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Road collisions in Tower Hamlets
Police recorded 5,004 road collisions involving injury in Tower Hamlets between 2021 and 2025, about 1,001 a year. 19 of them were fatal, and an estimated 758 involved serious injury once DfT's severity adjustment is applied. These are reported injury collisions only: damage-only incidents and unreported injuries are not included.
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When collisions happen
The busiest hour was 5pm to 6pm, and 30% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (lower than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 27% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 1,113 in 2021 to 957 in 2025, a fall of 14%. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Tower Hamlets should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Tower Hamlets, 5,694 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 16% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 28% (12%) and motorcyclists 21% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 31%. 13 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 4% of casualties, lower than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 23% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 2% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 898 | 15.8% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 1,610 | 28.3% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 1,217 | 21.4% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,755 | 30.8% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 99 | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 63 | 1.1% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 52 | 0.9% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 38 | 0.7% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 73 | 1.4% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 114 | 2.1% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 393 | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 908 | 16.9% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 1,778 | 33.0% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 1,087 | 20.2% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 583 | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 269 | 5.0% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 98 | 1.8% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 40 | 0.7% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
17.1% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 31.9% a cyclist (15.0%) and 24.0% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 1.7% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 17.6% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 58 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 5,118 | 55.5% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 521 | 5.6% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 83 | 0.9% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 1,457 | 15.8% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 1,737 | 18.8% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 189 | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 118 | 1.3% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Tower Hamlets
These are the 100 metre squares with the most reported collisions in 2021 to 2025. Location is the average position of the collisions in each square, so treat it as approximate.
| # | Where | Junction type | Collisions | Fatal | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mile End Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 44 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Commercial Road (A13) | Crossroads | 43 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Mile End Road (A11) | Crossroads | 41 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Whitechapel Road (A11) | Crossroads | 40 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | Bow Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 39 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach (A11) | Roundabout | 37 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Commercial Road (A13) | Junction with more than four arms | 36 | 1 | View on map |
| 8 | Whitechapel High Street (A11) | Crossroads | 34 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Commercial Road (A13) | T or staggered junction | 33 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | Burdett Road (A1205) | Crossroads | 31 | 1 | View on map |
| 11 | Cambridge Heath Road (A107) | Crossroads | 30 | 1 | View on map |
| 12 | Commercial Road (A13) | T or staggered junction | 29 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Tower Bridge Approach (A100) | Crossroads | 29 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Commercial Road (A13) | Crossroads | 29 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Bethnal Green Road (A1209) | Crossroads | 28 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Whitechapel Road (A11) | Crossroads | 28 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Bow Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 26 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Bow Road (A11) | Private drive or entrance | 25 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | Preston's Road (A1206) | Roundabout | 25 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | East India Dock Road (A13) | T or staggered junction | 25 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Mile End Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 25 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Whitechapel Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 25 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Mile End Road (A11) | Crossroads | 24 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Bow Road (A11) | T or staggered junction | 23 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | New Road (B108) | Crossroads | 23 | 0 | View on map |
Roads and streets with the most collisions
Each collision is matched to the nearest named road. Long roads and busy town centres collect the most, so this list shows where collisions are recorded, not which streets are riskiest.
| Road or street | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Road | 402 | 3 | 57 |
| Mile End Road | 305 | 1 | 60 |
| East India Dock Road | 213 | 1 | 31 |
| Bow Road | 187 | 0 | 36 |
| Whitechapel Road | 173 | 0 | 33 |
| Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach | 155 | 1 | 24 |
| Bethnal Green Road | 145 | 0 | 22 |
| Cambridge Heath Road | 131 | 1 | 23 |
| The Highway | 124 | 0 | 25 |
| Hackney Road | 109 | 0 | 18 |
| Burdett Road | 104 | 1 | 20 |
| Grove Road | 103 | 0 | 15 |
| Cable Street | 101 | 0 | 15 |
| Westferry Road | 99 | 1 | 17 |
| Commercial Street | 87 | 0 | 15 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
95% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 0% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 74% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, higher than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A11 | 782 | 1 | 141 |
| A13 | 626 | 4 | 93 |
| A1206 | 248 | 2 | 39 |
| A1205 | 220 | 1 | 36 |
| A1203 | 214 | 0 | 38 |
| A1209 | 155 | 0 | 22 |
| A12 | 150 | 1 | 22 |
| B108 | 140 | 1 | 20 |
| B140 | 139 | 0 | 21 |
| A107 | 130 | 1 | 23 |
| A1202 | 121 | 0 | 20 |
| B126 | 120 | 0 | 19 |
| A1208 | 113 | 0 | 17 |
| B135 | 111 | 1 | 16 |
| A1261 | 105 | 3 | 14 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
37% of collisions in Tower Hamlets happened in darkness, higher than the 28% across Great Britain. 99% happened on roads classed as urban, higher than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 0 | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 3,073 | 61.4% | 44.0% |
| B road | 781 | 15.6% | 12.5% |
| C road | 397 | 7.9% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 753 | 15.0% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 3,485 | 69.6% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 1,281 | 25.6% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 194 | 3.9% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 33 | 0.7% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 6 | 0.1% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 5 | 0.1% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 1,182 | 26.1% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 1,816 | 40.1% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 749 | 16.5% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 163 | 3.6% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 82 | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 315 | 7.0% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 224 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 3,136 | 62.7% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 1,705 | 34.1% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 34 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 22 | 0.4% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 107 | 2.1% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Tower Hamlets | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 4,958 | 99.1% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 46 | 0.9% | 32.8% |
About these figures
Only collisions involving injury that were reported to the police are counted. The figures are not adjusted for traffic volume or population, so they should not be used to rank areas against each other. Serious and slight splits use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment. Full explanation.