Transport for London has launched an interactive digital collision map, which shows every road traffic incident from the last decade, as part of its plans to improve road safety in the capital.
Known as the London Collision Map, it uses data collected by the police and held by TfL to inform road users about accident hotspots, as part of the authority’s attempt to improve transparency for customers.
The map allows users to search for collisions across London, providing information about when, where and how severe incidents were, dating back to 2005, to help raise awareness of potentially dangerous sections of road, and encourage road users to take extra care at problem junctions.
The data will be updated “at regular intervals throughout the year”, TfL said, while in the coming months an interface will be released to allow third-party software developers to create applications to help improve road safety.
TfL already uses collision data to identify areas where additional road safety improvements are required and is liaising with the police to have access to more data that it has access to.
By combining it with traffic flow data, traffic counts and bus information, TfL said it is able to identify locations where more targeted enforcement and additional engagement with local communities can be made to improve road safety.
“This mapping tool will enable us to work with our partners and local communities to make significant improvements in road safety,” said Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport at TfL.
Daniels added: “Alongside major modernisation work at junctions, effective enforcement by the police and action to make lorries safer, this is one of many measures we are taking to further reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.”
The map can be found here.