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CrashStats

Dorset road accidents in 2021: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 621 road traffic collisions in Dorset in 2021, and 812 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 18 were fatal and 137 were serious.

Collisions were up 10% on 2020 (563), and casualties rose from 777.

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

Collisions in 2021
621
Up 10% on 2020
Casualties in 2021
812
Up 5% on 2020
Fatal collisions
18
2.9% of collisions
Serious collisions
137
22% of collisions

Crash severity in Dorset in 2021

2.9% of collisions in Dorset in 2021 were fatal and 22% serious, against 2.2% and 21% in Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal182.9%
  • Serious13722%
  • Slight46675%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal182.2%
  • Serious15519%
  • Slight63979%

Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,479 in 1997. 2021 is highlighted, with 621, up 10% on 2020.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2021: 621
  • 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 2021

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday92 (15%)
  • Tuesday99 (16%)
  • Wednesday86 (14%)
  • Thursday83 (13%)
  • Friday90 (14%)
  • Saturday95 (15%)
  • Sunday76 (12%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5916 (2.6%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5914 (2.3%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5970 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59107 (17%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59134 (22%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59145 (23%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5991 (15%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5944 (7.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January36 (5.8%)
  • February25 (4%)
  • March38 (6.1%)
  • April54 (8.7%)
  • May65 (10%)
  • June47 (7.6%)
  • July73 (12%)
  • August78 (13%)
  • September57 (9.2%)
  • October53 (8.5%)
  • November54 (8.7%)
  • December41 (6.6%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight482 (78%)
  • Dark, no street lighting78 (13%)
  • Dark, street lights lit52 (8.4%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown5 (0.8%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit4 (0.6%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds542 (87%)
  • Raining, no high winds53 (8.5%)
  • Fine with high winds9 (1.4%)
  • Raining with high winds9 (1.4%)
  • Fog or mist5 (0.8%)
  • Other3 (0.5%)

Road surface

  • Dry489 (79%)
  • Wet or damp121 (19%)
  • Frost or ice9 (1.4%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.2%)
  • Snow1 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph5 (0.8%)
  • 30 mph237 (38%)
  • 40 mph56 (9%)
  • 50 mph48 (7.7%)
  • 60 mph264 (43%)
  • 70 mph11 (1.8%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway557 (90%)
  • Roundabout28 (4.5%)
  • Dual carriageway27 (4.3%)
  • One way street or slip road9 (1.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Dorset in 2021

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant477 (59%)
  • Motorcyclist118 (15%)
  • Cyclist87 (11%)
  • Pedestrian59 (7.3%)
  • Van occupant43 (5.3%)
  • Bus or coach occupant7 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant7 (0.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant4 (0.5%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)3 (0.4%)
  • Mobility scooter rider2 (0.2%)
  • Other4 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 56 (0.7%)
  • 6 to 1014 (1.7%)
  • 11 to 1522 (2.7%)
  • 16 to 2083 (10%)
  • 21 to 2590 (11%)
  • 26 to 35160 (20%)
  • 36 to 4586 (11%)
  • 46 to 55119 (15%)
  • 56 to 6599 (12%)
  • 66 to 7575 (9.2%)
  • Over 7558 (7.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider593 (73%)
  • Passenger160 (20%)
  • Pedestrian59 (7.3%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car732 (66%)
  • Motorcycle113 (10%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes109 (9.9%)
  • Pedal cycle88 (8%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes26 (2.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle10 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle8 (0.7%)
  • Bus or coach6 (0.5%)
  • Mobility scooter4 (0.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car3 (0.3%)
  • Other6 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Dorset in 2021

Map of the last 24 crashes of 2021 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
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Dorset ranked among 350 areas in 2021

Of the 350 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Dorset had the 36th most road collisions in 2021.

Collisions
36th
highest of 350 areas
Casualties
28th
highest of 350 areas
Fatal collisions
6th
highest of 350 areas
Serious collisions
23rd
highest of 350 areas

Accident hotspots in Dorset in 2021

Dorchester West, Dorset, DT1 1RU area was the busiest accident hotspot in Dorset in 2021, with 14 collisions, 2 of them serious.

Roads in Dorset with the most crashes in 2021

The A35 had the most collisions in Dorset in 2021: 55, including 1 fatal and 13 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Dorset, 2021
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA355578113
2ndA314871110
3rdA354415949
4thB3081222415
5thA352192906
6thB3157182106
7thA351162105
8thA30142202
9thB3072121703
10thA350111403
11thA37111802
12thB3159111703
13thA357101302
14thA34891116
15thA35691100
16thB30679902
17thB30738901
18thB309281101
19thA306671113
20thA35371112

Towns in Dorset: crashes in 2021

Weymouth had the most collisions of any town in Dorset in 2021: 44.

Postcode districts in Dorset: crashes in 2021

DT2 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Dorset in 2021: 95.

Former districts in Dorset in 2021

Dorset now covers 5 former district councils, abolished in April 2019. Of these, West Dorset had the most collisions in 2021: 222.

Latest crashes in Dorset in 2021

Of the last 24 crashes in Dorset in 2021, 1 was fatal and 4 were serious. The last was on 31 December 2021.

Severity

Dorset road accidents in other years