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CrashStats

Dorset road accidents in 2020: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 563 road traffic collisions in Dorset in 2020, and 777 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 13 were fatal and 129 were serious.

Collisions were down 11% on 2019 (635), and casualties fell from 912.

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

Collisions in 2020
563
Down 11% on 2019
Casualties in 2020
777
Down 15% on 2019
Fatal collisions
13
2.3% of collisions
Serious collisions
129
23% of collisions

Crash severity in Dorset in 2020

2.3% of collisions in Dorset in 2020 were fatal and 23% serious, against 2.2% and 21% in Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal132.3%
  • Serious12923%
  • Slight42175%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal151.9%
  • Serious15720%
  • Slight60578%

Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,479 in 1997. 2020 is highlighted, with 563, down 11% on 2019.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2020: 563
  • 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 2020

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday76 (13%)
  • Tuesday75 (13%)
  • Wednesday78 (14%)
  • Thursday87 (15%)
  • Friday93 (17%)
  • Saturday78 (14%)
  • Sunday76 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:599 (1.6%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5915 (2.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5970 (12%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59113 (20%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59128 (23%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59118 (21%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5974 (13%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5936 (6.4%)

Collisions by month

  • January64 (11%)
  • February56 (9.9%)
  • March41 (7.3%)
  • April21 (3.7%)
  • May35 (6.2%)
  • June44 (7.8%)
  • July53 (9.4%)
  • August58 (10%)
  • September47 (8.3%)
  • October58 (10%)
  • November39 (6.9%)
  • December47 (8.3%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight428 (76%)
  • Dark, no street lighting78 (14%)
  • Dark, street lights lit48 (8.5%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit5 (0.9%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown4 (0.7%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds446 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds63 (11%)
  • Raining with high winds23 (4.1%)
  • Fine with high winds13 (2.3%)
  • Fog or mist8 (1.4%)
  • Snowing with high winds1 (0.2%)
  • Other9 (1.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry369 (66%)
  • Wet or damp178 (32%)
  • Frost or ice15 (2.7%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph3 (0.5%)
  • 30 mph228 (40%)
  • 40 mph60 (11%)
  • 50 mph39 (6.9%)
  • 60 mph218 (39%)
  • 70 mph15 (2.7%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway509 (90%)
  • Roundabout33 (5.9%)
  • Dual carriageway16 (2.8%)
  • One way street or slip road5 (0.9%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Dorset in 2020

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant500 (64%)
  • Motorcyclist86 (11%)
  • Cyclist74 (9.5%)
  • Pedestrian60 (7.7%)
  • Van occupant36 (4.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)7 (0.9%)
  • Bus or coach occupant3 (0.4%)
  • Other vehicle occupant3 (0.4%)
  • Mobility scooter rider2 (0.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant2 (0.3%)
  • Other3 (0.4%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 59 (1.2%)
  • 6 to 1018 (2.3%)
  • 11 to 1519 (2.4%)
  • 16 to 2089 (11%)
  • 21 to 2569 (8.9%)
  • 26 to 35142 (18%)
  • 36 to 45110 (14%)
  • 46 to 55118 (15%)
  • 56 to 6597 (12%)
  • 66 to 7565 (8.4%)
  • Over 7541 (5.3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider550 (71%)
  • Passenger167 (21%)
  • Pedestrian60 (7.7%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car703 (68%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes106 (10%)
  • Motorcycle88 (8.5%)
  • Pedal cycle75 (7.3%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes26 (2.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car8 (0.8%)
  • Agricultural vehicle7 (0.7%)
  • Bus or coach5 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle5 (0.5%)
  • Minibus2 (0.2%)
  • Other5 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Dorset in 2020

Map of the last 24 crashes of 2020 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 350 areas in 2020

Of the 350 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Dorset had the 34th most road collisions in 2020.

Collisions
34th
highest of 350 areas
Casualties
24th
highest of 350 areas
Fatal collisions
8th
highest of 350 areas
Serious collisions
16th
highest of 350 areas

Accident hotspots in Dorset in 2020

Shaftesbury Town, Dorset, SP7 8TL area was the busiest accident hotspot in Dorset in 2020, with 11 collisions, 2 of them serious.

Roads in Dorset with the most crashes in 2020

The A35 had the most collisions in Dorset in 2020: 51, including 1 fatal and 7 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Dorset, 2020
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA35516917
2ndA3544563310
3rdA31273707
4thB3081213016
5thA351162004
6thB3073152204
7thA350141903
8thA352132612
9thB3157132806
10thA37121903
11thB3082121613
12thA30111711
13thA348111301
14thA357101704
15thB3078101402
16thB31558902
17thB30727911
18thB30916902
19thB309261302
20thA3385502

Towns in Dorset: crashes in 2020

Weymouth had the most collisions of any town in Dorset in 2020: 47.

Postcode districts in Dorset: crashes in 2020

BH21 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Dorset in 2020: 74.

Former districts in Dorset in 2020

Dorset now covers 5 former district councils, abolished in April 2019. Of these, West Dorset had the most collisions in 2020: 159.

Latest crashes in Dorset in 2020

Of the last 24 crashes in Dorset in 2020, none were fatal and 9 were serious. The last was on 31 December 2020.

Severity

Dorset road accidents in other years