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CrashStats

Dorset road accidents in 1981: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,221 road traffic collisions in Dorset in 1981, and 1,780 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 24 were fatal and 419 were serious.

Collisions were down 5% on 1980 (1,285), and casualties rose from 1,744.

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

Collisions in 1981
1,221
Down 5% on 1980
Casualties in 1981
1,780
Up 2% on 1980
Fatal collisions
24
2% of collisions
Serious collisions
419
34% of collisions

Crash severity in Dorset in 1981

2% of collisions in Dorset in 1981 were fatal and 34% serious, against 2.2% and 21% in Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal242%
  • Serious41934%
  • Slight77864%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal281.6%
  • Serious53530%
  • Slight1,21768%

Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,479 in 1997. 1981 is highlighted, with 1,221, down 5% on 1980.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1981
  • 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 1981

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday189 (15%)
  • Tuesday138 (11%)
  • Wednesday155 (13%)
  • Thursday176 (14%)
  • Friday205 (17%)
  • Saturday201 (16%)
  • Sunday157 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5951 (4.2%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5914 (1.1%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59126 (10%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59187 (15%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59225 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59312 (26%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59172 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59134 (11%)

Collisions by month

  • January74 (6.1%)
  • February93 (7.6%)
  • March97 (7.9%)
  • April95 (7.8%)
  • May111 (9.1%)
  • June104 (8.5%)
  • July124 (10%)
  • August111 (9.1%)
  • September136 (11%)
  • October95 (7.8%)
  • November94 (7.7%)
  • December87 (7.1%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight898 (74%)
  • Dark, no street lighting163 (13%)
  • Dark, street lights lit151 (12%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown5 (0.4%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit4 (0.3%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds954 (78%)
  • Raining, no high winds180 (15%)
  • Fog or mist29 (2.4%)
  • Fine with high winds7 (0.6%)
  • Snowing, no high winds7 (0.6%)
  • Raining with high winds6 (0.5%)
  • Other33 (2.7%)
  • Not recorded5 (0.4%)

Road surface

  • Dry786 (64%)
  • Wet or damp391 (32%)
  • Frost or ice34 (2.8%)
  • Snow8 (0.7%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep2 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph1 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph525 (43%)
  • 40 mph73 (6%)
  • 50 mph8 (0.7%)
  • 60 mph577 (47%)
  • 70 mph37 (3%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,113 (91%)
  • One way street or slip road46 (3.8%)
  • Roundabout30 (2.5%)
  • Dual carriageway29 (2.4%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Dorset in 1981

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant929 (52%)
  • Motorcyclist446 (25%)
  • Pedestrian171 (9.6%)
  • Cyclist99 (5.6%)
  • Van occupant63 (3.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant27 (1.5%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)24 (1.3%)
  • Minibus occupant10 (0.6%)
  • Other vehicle occupant8 (0.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant3 (0.2%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 543 (2.4%)
  • 6 to 1060 (3.4%)
  • 11 to 15117 (6.6%)
  • 16 to 20541 (30%)
  • 21 to 25221 (12%)
  • 26 to 35240 (13%)
  • 36 to 45169 (9.5%)
  • 46 to 55142 (8%)
  • 56 to 65126 (7.1%)
  • 66 to 7568 (3.8%)
  • Over 7553 (3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider1,065 (60%)
  • Passenger544 (31%)
  • Pedestrian171 (9.6%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,289 (59%)
  • Motorcycle454 (21%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes142 (6.5%)
  • Pedal cycle102 (4.7%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes91 (4.2%)
  • Bus or coach37 (1.7%)
  • Other vehicle28 (1.3%)
  • Minibus19 (0.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car10 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Dorset in 1981

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1981 in Dorset

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

How Dorset ranked among 349 areas in 1981

Of the 349 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Dorset had the 46th most road collisions in 1981.

Collisions
46th
highest of 349 areas
Casualties
33rd
highest of 349 areas
Fatal collisions
46th
highest of 349 areas
Serious collisions
19th
highest of 349 areas

Roads in Dorset with the most crashes in 1981

The A354 had the most collisions in Dorset in 1981: 153, including 3 fatal and 45 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Dorset, 1981
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA354153192345
2ndA3598167432
3rdA316699321
4thB31576594315
5thA3503452013
6thA3513450111
7thA3523246010
8thB3072304019
9thB30812635013
10thA30243409
11thA353225208
12thA3472127011
13thB3092162202
14thA357152304
15thB3082142005
16thA37133108
17thA3030111902
18thA356111605
19thB3073112306
20thA3066101502

Towns in Dorset: crashes in 1981

Weymouth had the most collisions of any town in Dorset in 1981: 186.

Postcode districts in Dorset: crashes in 1981

DT4 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Dorset in 1981: 161.

Former districts in Dorset in 1981

Dorset now covers 5 former district councils, abolished in April 2019. Of these, West Dorset had the most collisions in 1981: 367.

Latest crashes in Dorset in 1981

Of the last 24 crashes in Dorset in 1981, none were fatal and 10 were serious. The last was on 31 December 1981.

Severity

Dorset road accidents in other years