EIGHT THOUSAND crashes were recorded in Bradford over the course of 12 months - with the city averaging 22 every day.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request from West Yorkshire Police found there were 8,317 shunts between August 2017 and August 2018, 10 of which resulted in the loss of life.

Bradford Council's City ward saw the most collisions with 1,186, followed by Bowling and Barkerend with 577 and 457 logged in Keighley Central.

More than 100 crashes happened in all 31 of the local authority's wards, apart from Wharfedale, which recorded 89.

One of the crashes included in the time frame took place on Toller Lane when four men died after the BMW they were travelling in hit a tree on August 2.

Bradford is already the most expensive area outside London for insurance quotes, but anyone involved in a car crash can see their premiums rise, even if they were blameless.

West Yorkshire Police introduced Operation Steerside in 2016 in a bid to tackle dangerous drivers and it has resulted in thousands of people being dealt with by the force

Cllr Nazam Azam, (City, Labour), said police operations like Steerside had proven to be vital in tackling bad driving across Bradford.

He added: "One accident is one too many and there is still a lot of risk on the roads.

"The figures are concerning, despite all the effort people are putting into stopping it.

"The numbers are shocking and the figures are increased because we are central to Bradford, but Operation Steerside, which has been well documented and supported, has brought a lot of success and created awareness to people who are regularly in the wrong on the roads.

"We need to continue to educate people that we will not tolerate bad driving on our roads.

"The police is doing a magnificent job in eliminating bad driving on the roads and I'm sure we can get the message out that this will not be tolerated.

"It continues to happen with illegal driving and speeding, but I would like to see how we are getting on compared to similar sized cities.

A spokesman for the road safety charity, Brake, said drivers can take precautions.

He said: "It is alarming to see so many crashes, including several deaths, on Bradford’s roads.

"Every death or injury on our roads is a needless and preventable tragedy.

"There are however actions that drivers can take to help prevent crashes.

"Brake urges drivers to slow down; never drink, take drugs or use their mobile phones when driving; always wear a seat belt; and get their eyesight tested regularly.

"We also need to see greater investment in road traffic enforcement so that people who do drive dangerously and break the law, endangering themselves and all other road users, are caught and punished."