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CrashStats

Dorset road accidents in 2016: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 775 road traffic collisions in Dorset in 2016, and 1,209 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 10 were fatal and 178 were serious.

Collisions were down 10% on 2015 (861), and casualties fell from 1,211.

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

Collisions in 2016
775
Down 10% on 2015
Casualties in 2016
1,209
Level with 2015
Fatal collisions
10
1.3% of collisions
Serious collisions
178
23% of collisions

Crash severity in Dorset in 2016

1.3% of collisions in Dorset in 2016 were fatal and 23% serious, against 2.2% and 21% in Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal101.3%
  • Serious17823%
  • Slight58776%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal100.8%
  • Serious21518%
  • Slight98481%

Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,479 in 1997. 2016 is highlighted, with 775, down 10% on 2015.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2016
  • 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 2016

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday101 (13%)
  • Tuesday121 (16%)
  • Wednesday113 (15%)
  • Thursday114 (15%)
  • Friday130 (17%)
  • Saturday90 (12%)
  • Sunday106 (14%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5925 (3.2%)
  • 03:00 to 05:597 (0.9%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59104 (13%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59126 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59157 (20%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59205 (26%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5997 (13%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5954 (7%)

Collisions by month

  • January61 (7.9%)
  • February54 (7%)
  • March56 (7.2%)
  • April67 (8.6%)
  • May76 (9.8%)
  • June59 (7.6%)
  • July62 (8%)
  • August83 (11%)
  • September70 (9%)
  • October60 (7.7%)
  • November55 (7.1%)
  • December72 (9.3%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight598 (77%)
  • Dark, no street lighting96 (12%)
  • Dark, street lights lit66 (8.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown8 (1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit7 (0.9%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds633 (82%)
  • Raining, no high winds78 (10%)
  • Raining with high winds17 (2.2%)
  • Fine with high winds14 (1.8%)
  • Fog or mist10 (1.3%)
  • Other10 (1.3%)
  • Not recorded13 (1.7%)

Road surface

  • Dry548 (71%)
  • Wet or damp202 (26%)
  • Frost or ice24 (3.1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph2 (0.3%)
  • 30 mph312 (40%)
  • 40 mph67 (8.6%)
  • 50 mph54 (7%)
  • 60 mph305 (39%)
  • 70 mph35 (4.5%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway684 (88%)
  • Dual carriageway60 (7.7%)
  • Roundabout19 (2.5%)
  • One way street or slip road11 (1.4%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Dorset in 2016

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant823 (68%)
  • Motorcyclist136 (11%)
  • Pedestrian79 (6.5%)
  • Cyclist63 (5.2%)
  • Van occupant43 (3.6%)
  • Bus or coach occupant36 (3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant11 (0.9%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)9 (0.7%)
  • Other vehicle occupant5 (0.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle occupant2 (0.2%)
  • Other2 (0.2%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 510 (0.8%)
  • 6 to 1026 (2.2%)
  • 11 to 1548 (4%)
  • 16 to 20173 (14%)
  • 21 to 25120 (9.9%)
  • 26 to 35198 (16%)
  • 36 to 45139 (11%)
  • 46 to 55167 (14%)
  • 56 to 65121 (10%)
  • 66 to 75111 (9.2%)
  • Over 7596 (7.9%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider803 (66%)
  • Passenger327 (27%)
  • Pedestrian79 (6.5%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,048 (73%)
  • Motorcycle139 (9.6%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes115 (8%)
  • Pedal cycle68 (4.7%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes33 (2.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car11 (0.8%)
  • Other vehicle10 (0.7%)
  • Bus or coach8 (0.6%)
  • Agricultural vehicle6 (0.4%)
  • Ridden horse2 (0.1%)
  • Other3 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Dorset in 2016

Map of the last 24 crashes of 2016 and the 10 busiest accident hotspots in Dorset

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Dorset ranked among 351 areas in 2016

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Dorset had the 38th most road collisions in 2016.

Collisions
38th
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
19th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
28th
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
8th
highest of 351 areas

Accident hotspots in Dorset in 2016

Westham, Dorset, DT4 0UB area was the busiest accident hotspot in Dorset in 2016, with 28 collisions, 6 of them serious.

Roads in Dorset with the most crashes in 2016

The A35 had the most collisions in Dorset in 2016: 86, including 22 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Dorset, 2016
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3586166022
2ndA3545175012
3rdA31427207
4thA3523963111
5thB30813356011
6thA350243916
7thB3157202603
8thA30192903
9thA348142704
10thA37142212
11thB3078141902
12thA351121702
13thB3072111900
14thA353101101
15thB3073101201
16thB3082101513
17thB315591713
18thB315981401
19thA3567801
20thB335171302

Towns in Dorset: crashes in 2016

Weymouth had the most collisions of any town in Dorset in 2016: 70.

Postcode districts in Dorset: crashes in 2016

DT2 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Dorset in 2016: 113.

Former districts in Dorset in 2016

Dorset now covers 5 former district councils, abolished in April 2019. Of these, West Dorset had the most collisions in 2016: 248.

Latest crashes in Dorset in 2016

Of the last 24 crashes in Dorset in 2016, none were fatal and 7 were serious. The last was on 31 December 2016.

Severity

Dorset road accidents in other years