MONMOUTHSHIRE is the third safest place to drive in the UK according to new research.

The study was conducted by car parts marketplace Ovoko, who used data from The Department for Transport between 2013 and 2022. 

The research focused on which UK areas had the lowest average collisions per billion miles (PBM) travelled. 

Monmouthshire came out third on the list of safe areas to drive in with 131.85 collisions PBM on average. Figures were lowest in 2016, with 102 collisions per billion vehicle miles, making it the safest year.

Above Monmouthshire on the list is The Shetland Islands, with an average of 127.25 collisions, and finally topped by Perth and Kinross.

The Scottish region is statistically the UK’s safest area to drive in. Between 2013 and 2022, there were, on average, 122.73 collisions PBM. 2019 was found to have the lowest numbers, with 78 collisions PBM. 

A spokesperson for Ovoko said: “You might expect numbers to be at their lowest in 2020 and 2021, amongst COVID-19 lockdowns meaning fewer cars on the road overall. 

“However, for many areas in this top ten, this is not the case. Another interesting thing to note is the drop off in collisions for many areas between 2021 and 2022, and it will be worth noting whether these numbers continue to drop into the 2020s, with the government’s attempted efforts to make roads safer.”