re caught speeding, you could face the following penalties:

• £100 fine
• 3 penalty points
• Disqualification from driving if you build up 12 or more points within 3 years

You could also be invited to attend a speed awareness course.

Which police force areas stand out for other motoring offences??

While speeding dominates the highest number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in 2024, removing it from the dataset reveals a wider range of other motoring offences being recorded across police force areas.

The next most frequently recorded offences include a mix of traffic compliance, documentation, and driving behaviour issues.

London appears repeatedly across several of these categories, including:

• Neglect of traffic directions – 42,512
• Vehicle insurance offences – 11,675
• Use of a hand-held mobile phone while driving – 6,990
• Careless driving (excluding mobile phone use) – 6,680
• Vehicle registration and excise licence offences – 6,491
• Vehicle test offences – 6,064

Outside London, other police force areas also appear across some of the most common offences.

Surrey records 8,562 offences for neglect of traffic directions, while Greater Manchester (7,807) and Leicestershire (7,248) also feature among the higher figures for this offence.

West Yorkshire also appears in the dataset, with 5,949 careless driving offences recorded.

This data shows how drivers can be penalised for a range of motoring offences, not just speeding.

It’s important to take care in all aspects of driving, from following traffic directions to avoiding distractions such as mobile phone use, even in slow-moving or stationary traffic.

Which local authority areas have the most collisions?

Nobody wants to be involved in a car accident, but they are a reality of the road. According to local authority data, these five areas saw the highest number of collisions during 2024:

• Kent: 2,898
• Surrey: 2,454
• Essex: 2,313
• Birmingham: 2,296
• Hampshire: 2,286

This is likely driven by higher traffic volumes and more heavily used road networks, which increase the risk of collisions.

On the flip side, these areas had the fewest collisions over the same 12 months:

• Isles of Scilly: 2
• Shetland Islands: 12
• Orkney Islands: 13
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles): 17
• Clackmannanshire: 22

All of these are remote locations (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is based in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and Clackmannanshire, often referred to as ‘The Wee County’, is the smallest historic county and council area in Britain), which means fewer vehicles on the road. Less congestion makes it easier for drivers to avoid incidents.

Which local authority areas have had the most road fatal road collisions?

According to Brake, the UK road safety charity, an average of five people die and 79 are injured on a UK road every day - that’s someone being killed or seriously injured every 17 minutes.

Sadly, some local authority areas recorded the highest number of fatalities resulting from road collisions over a 12-month period:

• Lincolnshire - 53
• Kent - 45
• Essex - 42
• Norfolk - 41
• Lancashire - 37

The higher figures in these local authorities may be linked to the faster-moving roads, such as A-roads, alongside other factors including traffic conditions and road layouts.

On a more positive note, there were several locations that had no road-related fatalities over the 12-month period:

• Blaenau Gwent, South Wales
• Ceredigion, South Wales
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Scotland
• Midlothian, Scotland
• Orkney Islands, Scotland
• Isles of Scilly, Devon & Cornwall
• Medway, Kent
• Slough, Berkshire
• Harrow, London
• Lewisham, London
• Rutland, Leicestershire
• Halton, Cheshire

This list includes both remote locations and highly controlled urban zones like Harrow and Lewisham, which typically have lower speed limits and a range of traffic calming measures that may contribute to reduced collision severity.

What makes a bad driver?

With all this information, you might be wondering what actually leads to somebody being called a ‘bad driver’.

We all may make mistakes while driving, but some are completely unavoidable and can lead to the driver being penalised - or harming themselves and/or other road users.

Breaking traffic violations, driving too fast and not paying attention to the rules of The Highway Code are just some of the most dangerous driving offences. These can lead to substantial penalties for the driver involved.

How do you deal with bad drivers?

When dealing with aggressive or temperamental drivers, you should try and remain calm. Keep your distance - they will no longer be your problem if they speed off - and importantly, do not retaliate in any way that could provoke them.

You would not want to end up on any of the above lists due to a misjudged ‘revenge’ attempt.

How do I avoid a penalty for being a bad driver?

Claire Wills-Mckissick, temporary car insurance expert, offers the following tips for making sure you’re not seen as one of the UK’s ‘worst’ drivers:

“Wherever you live, the rules of the road remain the same. Here’s how you can avoid some of the most common driving offences:

• Check your insurance - Are you insured to drive this car? If not, get covered quickly with temporary car insurance.
• Are you sticking to the Highway Code? - Make sure you’re sticking to the rules of the road and staying alert while driving. This will keep you, your passengers and other road users safe.
• Know the ins and outs of your car - Before driving someone else’s car, you should take some time to familiarise yourself with the control and functions. You don’t want to be stuck not knowing how to get into reverse or turn on your windscreen wipers.
• Maintain your car - In addition to annual MOTs and regular servicing, you should be performing regular basic maintenance checks on your car e.g. top up your oil, check your tyres and if anything doesn’t feel right, take it to a professional.

Whether you’re driving in a safe or high risk area, it’s important to stay safe. If the worst were to happen, you need to ensure your insurance is valid.”

Remember, you can check your driving licence information and history on the government’s website.