Watch: Doorbell cam shows dangerous junction which has seen 13 car accidents in two months
Shocking CCTV footage has been released which shows a number of recent crashes along a ‘dangerous’ road junction which has seen 13 collisions in just two months.
The stretch of Draycott Cross Road on the A521 in Cheadle, Staffordshire, has seen more than a dozen incidents in just two months, with locals calling on the council to take action.
In one accident, captured on video by a nearby Ring doorbell camera, a car flips into the air after colliding with another vehicle, while in a separate clip, a lorry and a car are involved in a crash.
Almost £200,000 worth of damage has been caused in the past two months by crashes, which have been blamed on misleading give way signs and faded road markings.
Councillor Gary Bentley lives by the junction and his Ring doorbell has captured the crashes on camera – he believes there have been about 13 accidents since the end of August.
In one clip, an SUV is sent rolling across the road on to the pavement after colliding with a Volkswagen Golf.
The most recent accident happened last Thursday when a car and a van collided at the junction – the nearby Huntsman pub has a chalkboard sign outside that keeps a tally of the days since the last crash.
Its landlord, Conor Bernard Devine, 55, said: “You hear a big bang, you come running out and there’s a car on its roof again. It’s a question of time before someone gets killed out there.
“We’re on a four-day streak at the moment. We’ve been here 15 years, it’s always been bad for the accidents.
“For whatever reason it’s getting worse. I don’t know if it’s the road markings or not. Three have been very serious, then there’s been a couple of little fender benders.”
Bentley, an independent councillor from High Peak Borough Council, is calling for traffic lights to be installed.
“It’s a busy junction. We think it could be Britain’s most dangerous – it has been in the last few weeks,” he said.
“We were all concerned about the highway issues and people out of town coming down, most of the crashes are from people outside the area.
“A couple of weeks ago a car came over and didn’t know he had to stop. There were two. One was hit by a car and another by a lorry. We put it down to the faint lines.
“The council painted one line. But the crash last week was the other side, where they didn’t paint. They only painted one side of the road.
“One side is beautifully painted, the other side you can’t see. I wanted the signs changing from give way to stop, that’s the minimum I want. We ideally want a set of traffic lights.
“We reckon we’ve had about 13 crashes since August. My dad is 84 and he wanders up that road all day long. That’s what my concern is.”
His father, Alan Bentley, who has lived in the area for 60 years, added: “It isn’t safe. I’d like a big roundabout, a massive roundabout to slow them down, or traffic lights.”
Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, said the crashes were being investigated.
“Once we have all the information, we will look to see if any action is required at the location,” he said.
“Keeping our roads safe remains our priority and we do listen to residents and work with local communities if they have concerns about road safety in their area.”
What are the main causes of car accidents in the UK?
According to a study published in April by car insurance comparison site NimbleFins, based on data from the Department for Transport, these are the most common causes of car accidents in the UK:
1. Driver failed to look properly – 34.2%
2. Driver careless, reckless or in a hurry – 18.1%
3. Driver failed to judge other person’s path or speed – 17.5%
4. Loss of control – 10.7%
5. Poor turn or manoeuvre – 10.6%
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