England · Local authority E09000023

Driving around Lewisham.

Understand the wider traffic picture, discuss local driving skills and find useful next steps.

Population and household transport

Explore the full local-area picture

Residents aged 17–24

27,563

Mid-2025 estimate. This is an age-group count, not the number of learners.

Households without a car or van

47.7%

Census 2021. Household vehicle availability does not establish access to a practice car.

Annual traffic

449

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

720

Police-reported personal-injury collisions during 2025.

4 fatal collisions. This counts collisions, not people killed. Damage-only incidents and unreported collisions are outside this dataset.

Traffic over time

Annual million vehicle miles, rounded. Authority boundaries can change.
YearAll motor vehiclesCars and taxis
2025 449 331
2024 448 331
2023 445 331
2022 443 329
2021 444 331
2020 393 291
2019 479 365
2018 470 358
2017 489 370
2016 490 372
2015 470 367
2014 469 366
2013 462 362
2012 473 371
2011 485 379

Road setting

Reported collisions by recorded setting, 2025
Setting Collisions
Single carriageway 475
Dual carriageway 87
Unknown 66
One way street 54
Roundabout 22
Slip road 16

Light conditions

Reported collisions by recorded setting, 2025
Setting Collisions
Daylight 475
Darkness - lights lit 216
Darkness - lighting unknown 23
Darkness - lights unlit 3
Darkness - no lighting 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 Lewisham. These figures can help you plan the support and practical questions to discuss with an instructor.

Residents reporting a disability

14.4%

Census definition; not driving fitness.

Employed residents commuting as car/van drivers

15.9%

Census 2021, during coronavirus restrictions.

Explore language, disability and commuting figures for Lewisham

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.