Skip to main content
CrashStats

Cornwall road accidents in 2023: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,000 road traffic collisions in Cornwall in 2023, and 1,379 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 22 were fatal and 241 were serious.

Collisions were down 1% on 2022 (1,012), and casualties fell from 1,420.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 78,835 collisions in Cornwall.

Collisions in 2023
1,000
Down 1% on 2022
Casualties in 2023
1,379
Down 3% on 2022
Fatal collisions
22
2.2% of collisions
Serious collisions
241
24% of collisions

Crash severity in Cornwall in 2023

2.2% of collisions in Cornwall in 2023 were fatal and 24% serious, against 1.9% and 19% in Cornwall from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal222.2%
  • Serious24124%
  • Slight73774%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal241.7%
  • Serious27020%
  • Slight1,08579%

Cornwall road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Cornwall, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 2,120 in 2001. 2023 is highlighted, with 1,000, down 1% on 2022.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2023
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20259201,194
20249411,236
20231,0001,379
20221,0121,420
20219781,444
20208621,218
20191,1311,616
20181,1751,690
20171,1481,678
20161,2031,783
20151,2281,722
20141,3091,907
20131,2841,804
20121,3011,830
20111,3772,026
20101,4132,091
20091,4992,160
20081,5772,264
20071,9032,648
20061,9282,688
20052,0782,897
20042,0012,737
20032,0582,844
20022,0222,726
20012,1202,847
20001,9642,646
19992,0142,739
19981,9722,709
19972,0352,811
19962,0202,808
19951,8152,476
19941,9982,777
19931,9662,604
19921,7702,443
19911,8382,481
19902,1112,822
19892,0962,814
19881,9762,664
19871,8662,535
19861,9382,648
19851,9482,600
19842,0162,646
19831,8632,497
19822,0492,856
19812,0452,855
19801,9992,865
19792,0682,953

When and where crashes happen in Cornwall in 2023

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday139 (14%)
  • Tuesday141 (14%)
  • Wednesday141 (14%)
  • Thursday149 (15%)
  • Friday176 (18%)
  • Saturday149 (15%)
  • Sunday105 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5940 (4%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5923 (2.3%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59105 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59153 (15%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59208 (21%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59247 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59142 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5982 (8.2%)

Collisions by month

  • January75 (7.5%)
  • February61 (6.1%)
  • March67 (6.7%)
  • April71 (7.1%)
  • May95 (9.5%)
  • June105 (11%)
  • July102 (10%)
  • August104 (10%)
  • September93 (9.3%)
  • October72 (7.2%)
  • November76 (7.6%)
  • December79 (7.9%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight770 (77%)
  • Dark, no street lighting122 (12%)
  • Dark, street lights lit95 (9.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown10 (1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit3 (0.3%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds763 (76%)
  • Raining, no high winds156 (16%)
  • Raining with high winds22 (2.2%)
  • Fine with high winds17 (1.7%)
  • Fog or mist7 (0.7%)
  • Snowing, no high winds3 (0.3%)
  • Other20 (2%)
  • Not recorded12 (1.2%)

Road surface

  • Dry665 (67%)
  • Wet or damp319 (32%)
  • Frost or ice10 (1%)
  • Snow3 (0.3%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded2 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph45 (4.5%)
  • 30 mph388 (39%)
  • 40 mph75 (7.5%)
  • 50 mph40 (4%)
  • 60 mph402 (40%)
  • 70 mph50 (5%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway841 (84%)
  • Dual carriageway72 (7.2%)
  • Roundabout57 (5.7%)
  • One way street or slip road19 (1.9%)
  • Not recorded11 (1.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Cornwall in 2023

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant908 (66%)
  • Motorcyclist171 (12%)
  • Pedestrian120 (8.7%)
  • Cyclist87 (6.3%)
  • Van occupant63 (4.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)9 (0.7%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant5 (0.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle occupant4 (0.3%)
  • Other vehicle occupant4 (0.3%)
  • Horse rider3 (0.2%)
  • Other5 (0.4%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 518 (1.3%)
  • 6 to 1030 (2.2%)
  • 11 to 1563 (4.6%)
  • 16 to 20177 (13%)
  • 21 to 25124 (9%)
  • 26 to 35233 (17%)
  • 36 to 45200 (15%)
  • 46 to 55179 (13%)
  • 56 to 65169 (12%)
  • 66 to 7590 (6.5%)
  • Over 7592 (6.7%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider921 (67%)
  • Passenger338 (25%)
  • Pedestrian120 (8.7%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,270 (72%)
  • Motorcycle171 (9.6%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes158 (8.9%)
  • Pedal cycle89 (5%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes38 (2.1%)
  • Agricultural vehicle14 (0.8%)
  • Bus or coach9 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle8 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car8 (0.5%)
  • Minibus3 (0.2%)
  • Other5 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Cornwall in 2023

Map of the last 24 crashes of 2023 and the 10 busiest accident hotspots in Cornwall

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Cornwall ranked among 351 areas in 2023

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Cornwall had the 10th most road collisions in 2023.

Collisions
10th
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
6th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
3rd
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
7th
highest of 351 areas

Accident hotspots in Cornwall in 2023

Truro Moresk & Trehaverne, Cornwall, TR1 2LS area was the busiest accident hotspot in Cornwall in 2023, with 14 collisions, 4 of them serious.

Roads in Cornwall with the most crashes in 2023

The A30 had the most collisions in Cornwall in 2023: 90, including 4 fatal and 17 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Cornwall, 2023
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3090135417
2ndA39070107418
3rdA3968111112
4thA388355317
5thA38334506
6thA3047273108
7thB3254182813
8thA3058162106
9thA394152006
10thB3274142726
11thB3301132704
12thA389121902
13thA3059111513
14thA3075101502
15thA387101903
16thA308391403
17thB331491901
18thA37481203
19thB330081003
20thA30787701

Towns in Cornwall: crashes in 2023

Truro had the most collisions of any town in Cornwall in 2023: 43.

Postcode districts in Cornwall: crashes in 2023

TR4 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Cornwall in 2023: 65.

Latest crashes in Cornwall in 2023

Of the last 24 crashes in Cornwall in 2023, 1 was fatal and 5 were serious. The last was on 31 December 2023.

Severity

Cornwall road accidents in other years