58% of Britain’s A roads market as neutral for safety or poor

More than half of Britain’s A roads and a quarter of motorways was rated poorly according to European road assessment programme (EuroRAP).

Single lane carriageways were rated as the most dangerous due to bad surfaces, lines, junctions and signs. To improve safety on the roads The Department of Transport is going to cut speed limits on dangerous roads.

"UK roads remain amongst the safest in the world and we've made significant progress in recent years in reducing incidents and casualties on England's motorways and major A roads.

Despite half of Britain’s A road failing to be rated as safe the number of people killed on roads has reached the record low. 2,538 people were killed on the roads in 2008 and that’s 14% less than in 2007.

Most dangerous road – the A537 leading from Macclesfield to Buxton, had 27 accidents many of which involved motorbikes.

Of the "persistently higher risk roads", eight out of 10 were around the Buxton, Sheffield, Macclesfield and Yorkshire and Humberside areas.

The most dangerous roads by region (road risk rate)

South east England A259 Hastings-Eastbourne 120.02

South west England A48 Chepstow-Gloucester 95.89

East England A1065 Swaffham-Fakenham 93.36

East Midlands A5 Daventry-Rugby 27.82

West Midlands A53 Leek-Buxton 118.03

Wales A495 Whitchurch-Welshampton 170.31

North west England A537 Macclesfield-Buxton 250.45

Yorkshire & Humber A61 Barnsley-Wakefield 164.14

North east England A688 Barnard Castle to the A68 82.8

Scotland A99 Latheron-Wick 209.26