Bolton has some of the highest numbers of penalty points and road collisions in Greater Manchester, second only to the borough of Manchester, DVLA and Department for Transport data shows.
As of September 2024, the number of penalty points in Bolton totalled over 58,000.
Three Bolton postcodes are also in the top 10 worst postcodes for penalty points in the whole of Greater Manchester.
Penalty points are given for a range of motoring offences, from careless and reckless driving to drink and drug driving.
And data on collisions suggests that there is indeed a particular problem in Bolton.
In 2023, 114 road collisions were caused by motoring offences in Bolton – more than twice the number in Stockport, whose population only has 12% fewer licensed drivers than Bolton. Bolton’s figure is a 34% increase from 2022.
For many Bolton residents the high number of penalty points and collisions is cause for concern.
Liam Toote, 33, who lives in Horwich, Bolton but is originally from South Africa, worries about the safety of his toddler due to the prevalence of dangerous driving in Bolton.
When walking on the pavement, both he and his wife will stand on the side of their toddler closest to the road to act as a barrier.
Toote said: “I know that sounds over-the-top, but with the recent spate of accidents we’ve had in Horwich we do it just in case.
“It makes me very upset.
“I’ve just found that there’s not really a regard for speed limits here, especially in Horwich.
“I really do think that people need to go for more speed awareness courses. I’ve been caught by a camera before and went to the speed awareness course and learned a lot.”
Toote also noticed dangerous driving in his area when Storm Bert hit the UK last week, spotting four cars without their lights on in the heavy rain.
Debbie Barry, 60, also feels unsafe riding her horse on the road in Lostock.
Barry is a local organiser for Pass Wide and Slow Lostock, which did its first awareness ride in September.
Pass Wide and Slow are a group dedicated to promoting safe and respectful driving practices, advocating for stronger road safety regulations, and supporting those impacted by dangerous driving.
Barry believes speed awareness courses should also educate drivers on how to safely pass horses on the road.
She said: “A lot of people won’t ride out because it’s so dangerous on the roads. I’ve had numerous incidents while I’ve been out riding.
“We definitely don’t feel safe.”
She now carries a flag on her whip that says ‘pass wide and slow’ when she goes out on her horse.
“It could be catastrophic,” said Barry. “People need to be mindful and slow down.”
Another Bolton resident, Chris, 70, isn’t surprised by these figures.
She and her husband have both had dash cams installed after near misses and seeing people skip red lights.
“We feel as if the standards have just deteriorated,” said Chris, who didn’t want to reveal her surname.
“You don’t see the same police presence that you used to.”
She believes that the standard of driving has been affected by more people taking intensive crash courses, saying they don’t give new drivers the same awareness of the road.
“Drivers are inconsiderate, impatient, and don’t know how to react in certain situations,” she said.
“I feel much less safe than I used to. You’ve got to have your wits about you.”
Roger Hayes, Councillor for Smithills ward, has been concerned for a long time about speeding in Bolton.
Smithills ward makes up part of the BL1 postcode – which has the most penalty points in all of Greater Manchester.
BL1 is also in the top 2% of all UK postcodes for total number of penalty points.
Coun Hayes said: “We’ve hit a problem where speed cameras are being rationed because of cost. They have to be bought by the local authority, yet all fines are being held by the government.
“It’s just not logical. Decisions seem to be made very arbitrarily, purely on cost grounds and not on the needs of the road.
“We ran a campaign to have the funding of speed cameras rationalised, but the government seemed a little bit reluctant to do it.
“We’re going to try again with the new government.”
He believes speed awareness courses are effective, but that more needs to be done to deter drivers from speeding.
“I think people driving at ridiculous speeds should be severely punished and I think taking their cars off them is one thing that should be considered,” he said.
“We’ve had a number of cases here where people have crashed the car and run away because they’re uninsured, didn’t hold a licence or were under the influence of drugs or drink.
“It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets killed.”
In February, officers from Bolton’s Prevention Hub set up ‘Operation Classify’ to target high-risk roads in the area.
The operation aims to reduce the number of collisions on Bolton roads.
Officers have identified excessive speeding, drink and drug driving, and driver standards as the main causes of road traffic collisions in the area.
The operation has involved placing electronic message boards on Bolton’s roads, encouraging drivers to take care behind the wheel and other preventative messages that are applicable for that stretch of road.
Inspector Nick Bonson from the Bolton Prevention Hub said: “This has been an ongoing piece of work for us, something that has required a lot of analysing routes and data, which has led us to focus our attention on a number of different routes across the town.
“Although we are not disclosing those routes publicly, you will notice an increased police presence on the roads as we strive to bring the number of serious and fatal collisions down in the area.
“The Neighbourhood Policing team in Bolton are routinely out across the whole district supported by the Force’s Roads Policing Unit; however, we are taking a further proactive approach to target drivers that feel they are above the law.
“Please do take care when travelling on any roads throughout Bolton, the whole of Greater Manchester and beyond. Let this be a warning, if you are driving dangerously, on your phone behind the wheel or driving under the influence of drink or drugs, we will catch up with you.”
Featured image: Albert Bridge (Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence).
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