Wigan's roads among safest in England

The JPIMedia Data Unit analysed Department of Transport figures to see where road smashes took place across the country between 2014 and 2018.

And the rate of accidents per 10,000 residents proved Wiganers were the least likely people in England to be involved in a serious accident while travelling in a vehicle.

Only several parts of Scotland had a rate by population lower than Wigan’s level of 45 crashes per 10,000 people over the five-year period.

However, the data also reveals the sheer scale of the problems on the road network before lockdown caused traffic levels to plummet.

There was a massive 1,452 accidents involving injuries in the borough in the five years studied. Nationwide there were more than 300 per day.

And at Wigan’s worst blackspots dozens of smashes happened each year between 2014 and 2018.

The highest numbers of accidents occurred on main thoroughfares running across the borough, with the A577, which takes in Orrell, Ince, Hindley, Hindley Green, Atherton and Tyldesley faring worst of all.

Wigan Council said it took road safety extremely seriously and the population-adjusted data reflected that.

Mark Tilley, Wigan Council’s assistant director for infrastructure and regulatory services, said: “Working with road safety colleagues across Greater Manchester we take a proactive approach using techniques that are proven to help prevent road collisions and reduce risk to motorist and pedestrians.

“When met with collisions on certain roads in the past we have looked at measures like hazard marker posts or road resurfacing to increase skid resistance and benefit motorists particularly as the weather gets wetter and colder.”

The borough’s accident blackspots between 2014 and 2018 were:

1.) A577 - 159 accidents involving casualties.

2.) A49 - 126.

3.) A572 - 76.

4.) A579 - 68.

5.) A573 - 63.

6.) A580 - 56.

7.) B5238 - 56.

8.) A58 or A58M - 51.

9.) B5215 - 46.

10.) A578 - 42.

The A578 was also the road where residents were most likely to encounter an accident, with the highest crash-per-mile ratio at 15.7. However, some of the road is outside the borough.

Safety charity Brake said not using a mobile phone, slowing down and getting regular eyesight tests can help to prevent accidents.

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