Young driver accident blackspots in Southampton

We all know that insurance premiums for young drivers are sky high and that is due to the rate of accidents they are involved in. 

Michelle Harrington, road safety manager at RoSPA, said:

“Drivers aged 17 to 24 make up just seven per cent of UK licence holders, yet are involved in around one in four of all crashes that result in someone being killed or seriously injured.

“This is largely due to inexperience, so it’s vital that young people’s learning experiences on the road are as extensive and involved as possible.” 

Crash Map is an interactive tool which allows you to see exactly where ‘fatal’, ‘serious’ or ‘slight’ accidents have happened in your area.

The data for the site is sourced from police and government databases up to 2019.

In five years there has been 1,250 accidents across Southampton from Maybush to Netley, West End and North Stoneham.  

The worst area for accidents involving young drivers is Shirley, with 207 accidents.

One of the main accident blackspots included the A3057 along Shirley High Street with 59 'slight' accidents and 10 'serious' accidents in the five year period from 2014 to 2019. 

Another accident blackspot in the area was Warren Avenue by Southampton University Hospital which had four 'serious' accidents out of five. 

The majority of accidents in Woolston and Itchen happened near the Woolston Railway Station with a 15 occurring in five years. 

Director of campaigns for the national road safety charity, Brake, Joshua Harris said: 

"Young people are disproportionately at risk on the roads and action must be taken to put an end to this tragic situation. 

“We need to make our licensing system more robust so that when a driver passes their test, they have all the necessary tools and knowledge to drive safely on all roads and in all conditions.”

Mr Harris added that a graduated driving license system which would have a mandatory learning period and post-test training is essential to ensure all new drivers have the necessary tools and knowledge to drive safely on our roads.

Bernard Street joining the High Street in the city centre had 11 accidents from 2014 to 2019.

Portswood Road is also one of the most dangerous roads in the city with the majority of accidents happening at the busy shopping end of the street near Sainsbury's.

The A3035 roundabout in Portswood is an accident blackspot for young drivers with four crashes occurring in the spot over five years.

There were a high number of accidents on The Avenue by Westwood Road indicating the area is a blackspot for young drivers. 

To find out how many crashes there have been on your road, go to Crash Maps.