Britain’s police forces are causing a daily average of nine car accidents claims a newspaper who has obtained figures under the Freedom of Information laws.

The figures show that since 2004, over 150 people have died in car accidents involving the police, with 79 of these coming as a result of police chases.

Police Officers have owned up to causing 3,357 crashes last year, worryingly these figures are only for 42 police forces, with the other 10 police forces refusing to release the number of road accidents they were liable for.

Of the incidents caused by police at least 2,492 involved another vehicle, a further 56 were motorcycle or cycle accidents and 22 others were pedestrian accidents.

Many of the accidents have been basic errors like failing to stop at junctions, cornering too quickly, not looking properly before performing a U-turn and reversing without checking mirrors.

A spokesperson for Brake said: "The high number of crashes caused by simple driver errors is shocking.

"We urge all police forces to follow best practice by making road safety an issue to champion right from the top."

A spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said that the police must use the information to "lessen the risk of the same mistakes happening in future".

In response to the figures a spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said: "There are clear national standards for police driver training and comprehensive manuals for its delivery. The training is robust and the importance of safety and proportionality is a feature of any driver training course.

"These figures must also be viewed in the context of the fact there are tens of thousands of police vehicles on the road."