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CrashStats

City of Edinburgh road accidents in 2021: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 482 road traffic collisions in the City of Edinburgh in 2021, and 576 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 3 were fatal and 148 were serious.

Collisions were up 11% on 2020 (436), and casualties rose from 506.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 74,538 collisions in the City of Edinburgh.

Collisions in 2021
482
Up 11% on 2020
Casualties in 2021
576
Up 14% on 2020
Fatal collisions
3
0.6% of collisions
Serious collisions
148
31% of collisions

Crash severity in the City of Edinburgh in 2021

0.6% of collisions in the City of Edinburgh in 2021 were fatal and 31% serious, against 1.1% and 20% in the City of Edinburgh from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal30.6%
  • Serious14831%
  • Slight33169%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal30.5%
  • Serious15827%
  • Slight41572%

City of Edinburgh road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in the City of Edinburgh, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 2,575 in 1980. 2021 is highlighted, with 482, up 11% on 2020.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2021: 482
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025469593
2024481610
2023450552
2022507615
2021482576
2020436506
2019728877
2018768940
20179071,083
20161,1431,348
20151,1111,323
20141,2591,471
20131,1591,369
20121,1631,372
20111,1811,372
20101,1791,394
20091,1931,403
20081,2991,548
20071,3321,591
20061,4441,735
20051,4041,708
20041,5441,789
20031,4611,741
20021,6601,982
20011,7742,137
20001,8912,366
19991,9382,373
19982,0592,446
19971,9872,408
19962,0142,454
19951,8552,209
19942,0772,496
19931,9652,332
19922,0932,538
19912,1112,555
19902,2642,749
19892,3062,766
19882,1372,567
19872,0432,498
19862,1442,601
19852,3522,892
19842,3902,896
19832,3822,861
19822,3962,979
19812,5113,113
19802,5753,175
19792,5143,256

When and where crashes happen in the City of Edinburgh in 2021

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday72 (15%)
  • Tuesday72 (15%)
  • Wednesday79 (16%)
  • Thursday67 (14%)
  • Friday85 (18%)
  • Saturday59 (12%)
  • Sunday48 (10%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5910 (2.1%)
  • 03:00 to 05:592 (0.4%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5946 (9.5%)
  • 09:00 to 11:5957 (12%)
  • 12:00 to 14:5991 (19%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59153 (32%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5989 (18%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5934 (7.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January18 (3.7%)
  • February26 (5.4%)
  • March32 (6.6%)
  • April23 (4.8%)
  • May34 (7.1%)
  • June54 (11%)
  • July46 (9.5%)
  • August56 (12%)
  • September49 (10%)
  • October55 (11%)
  • November52 (11%)
  • December37 (7.7%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight366 (76%)
  • Dark, street lights lit103 (21%)
  • Dark, no street lighting7 (1.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown5 (1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit1 (0.2%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds403 (84%)
  • Raining, no high winds47 (9.8%)
  • Fine with high winds5 (1%)
  • Raining with high winds5 (1%)
  • Snowing, no high winds2 (0.4%)
  • Fog or mist1 (0.2%)
  • Other8 (1.7%)
  • Not recorded11 (2.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry360 (75%)
  • Wet or damp112 (23%)
  • Frost or ice6 (1.2%)
  • Snow3 (0.6%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph266 (55%)
  • 30 mph120 (25%)
  • 40 mph47 (9.8%)
  • 50 mph19 (3.9%)
  • 60 mph2 (0.4%)
  • 70 mph28 (5.8%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway368 (76%)
  • Dual carriageway77 (16%)
  • Roundabout21 (4.4%)
  • One way street or slip road5 (1%)
  • Not recorded11 (2.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in the City of Edinburgh in 2021

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant209 (36%)
  • Cyclist132 (23%)
  • Pedestrian112 (19%)
  • Bus or coach occupant48 (8.3%)
  • Motorcyclist36 (6.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant15 (2.6%)
  • Van occupant14 (2.4%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)3 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle occupant3 (0.5%)
  • Tram occupant1 (0.2%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.5%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 57 (1.2%)
  • 6 to 1018 (3.1%)
  • 11 to 1525 (4.3%)
  • 16 to 2040 (6.9%)
  • 21 to 2543 (7.5%)
  • 26 to 35127 (22%)
  • 36 to 4591 (16%)
  • 46 to 5583 (14%)
  • 56 to 6576 (13%)
  • 66 to 7531 (5.4%)
  • Over 7535 (6.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider339 (59%)
  • Passenger125 (22%)
  • Pedestrian112 (19%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car490 (58%)
  • Pedal cycle134 (16%)
  • Bus or coach58 (6.9%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes45 (5.4%)
  • Motorcycle41 (4.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car40 (4.8%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes12 (1.4%)
  • Other vehicle8 (1%)
  • Personal powered transporter (e-scooter or similar)5 (0.6%)
  • Minibus2 (0.2%)
  • Other3 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for the City of Edinburgh in 2021

Map of the last 24 crashes of 2021 and the 10 busiest accident hotspots in the City of Edinburgh

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How the City of Edinburgh ranked among 350 areas in 2021

Of the 350 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, the City of Edinburgh had the 55th most road collisions in 2021.

Collisions
55th
highest of 350 areas
Casualties
59th
highest of 350 areas
Fatal collisions
162nd
highest of 350 areas
Serious collisions
20th
highest of 350 areas

Accident hotspots in the City of Edinburgh in 2021

City Centre, City of Edinburgh, EH2 2HG area was the busiest accident hotspot in the City of Edinburgh in 2021, with 40 collisions, 1 of them fatal.

Roads in the City of Edinburgh with the most crashes in 2021

The A8 had the most collisions in the City of Edinburgh in 2021: 36, including 1 fatal and 13 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in the City of Edinburgh, 2021
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA83640113
2ndA720223405
3rdA90222903
4thA71151704
5thA70141605
6thA199131506
7thA7121804
8thB701111205
9thM8111800
10thA1101002
11thA7029905
12thA90291101
13thA609581104
14thA9017803
15thB13506603
16thB9005502
17thA7004401
18thA7014702
19thA7724402
20thB64154401

Towns in the City of Edinburgh: crashes in 2021

Edinburgh had the most collisions of any town in the City of Edinburgh in 2021: 395.

Postcode districts in the City of Edinburgh: crashes in 2021

EH12 had the most collisions of any postcode district in the City of Edinburgh in 2021: 48.

Latest crashes in the City of Edinburgh in 2021

Of the last 24 crashes in the City of Edinburgh in 2021, none were fatal and 6 were serious. The last was on 30 December 2021.

Severity

City of Edinburgh road accidents in other years