The city-region has been shamed as a national hot-spotPolice at the scene of a collision(Image: Men Media)

The shameful extent of dangerous driving on our roads can be revealed by shocking new figures which show Greater Manchester to be a national hotspot.

Home Office figures show that police in England and Wales logged more than 6,200 crime reports of dangerous driving in 2024, including 937 offences that caused a death or serious injury. They include 672 offences in Greater Manchester, 65 of which caused a death or serious injury.

Five parts of Greater Manchester are in the top 10 areas with the highest rates of dangerous driving offences, the statistics analysed by the Manchester Evening News show. Bolton comes out as the worst area of the city-region.

And all 10 of our boroughs feature in the top 20 worst areas – painting Greater Manchester as the worst area in the country.

Dangerous driving is classified as when a motorist’s actions fall ‘far below the minimum standard expected of a competent and careful driver’ and could put themselves or others at risk of harm. Cited examples include speeding, driving aggressively, overtaking dangerously, or ignoring traffic lights.

New figures have been revealed(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

It could also include driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, or driving when unfit, for example, when feeling sleepy, or being unable to see clearly. Punishment could include a fine, disqualification from driving and even imprisonment.

But for the most serious offence – that of causing death by dangerous driving – a sentence could be up to 14 years in prison and a minimum disqualification from driving of two years.

The total figure of more than 6,200 cases represents an eight per cent increase from figures in 2023, with 504 more dangerous driving offences and an additional 67 causing death or serious injury. In Greater Manchester, however, 150 fewer dangerous driving offences were recorded than in 2023.

The figures show that the chances of encountering a dangerous driver vary greatly across the country, and the risk is highest in parts of the North, particularly in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

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The figures show that Bradford is the dangerous driving capital of England and Wales. In the three years to the end of 2024, police recorded 1,017 crimes of dangerous driving, including 47 that caused a death or serious injury.

Calderdale in West Yorkshire came second, followed by Leeds and Wakefield, with Bolton in fifth spot.

In the three years to the end of 2024, police recorded 325 crimes of dangerous driving in Bolton, including 26 that caused a death or serious injury. In our area, only Manchester (555 crime reports) had more dangerous driving offences.

However, when compared to the size of the population eligible to hold a driving licence, people are far more likely to encounter a dangerous driver on the roads of Bolton.

For every 100,000 people over the legal driving age, there were 141 offences in Bolton – the equivalent of one dangerous driving crime for every 709 people. Tameside had the nation’s sixth-highest rates of dangerous driving offences over the last three years (141), Rochdale was eighth (129), Manchester ninth (124), and Salford 10th (119).

The 20 areas with the highest rates of dangerous driving offences per 100,000 people

  • 1. Bradford – 242
  • 2. Calderdale – 202
  • 3. Leeds – 171
  • 4. Wakefield – 143
  • 5. Bolton – 141
  • 6. Tameside – 138
  • 7. Kirklees – 136
  • 8. Rochdale – 129
  • 9. Manchester – 124
  • 10. Salford – 119
  • 11. Oldham – 115
  • 12. Middlesbrough – 97
  • 13. Bury – 97
  • 14. Hartlepool – 93
  • 15. Wigan – 80
  • 16. Eden – 77
  • 17. Knowsley – 75
  • 18. Stockport – 75
  • 19. Stockton-on-Tees – 74
  • 20. Trafford – 73

For every 100,000 people over the legal driving age, there were 242 offences in Bradford – the equivalent of one dangerous driving crime for every 413 people.

That’s much higher than anywhere else in the country. The figures show all of the top 10 areas with the highest proportion of dangerous drivers are in West Yorkshire or neighbouring Greater Manchester.

There is also a distinct north-south divide when it comes to dangerous driving.

The dangerous driving rate in Bradford is more than three times higher than it is in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, the area with the highest proportion of dangerous drivers in the South (71 per 100,000).

It is even lower in Wales, where the chances of meeting a dangerous driver are highest in Cardiff (43 dangerous driving offences per 100,000 of the population eligible to drive).