SWINDON may be home to one of the world’s most infamous road junctions and it has banned speed cameras but it has been named the safest town to drive in the UK.

Research compiled by insurer Staveley Head examined accident rates, casualties and road conditions from the Department Of Transport in a review of national road safety.

The results showed Swindon, home to the Magic Roundabout, is in fact the safest place for drivers, with calculations based on accident rates per 1,000 registered vehicles, rather than the total number of incidents.

It comes it at comes in at just 2.0, with the national average more than double this at 4.7.

Of the few accidents recorded in Swindon, most occurred on or around the Magic Roundabout and on the B4289 –the Great Western Way.

Coun Peter Greenhalgh, the Cabinet Member for Council Transformation, Transport and Strategic Planning, said he was delighted with the findings.

“Obviously this is excellent news and I think it is testament to the stance that we take on road safety,” he said.

“We removed our speed cameras a while back which gave us additional funding which we could put into road safety and we have worked closely with the police to improve this.

“We have always said we take road safety seriously and it is encouraging to see that all the efforts we put in are evidently paying off.

“We are looking at long term improvements to both the Magic Roundabout and the Great Western Way.

“We had already identified these hotspots, and this seems to be corroborated by the report, and £12.1m has been put aside to improve the Great Western Way.”

Countywide, Wiltshire took the top spot for the safest roads in England with an average accident rate of 2.5 incidents per 1,000 registered vehicles.

Ashley Peters, the director of Staveley Head, said: “We decided to conduct the research to raise awareness of the disparity in road safety levels across Britain.

“The results for Swindon are fantastic – motorists here really are setting a prime example for the rest of the country."

To find out more information and to see how other areas in the UK fared, visit www.staveleyhead.co.uk