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CrashStats

Bristol road accidents in 1979: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,600 road traffic collisions in Bristol in 1979, and 1,918 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 32 were fatal and 433 were serious.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 59,613 collisions in Bristol.

Collisions in 1979
1,600
Casualties in 1979
1,918
Fatal collisions
32
2% of collisions
Serious collisions
433
27% of collisions

Crash severity in Bristol in 1979

2% of collisions in Bristol in 1979 were fatal and 27% serious, against 1.2% and 15% in Bristol from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal322%
  • Serious43327%
  • Slight1,13571%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal341.8%
  • Serious48725%
  • Slight1,39773%

Bristol road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Bristol, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,745 in 1982. 1979 is highlighted, with 1,600.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1979
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025753844
2024841955
2023809935
2022873988
2021835917
2020646770
20199671,131
20189471,144
20178481,014
20161,0231,199
20159421,155
20141,0241,201
20139361,110
20121,0771,336
20111,0401,281
20101,0871,348
20091,1831,425
20081,1061,347
20071,4431,748
20061,4651,806
20051,4981,818
20041,4711,829
20031,4781,837
20021,5751,959
20011,5451,946
20001,5271,897
19991,6592,086
19981,5932,003
19971,2781,597
19961,3621,651
19951,3161,567
19941,2631,584
19931,3411,606
19921,2001,431
19911,2781,506
19901,3251,551
19891,4081,660
19881,5291,805
19871,5391,810
19861,5481,825
19851,5081,792
19841,5751,833
19831,5931,903
19821,7452,149
19811,5491,838
19801,4651,772
19791,6001,918

When and where crashes happen in Bristol in 1979

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday246 (15%)
  • Tuesday224 (14%)
  • Wednesday229 (14%)
  • Thursday252 (16%)
  • Friday252 (16%)
  • Saturday252 (16%)
  • Sunday145 (9.1%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59107 (6.7%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5920 (1.3%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59181 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59181 (11%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59290 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59385 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59197 (12%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59239 (15%)

Collisions by month

  • January101 (6.3%)
  • February102 (6.4%)
  • March124 (7.8%)
  • April119 (7.4%)
  • May138 (8.6%)
  • June116 (7.2%)
  • July122 (7.6%)
  • August137 (8.6%)
  • September118 (7.4%)
  • October181 (11%)
  • November168 (11%)
  • December174 (11%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight1,082 (68%)
  • Dark, street lights lit512 (32%)
  • Dark, no street lighting3 (0.2%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown2 (0.1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit1 (0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds1,254 (78%)
  • Raining, no high winds232 (14%)
  • Raining with high winds32 (2%)
  • Snowing, no high winds25 (1.6%)
  • Fine with high winds21 (1.3%)
  • Snowing with high winds6 (0.4%)
  • Fog or mist3 (0.2%)
  • Other26 (1.6%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Road surface

  • Dry1,065 (67%)
  • Wet or damp476 (30%)
  • Frost or ice31 (1.9%)
  • Snow27 (1.7%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 15 mph1 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph1,539 (96%)
  • 40 mph30 (1.9%)
  • 50 mph14 (0.9%)
  • 60 mph7 (0.4%)
  • 70 mph9 (0.6%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,300 (81%)
  • Dual carriageway114 (7.1%)
  • One way street or slip road104 (6.5%)
  • Roundabout81 (5.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Bristol in 1979

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant610 (32%)
  • Motorcyclist538 (28%)
  • Pedestrian468 (24%)
  • Cyclist131 (6.8%)
  • Bus or coach occupant114 (5.9%)
  • Van occupant26 (1.4%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)11 (0.6%)
  • Minibus occupant10 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle occupant6 (0.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant4 (0.2%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 547 (2.5%)
  • 6 to 10108 (5.6%)
  • 11 to 15101 (5.3%)
  • 16 to 20536 (28%)
  • 21 to 25303 (16%)
  • 26 to 35245 (13%)
  • 36 to 45169 (8.8%)
  • 46 to 55139 (7.2%)
  • 56 to 65128 (6.7%)
  • 66 to 7593 (4.8%)
  • Over 7549 (2.6%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider1,025 (53%)
  • Pedestrian468 (24%)
  • Passenger425 (22%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,566 (60%)
  • Motorcycle570 (22%)
  • Pedal cycle139 (5.3%)
  • Bus or coach128 (4.9%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes98 (3.7%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes74 (2.8%)
  • Minibus14 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle14 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car14 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Bristol in 1979

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1979 in Bristol

Use the arrow keys to move the map and the plus and minus keys to zoom.

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

How Bristol ranked among 349 areas in 1979

Of the 349 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Bristol had the 25th most road collisions in 1979.

Collisions
25th
highest of 349 areas
Casualties
31st
highest of 349 areas
Fatal collisions
29th
highest of 349 areas
Serious collisions
17th
highest of 349 areas

Roads in Bristol with the most crashes in 1979

The A38 had the most collisions in Bristol in 1979: 185, including 3 fatal and 52 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Bristol, 1979
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA38185219352
2ndA48298325
3rdA4327481114
4thA40187081017
5thA420616538
6thA40445367317
7thA375060019
8thB4051415637
9thA41743442112
10thB4469293303
11thB4465273204
12thB4054252705
13thA3029202107
14thB4050172404
15thB4052161805
16thB4056162114
17thB4058151602
18thB4468152010
19thA431142014
20thB3122131605

Towns in Bristol: crashes in 1979

Bristol itself had the most collisions of any town in the area in 1979: 1,357.

Postcode districts in Bristol: crashes in 1979

BS1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Bristol in 1979: 212.

Latest crashes in Bristol in 1979

Of the last 24 crashes in Bristol in 1979, 1 was fatal and 4 were serious. The last was on 31 December 1979.

Severity

Bristol road accidents in other years