London’s most dangerous drivers have been revealed by a new map showing the parts of the country where people should beware of reckless motorists.
Home Office figures show that police in England and Wales logged more than 6,200 crime reports of dangerous driving in 2024, including 442 offences in London, 74 of which caused a death or serious injury.
Nationally, that was an 8% increase from the previous year. The Met Police recorded 27 more dangerous driving offences than in 2023, including 13 more serious crimes causing death or serious injury.
The figures show that the chances of encountering a dangerous driver vary greatly across the country. In London, the risk is highest in Westminster. In the three years to the end of 2024, police recorded 64 crimes of dangerous driving, including 12 that caused a death or serious injury.
Tower Hamlets (77 crime reports) and Lambeth (68) 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 Westminster.
For every 100,000 people over the legal driving age, there were 35 offences in Westminster – the equivalent of one dangerous driving crime for every 2,859 people. That’s higher than anywhere else in London.
Tower Hamlets had the second-highest rate of dangerous driving offences over the last three years, with 29 per 100,000 people, followed by Lambeth (26 per 100,000 people), Barking and Dagenham (25), and Enfield (24).
You can see how it compares where you live using our interactive map.
Dangerous driving is 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.
Examples include speeding, driving aggressively, overtaking dangerously, or ignoring traffic lights. 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.
For the most serious offence of causing death by dangerous driving, the sentence could be up to 14 years in prison and a minimum disqualification from driving of two years.
Rates of dangerous driving offences
- Westminster – 35.0
- Tower Hamlets – 29.1
- Lambeth – 25.5
- Barking and Dagenham – 24.5
- Enfield – 24.3
- Redbridge – 23.9
- Newham – 22.2
- Kensington and Chelsea – 21.6
- Islington – 21.5
- Greenwich – 21.0
- Hammersmith and Fulham – 20.6
- Croydon – 19.2
- Lewisham – 18.4
- Hackney – 17.7
- Merton – 17.6
- Bexley – 17.0
- Brent – 16.5
- Hillingdon – 15.7
- Southwark – 15.5
- Camden – 15.2
- Wandsworth – 15.0
- Barnet – 14.8
- Haringey – 14.7
- Havering – 14.4
- Hounslow – 14.1
- Harrow – 13.6
- Bromley – 13.4
- Waltham Forest – 12.0
- Kingston upon Thames – 11.2
- Ealing – 10.2
- Richmond upon Thames – 9.8
- City of London – 9.7
- Sutton – 8.0
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