Residents aged 17–24
15,840
Mid-2025 estimate. This is an age-group count, not the number of learners.
England · Local authority E06000055
Driving around Bedford.
Understand the wider traffic picture, discuss local driving skills and find useful next steps.
Population and household transport
Explore the full local-area pictureHouseholds without a car or van
18.2%
Census 2021. Household vehicle availability does not establish access to a practice car.
Annual traffic
895
Million motor-vehicle miles during 2025.
A measure of travel across this authority area, not the number of vehicles, a road’s daily flow or current congestion. DfT asks that these figures be rounded to the nearest million miles.
Reported injury collisions
294
Police-reported personal-injury collisions during 2025.
6 fatal collisions. This counts collisions, not people killed. Damage-only incidents and unreported collisions are outside this dataset.
Traffic over time
| Year | All motor vehicles | Cars and taxis |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 895 | 700 |
| 2024 | 870 | 676 |
| 2023 | 874 | 676 |
| 2022 | 847 | 649 |
| 2021 | 764 | 579 |
| 2020 | 676 | 512 |
| 2019 | 859 | 675 |
| 2018 | 845 | 662 |
| 2017 | 859 | 676 |
| 2016 | 809 | 639 |
| 2015 | 793 | 629 |
| 2014 | 770 | 613 |
| 2013 | 733 | 585 |
| 2012 | 723 | 580 |
| 2011 | 694 | 553 |
Road setting
| Setting | Collisions |
|---|---|
| Single carriageway | 202 |
| Roundabout | 40 |
| Dual carriageway | 34 |
| Slip road | 15 |
| One way street | 3 |
Light conditions
| Setting | Collisions |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 221 |
| Darkness - lights lit | 51 |
| Darkness - no lighting | 13 |
| Darkness - lighting unknown | 6 |
| Darkness - lights unlit | 3 |
More collisions does not automatically mean greater risk.
Traffic exposure, area size, road mix and reporting vary. These are counts, not comparable collision rates. Ask your instructor to choose practice environments suited to your current ability and current conditions.
Plan useful practice
Work with a qualified supervisor and agree goals with your instructor.
Check today’s conditions
Official roadworks, travel and weather services.
Teach and reflect
Planning, CPD and tools for instructor development.
Community and travel context
Census 2021 gives a historical picture of Bedford. These figures can help you plan the support and practical questions to discuss with an instructor.
Residents reporting a disability
15.5%
Census definition; not driving fitness.
Employed residents commuting as car/van drivers
47.2%
Census 2021, during coronavirus restrictions.
Explore language, disability and commuting figures for Bedford
Sources and matching
Traffic: DfT road traffic downloads. Collisions: DfT STATS19 2025. We match the traffic authority code to the collision’s current highway-authority code; this does not assign an instructor or test centre to that area. Local traffic estimates are less robust than regional totals. Download the source metadata and full history.