The Forbes Advisor study analysed data from the Department for Transport’s 2021 annual report on reported road casualties in Great Britain from 2012 to 2021.
And while changing lanes is most likely to cause an accident for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), with 13% of all changing lane collisions, HGVs are only involved in 2.33% of overall crashes.
HGVs were involved in the most collisions while slowing or stopping, with 3,714 recorded collisions between 2012 and 2021. 2,859 recorded collisions involving HGVs occurred while they were parked. Turning right resulted in the third most collisions for HGVs, with 2,857 recorded collisions.
The study also analysed which vehicle type faced the most risk of a collision on average for each manoeuvre. Heavy goods vehicles experienced collisions nearly six times more frequently than the average while changing lanes to the left (585.6% of the average) and over five times as frequently while changing lanes to the right (533.37% of the average).
Forbes Advisor’s Kevin Pratt said: “Accidents will always happen, but it’s worth remembering that the vast majority are caused by human error. Drivers who are risk aware, cautious and focused on what they are doing can improve their chances of avoiding collisions.”