M6 is the motorway with the most debris in the road that can cause accidents with 7,300 cases last year – find out which other routes are bad

Tyres shed from HGVs, construction materials and vehicle parts are common sights in the central reservations, grass verges and strewn across lanes of our busiest roads.

In most cases, these are incidental and not through the fault of a driver but still pose a huge risk to other motorists travelling at speeds of up to 70mph on motorways.

The motorway with the most debris has been outed in a new study - and it's the M6.

Almost 7,300 cases of debris in the road were reported last year by drivers, which is more than any other major route in Britain.

We reveal which are the most common foreign items you are likely to encounter on our fastest roads based on official figures.

The M6 has been named the motorway with the most debris that could be hazardous to drivers. We reveal which types of foreign items are most commonly strewn across our fastest roads

This is according to a Freedom of Information request by Green Flag to National Highways, the Welsh Government, and Transport Scotland - the three agencies overseeing the safe running of our fastest roads.

When asked how many cases of debris in a motorway were reported to them by drivers in 2022, the M6 topped the charts with 7,284 incidents.

Second in the list is the M1 with 6,424 cases raised to National Highways last year, while the M5 came in third overall with 4,999 incidents.

Debris on motorways and A-roads can be particularly dangerous given the speeds that motorists are travelling.

Even small pieces of debris on roads can cause significant damage to tyres or windscreens.

Of the 61,568 incidents on English roads, the most common types of debris reported were building materials, vehicle parts and tyres.

Dead animals - or 'roadkill' - was responsible for 3,149 incidents and sports equipment - usually trainers and other footwear - for 348 incidents.

The M6 topped the charts with 7,284 incidents of debris in the road reported to National Highways in 2022

Most common types of road debris reported on England's motorways in 2022 Ranking Obstruction type Incidents in 2022 Incidents in 2021 % YOY increase/decrease 1 Building / Construction materials 12,244 13,648 -11% 2 Vehicle Parts / Accessories 8,698 8,408 +3% 3 Tyres 5,385 5,782 -7% 4 Straps 4,918 5,367 -9% 5 Household / Gardening 4,328 4,731 -9% 6 Roadworks / Traffic Management Equipment 4,023 4,360 -8% 7 Dead Animal 3,149 3,439 -9% 8 Trees / Vegetation 1,216 1,048 +14% 9 Vehicle 826 769 +7% 10 Sports / Leisure 348 426 -22% Source: GreenFlag FOI request to National Highways, the Welsh Government, and Transport Scotland

In total across England, Scotland and Wales, road debris was reported 68,410 times to the three organisations in 2022 - that's an average of 192 incidents every day.

However, cases are on the decline.

The volume of incidents last year was 8 per cent down on 2021 when there were 74,290 reports of debris.

In Scotland, there were 5,291 incidents of debris on major roads managed by Transport Scotland in 2022 – down from 7,899 in 2021.

The M8, which connects Glasgow and Edinburgh, saw the highest number of reports of road debris in Scotland. This was followed by the M9, M90, A9 and A720.

There were 1,551 reports of debris on roads managed by the Welsh Government in 2022 – down from 1,905 in the previous year.

Of these the A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, had the most instances of road debris last year. The A4232 was the second most perilous road in Wales when it came to road debris, followed by the A470, A48M and M4 respectively.

Third overall in the list of most common types of debris in the road on a motorway last year was tyres - or parts of tyres, as pictured here

Katie Lomas, managing director at Green Flag said debris in road is an 'unwanted distraction' for drivers, and if they are forced to take evasive action - such as changing lanes, braking or stopping with little to no warning - they can often cause accidents.

'The data shows that incidents continue to be extremely common, highlighting how important it is for drivers to concentrate, drive at sensible speeds and to be on high alert every time they go on a motorway, or major road.

'If you do spot debris on a motorway, you should report it to the relevant agency as soon as it is safe to do so.'

Drivers can report any debris spotted on motorways and A-roads to the specific agency that manages the roads in the country where the incident occurs.

And motorists should not attempt to remove any debris themselves.

If there is debris on a road as a result of an accident, it could be illegal for drivers to move it from the scene.

Drivers should leave the debris where it is, even if it’s blocking the road for others and report the incident to highway authorities or police. More information and contact details for each agency ^[1] is available online.

References

^{^} More information and contact details for each agency (www.gov.uk)