Skip to main content
CrashStats

Dorset road accidents in 1980: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,285 road traffic collisions in Dorset in 1980, and 1,744 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 34 were fatal and 415 were serious.

Collisions were down 9% on 1979 (1,418), and casualties fell from 2,020.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 51,591 collisions in Dorset.

Collisions in 1980
1,285
Down 9% on 1979
Casualties in 1980
1,744
Down 14% on 1979
Fatal collisions
34
2.6% of collisions
Serious collisions
415
32% of collisions

Crash severity in Dorset in 1980

2.6% of collisions in Dorset in 1980 were fatal and 32% serious, against 2.2% and 21% in Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal342.6%
  • Serious41532%
  • Slight83665%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal352%
  • Serious49929%
  • Slight1,21069%

Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,479 in 1997. 1980 is highlighted, with 1,285, down 9% on 1979.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1980
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025675893
2024686883
2023662870
2022712962
2021621812
2020563777
2019635912
2018638898
20177401,055
20167751,209
20158611,211
20148151,161
20137991,145
20128431,201
20118521,208
20109161,286
20091,0151,446
20081,1001,616
20071,1171,612
20061,1861,713
20051,2181,760
20041,2821,878
20031,3081,905
20021,4212,082
20011,4622,163
20001,4202,126
19991,3741,990
19981,4562,152
19971,4792,170
19961,3842,108
19951,2171,979
19941,2661,937
19931,2311,828
19921,2721,942
19911,1711,752
19901,2851,941
19891,2801,862
19881,3361,948
19871,2861,815
19861,3141,880
19851,2881,823
19841,3141,898
19831,1461,574
19821,2461,759
19811,2211,780
19801,2851,744
19791,4182,020

When and where crashes happen in Dorset in 1980

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday183 (14%)
  • Tuesday172 (13%)
  • Wednesday189 (15%)
  • Thursday175 (14%)
  • Friday195 (15%)
  • Saturday200 (16%)
  • Sunday171 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5956 (4.4%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5914 (1.1%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59156 (12%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59191 (15%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59229 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59321 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59170 (13%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59148 (12%)

Collisions by month

  • January101 (7.9%)
  • February83 (6.5%)
  • March96 (7.5%)
  • April91 (7.1%)
  • May111 (8.6%)
  • June133 (10%)
  • July131 (10%)
  • August130 (10%)
  • September113 (8.8%)
  • October101 (7.9%)
  • November97 (7.5%)
  • December98 (7.6%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight952 (74%)
  • Dark, street lights lit161 (13%)
  • Dark, no street lighting157 (12%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown10 (0.8%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit5 (0.4%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds1,013 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds197 (15%)
  • Fog or mist9 (0.7%)
  • Raining with high winds9 (0.7%)
  • Fine with high winds8 (0.6%)
  • Snowing with high winds2 (0.2%)
  • Snowing, no high winds1 (0.1%)
  • Other42 (3.3%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry855 (67%)
  • Wet or damp388 (30%)
  • Frost or ice39 (3%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep3 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph541 (42%)
  • 40 mph86 (6.7%)
  • 50 mph3 (0.2%)
  • 60 mph613 (48%)
  • 70 mph42 (3.3%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,166 (91%)
  • One way street or slip road49 (3.8%)
  • Dual carriageway42 (3.3%)
  • Roundabout26 (2%)
  • Not recorded2 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Dorset in 1980

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant856 (49%)
  • Motorcyclist455 (26%)
  • Pedestrian183 (10%)
  • Cyclist133 (7.6%)
  • Van occupant56 (3.2%)
  • Bus or coach occupant28 (1.6%)
  • Minibus occupant11 (0.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)10 (0.6%)
  • Other vehicle occupant6 (0.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant6 (0.3%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 534 (1.9%)
  • 6 to 1069 (4%)
  • 11 to 15142 (8.1%)
  • 16 to 20517 (30%)
  • 21 to 25220 (13%)
  • 26 to 35260 (15%)
  • 36 to 45149 (8.5%)
  • 46 to 55134 (7.7%)
  • 56 to 65105 (6%)
  • 66 to 7584 (4.8%)
  • Over 7530 (1.7%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider1,094 (63%)
  • Passenger467 (27%)
  • Pedestrian183 (10%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,343 (60%)
  • Motorcycle463 (21%)
  • Pedal cycle139 (6.2%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes119 (5.3%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes83 (3.7%)
  • Other vehicle25 (1.1%)
  • Bus or coach24 (1.1%)
  • Minibus23 (1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car13 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Dorset in 1980

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1980 in Dorset

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

How Dorset ranked among 350 areas in 1980

Of the 350 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Dorset had the 44th most road collisions in 1980.

Collisions
44th
highest of 350 areas
Casualties
32nd
highest of 350 areas
Fatal collisions
27th
highest of 350 areas
Serious collisions
18th
highest of 350 areas

Roads in Dorset with the most crashes in 1980

The A354 had the most collisions in Dorset in 1980: 151, including 3 fatal and 37 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Dorset, 1980
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA354151202337
2ndA35109173132
3rdA3193121231
4thB31575993319
5thA3515477116
6thA3524461223
7thA3504171211
8thA30313718
9thB3081243518
10thA353192804
11thA357192604
12thA37182307
13thB3072152017
14thB3082141612
15thB3067111703
16thA3066101213
17thB3091101002
18thB309291215
19thA3388905
20thA3478803

Towns in Dorset: crashes in 1980

Weymouth had the most collisions of any town in Dorset in 1980: 182.

Postcode districts in Dorset: crashes in 1980

DT4 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Dorset in 1980: 148.

Former districts in Dorset in 1980

Dorset now covers 5 former district councils, abolished in April 2019. Of these, West Dorset had the most collisions in 1980: 390.

Latest crashes in Dorset in 1980

Of the last 24 crashes in Dorset in 1980, 1 was fatal and 5 were serious. The last was on 30 December 1980.

Severity

Dorset road accidents in other years