Blackburn with Darwen's 10 car crash hotspots revealed

Using Department of Transport data the interactive website, Crash Map, logs all incidents in the borough in the past five years.

The website reveals the most common areas for crashes include Barbara Castle Way, which saw 34 incidents since 2014, including seven serious incidents and one fatal incident.

Scroll down for the full top 10 

Blackburn Road ­— from the M65 to Darwen town centre ­— had 53 incidents between 2014 and 2018, including seven serious incidents.

The Jackson Heights junction of the Grane Road alone had 42 crashes, with one fatal crash and seven serious incidents.

The website uses official figures from the Department of Transport to pinpoint the locations, as well as the number of vehicles, involved in each crash.

Ian Davies, 59, from Blackburn, suffered serious head and spinal injuries when he was hit by a Volkswagen Golf on Barbara Castle Way in November last year.

He was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital but died two days later.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day this year, Nasser Dungriwala, known as ‘Nas’, from Blackburn, suffered severe head injuries when he was hit by a blue Volkswagen Golf in Wainwright Way, Blackburn.

The 38-year-old was taken to Royal Preston Hospital but died from his injuries.

Cllr Phil Riley, who sits on the highways committee at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “These figures will not come as a surprise to anyone.

“There are drivers who use the roads, like Barbara Castle Way and Wainwright Way, like a race track.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all they are the most crash-prone roads. People don’t drive on these roads as safely as they should do.

“Breaking the speed limit is one reason why crashes happen, driving through red lights is another. Red lights are there for reason. People think they can go through a red light or be on the cusp of a red light but they are putting their lives and other people’s lives at risk.”

Bolton Road ­— from Wainwright Way to Alan Shearer Way ­— had 33 incidents, including three serious crashes and one fatal crash in August 2017, involving one car.

A recent national travel survey published by the Department for Transport reveals three quarters of drivers feel the law on mobile phone use while driving is not properly enforced.

The survey also revealed one in four people feel it is safe to use a mobile phone when behind the wheel in stationary traffic.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “Using a phone when behind the wheel can impair you as much as driving drunk so it’s a real concern that one in four people think it’s safe to use their phone when behind the wheel in stationary traffic – a car is a lethal weapon and it only takes a moment's inattention to result in devastating consequences.

“Most drivers know that all phone use behind the wheel is dangerous, but we need the law to reflect this by banning the use of hands-free devices.

“The current law provides a dangerous false impression about the use of phones behind the wheel and must be changed.

“We also call on the government to invest in roads policing as a priority so that the police have the resources they need to ensure there is a true deterrent to the menace of mobile phone use behind the wheel.”

Blackburn with Darwen's 10 car crash hotspots, between 2014 and 2018

1. Blackburn Road, from the M65 to Darwen town centre - 53 incidents

46 slight

7 serious

2. Grane Road, near Jackson Heights junction - 43

1 fatal

7 serious

35 slight

3. Preston New Road, from Barbara Castle Way to Billinge End Road - 41 incidents

7 serious

34 slight

4. Barbara Castle Way - 34 incidents

1 fatal

7 serious

26 slight

5. Bolton Road, from Wainwright Way to Alan Shearer Way - 33 incidents

1 fatal

3 serious

29 slight

6. Montague Street junction with King Street and Wainwright Way - 23 incidents

1 serious

22 slight

7. Whalley New Road, from Barbara Castle Way to 258 Whalley New Road - 22 incidents

3 serious

19 slight

8. Copy Nook- 21 incidents

5 serious

16 slight

9. St James' Road - 14 incidents

2 serious

12 slight

10. Grimshaw Park - 10 incidents

10 slight