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CrashStats

Canterbury road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 20,515 road traffic collisions in Canterbury from 1979 to 2025, and 27,214 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 354 were fatal and 3,817 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 284 collisions, up 3% on 2024 (276), and casualties fell from 375 to 357.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
20,515
162nd highest of 351 areas
Casualties
27,214
1.33 per collision
Fatal collisions
354
1.7% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
284
Up 3% on 2024

Crash severity in Canterbury

1.7% of collisions in Canterbury from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 19% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal3541.7%
  • Serious3,81719%
  • Slight16,34480%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal3821.4%
  • Serious4,48016%
  • Slight22,35282%

Canterbury road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Canterbury, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 597 in 1981. In 2025 there were 284, up 3% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 284
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025284357
2024276375
2023292412
2022351437
2021307398
2020287359
2019336448
2018367485
2017367474
2016337462
2015371510
2014417534
2013352460
2012390522
2011403520
2010406543
2009405536
2008417535
2007403542
2006410536
2005441558
2004477630
2003453593
2002421593
2001503694
2000467628
1999476645
1998496700
1997524681
1996554759
1995471628
1994555746
1993489654
1992513695
1991447599
1990437559
1989443572
1988463586
1987366529
1986472619
1985532708
1984549736
1983549708
1982521671
1981597782
1980584782
1979537714

When and where crashes happen in Canterbury

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,989 (15%)
  • Tuesday3,002 (15%)
  • Wednesday3,007 (15%)
  • Thursday3,084 (15%)
  • Friday3,310 (16%)
  • Saturday2,898 (14%)
  • Sunday2,225 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59802 (3.9%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59339 (1.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:592,661 (13%)
  • 09:00 to 11:593,284 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:593,645 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:594,906 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:593,072 (15%)
  • 21:00 to 23:591,806 (8.8%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,614 (7.9%)
  • February1,457 (7.1%)
  • March1,542 (7.5%)
  • April1,517 (7.4%)
  • May1,785 (8.7%)
  • June1,673 (8.2%)
  • July1,845 (9%)
  • August1,697 (8.3%)
  • September1,768 (8.6%)
  • October1,861 (9.1%)
  • November1,986 (9.7%)
  • December1,770 (8.6%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight15,033 (73%)
  • Dark, street lights lit3,406 (17%)
  • Dark, no street lighting1,618 (7.9%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit248 (1.2%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown209 (1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds16,270 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,701 (13%)
  • Raining with high winds202 (1%)
  • Fog or mist178 (0.9%)
  • Fine with high winds169 (0.8%)
  • Snowing, no high winds155 (0.8%)
  • Snowing with high winds14 (0.1%)
  • Other422 (2.1%)
  • Not recorded404 (2%)

Road surface

  • Dry14,263 (70%)
  • Wet or damp5,639 (27%)
  • Frost or ice457 (2.2%)
  • Snow120 (0.6%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep24 (0.1%)
  • Oil or diesel2 (under 0.1%)
  • Mud1 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded9 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph220 (1.1%)
  • 30 mph11,871 (58%)
  • 40 mph1,926 (9.4%)
  • 50 mph330 (1.6%)
  • 60 mph4,712 (23%)
  • 70 mph1,455 (7.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway16,200 (79%)
  • Dual carriageway2,303 (11%)
  • Roundabout1,407 (6.9%)
  • One way street or slip road523 (2.5%)
  • Not recorded82 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Canterbury

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant15,655 (58%)
  • Motorcyclist3,754 (14%)
  • Pedestrian3,642 (13%)
  • Cyclist2,542 (9.3%)
  • Van occupant555 (2%)
  • Bus or coach occupant506 (1.9%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)231 (0.8%)
  • Minibus occupant103 (0.4%)
  • Other vehicle occupant90 (0.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant86 (0.3%)
  • Other37 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded13 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5503 (1.8%)
  • 6 to 10940 (3.5%)
  • 11 to 151,652 (6.1%)
  • 16 to 205,547 (20%)
  • 21 to 253,586 (13%)
  • 26 to 354,335 (16%)
  • 36 to 453,373 (12%)
  • 46 to 552,513 (9.2%)
  • 56 to 651,873 (6.9%)
  • 66 to 751,313 (4.8%)
  • Over 75989 (3.6%)
  • Not recorded590 (2.2%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider16,826 (62%)
  • Passenger6,746 (25%)
  • Pedestrian3,642 (13%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car26,330 (72%)
  • Motorcycle3,810 (10%)
  • Pedal cycle2,638 (7.2%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,475 (4%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,062 (2.9%)
  • Bus or coach559 (1.5%)
  • Other vehicle287 (0.8%)
  • Taxi or private hire car210 (0.6%)
  • Minibus118 (0.3%)
  • Goods vehicle, weight unknown41 (0.1%)
  • Other72 (0.2%)
  • Not recorded63 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Canterbury

Map of the 24 most recent crashes and the 10 busiest accident hotspots in Canterbury

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Canterbury ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Canterbury had the 162nd most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
162nd
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
168th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
168th
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
173rd
lowest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
159thStratford-on-Avon20,77830,0736575,910
160thNewark and Sherwood20,64629,7975404,860
161stMid Sussex20,63628,7503944,264
162ndCanterbury (this area)20,51527,2143543,817
163rdBassetlaw20,36429,1894924,801
164thSlough20,31326,1802172,708
165thDacorum20,19328,5752704,136

Accident hotspots in Canterbury

Westgate, Canterbury, CT1 2SH area is the busiest accident hotspot in Canterbury, with 1,032 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 9 of them fatal.

Roads in Canterbury with the most crashes

The A28 had the most collisions in Canterbury from 1979 to 2025: 3,361, including 50 fatal and 586 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Canterbury, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA283,3614,43050586
2ndB22051,5221,89618269
3rdA21,3432,01556253
4thA2991,2932,06160288
5thA2901,1431,43713209
6thA2917811,08514158
7thA25765986919131
8thA205059783414110
9thA2990434665972
10thB2068326486577
11thB2046177265735
12thA260135212222
13thB206581118223
14thB2248606718
15thA2005394313
16thA2495602
17thB20054401
18thB20554600
19thM24501
20thA2272201

Towns in Canterbury

Canterbury itself had the most collisions of any town in the area from 1979 to 2025: 6,162.

Postcode districts in Canterbury

CT1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Canterbury from 1979 to 2025: 4,942.

Latest crashes in Canterbury

Of the latest 24 crashes in Canterbury, none were fatal and 5 were serious. The most recent was on 31 December 2025.

Severity