Turning right has been revealed as the most hazardous manoeuvre on Britain’s roads, with tens of thousands of vehicles involved in collisions while attempting it, new data shows.
Between 2019 and 2024, a staggering 89,461 vehicles were recorded as performing a right turn at the time of a crash, according to figures analysed from Department for Transport data by car accident law firm Jones Whyte.
The analysis found that cars, behind only agricultural vehicles, were the most at-risk vehicle type when it came to right-hand turns. In fact, car drivers were 16.6% more likely to be involved in a collision during this manoeuvre compared to the average across all vehicle types. Alarmingly, 10% of all car crashes involved a right turn — significantly higher than the 8.6% across all types of vehicles.
“Turning right might not seem to be very dangerous, after all, it is such a routine thing to do while driving,” said Stephanie Hutton, Partner at Jones Whyte. “However, the statistics show turning right is the most dangerous manoeuvre for drivers, with car drivers the second most at-risk overall.
“Since you are usually crossing at least one path for traffic, there are many more opportunities to miss another road user and crash while turning right than with other manoeuvres. Therefore, make sure you keep checking your path is clear from multiple angles, as you can never be sure if you have missed something.”
Slowing and Stopping Also Pose Serious Risks
After turning right, slowing down or stopping was found to be the second most dangerous action for drivers, linked to 59,158 crashes. Larger vehicles bore the brunt of these accidents, with buses and coaches more than twice as likely to be involved in collisions while slowing down compared to the average vehicle.
“Slowing is much more difficult in heavy vehicles, something that might not be apparent to many car drivers,” Hutton added. “Always check what’s behind you outside of emergencies while slowing, and remember to brake smoothly, gently, and with plenty of space, so drivers behind can respond in good time.”
Top 5 Riskiest Road Manoeuvres Revealed
Moving off was the third most dangerous driving action, linked to 47,723 crashes. Buses and coaches were 213.9% more likely to be involved in such incidents, followed by mobility scooters, trams, taxis, and cars.
Holding up traffic while waiting to go came in fourth, with 43,959 collisions. Taxis were found to be the most at-risk vehicle type during this manoeuvre.
Rounding out the top five was turning left, associated with 33,367 crashes. Agricultural vehicles were again disproportionately at risk, followed by vans.
Most Dangerous Manoeuvres for Car Drivers
A deeper look into car-specific data found the following manoeuvres to be the most perilous:
Turning right: 71,603 collisions (+16.4% over average)
Being held up waiting to go: 34,954 collisions (+15.7%)
Waiting to turn right: 10,377 collisions (+16.8%)
U-turns: 5,597 collisions (+14.3%)
Waiting to turn left: 3,682 collisions (+16.6%)
Waiting to turn right proved the riskiest, with collisions 16.8% more common for car drivers than average. This was followed closely by waiting to turn left and then turning right.
Motorbikes, Cyclists and Heavy Vehicles Face Different Risks
Motorcyclists were at greatest risk when overtaking another vehicle on the offside — an action 262.7% more likely to result in a crash compared to the average. Overtaking static vehicles and overtaking on the nearside were also high-risk.
For cyclists, overtaking on the nearside posed the greatest threat, followed by overtaking static vehicles on the offside.
Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) were six and a half times more likely than average to crash when changing lanes to the left, while vans were most vulnerable when reversing.
Stephanie Hutton concluded with a clear warning: “A crash can sometimes be unavoidable. However, most can be prevented with good observations performed in good time and driving in a defensive manner.
“Always think about whether you have been seen, keeping in mind that larger vehicles have dramatically reduced sight lines compared to a car, and whether you might have missed another road user. Keeping this in mind will help you to keep yourself and others safe on the roads.”
