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CrashStats

East Lothian road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 9,664 road traffic collisions in East Lothian from 1979 to 2025, and 13,186 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 261 were fatal and 2,529 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 69 collisions, up 13% on 2024 (61), and casualties rose from 78 to 80.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
9,664
26th lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
13,186
1.36 per collision
Fatal collisions
261
2.7% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
69
Up 13% on 2024

Crash severity in East Lothian

2.7% of collisions in East Lothian from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 26% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal2612.7%
  • Serious2,52926%
  • Slight6,87471%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal3002.3%
  • Serious3,15224%
  • Slight9,73474%

East Lothian road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in East Lothian, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 315 in 1979. In 2025 there were 69, up 13% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 69
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20256980
20246178
202383113
2022103143
202190113
202082104
2019101130
2018127196
2017158224
2016157203
2015158220
2014179243
2013153207
2012169218
2011158206
2010199247
2009174230
2008194240
2007212264
2006217269
2005206284
2004215286
2003204279
2002223332
2001239342
2000254362
1999221338
1998230307
1997236337
1996264350
1995222293
1994233293
1993238328
1992216308
1991251351
1990281382
1989275387
1988278394
1987243344
1986288400
1985273376
1984265369
1983278357
1982275374
1981293403
1980304414
1979315468

When and where crashes happen in East Lothian

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday1,282 (13%)
  • Tuesday1,283 (13%)
  • Wednesday1,326 (14%)
  • Thursday1,395 (14%)
  • Friday1,579 (16%)
  • Saturday1,496 (15%)
  • Sunday1,303 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59421 (4.4%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59165 (1.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:591,071 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:591,308 (14%)
  • 12:00 to 14:591,878 (19%)
  • 15:00 to 17:592,330 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:591,612 (17%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59879 (9.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January702 (7.3%)
  • February690 (7.1%)
  • March739 (7.6%)
  • April758 (7.8%)
  • May855 (8.8%)
  • June864 (8.9%)
  • July912 (9.4%)
  • August886 (9.2%)
  • September828 (8.6%)
  • October828 (8.6%)
  • November779 (8.1%)
  • December823 (8.5%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight7,043 (73%)
  • Dark, street lights lit1,400 (14%)
  • Dark, no street lighting1,112 (12%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit95 (1%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown14 (0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds7,563 (78%)
  • Raining, no high winds1,231 (13%)
  • Fine with high winds298 (3.1%)
  • Raining with high winds122 (1.3%)
  • Snowing, no high winds104 (1.1%)
  • Fog or mist62 (0.6%)
  • Snowing with high winds23 (0.2%)
  • Other193 (2%)
  • Not recorded68 (0.7%)

Road surface

  • Dry6,345 (66%)
  • Wet or damp2,864 (30%)
  • Frost or ice312 (3.2%)
  • Snow97 (1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep38 (0.4%)
  • Oil or diesel3 (under 0.1%)
  • Mud2 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded3 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph3 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph199 (2.1%)
  • 30 mph4,744 (49%)
  • 40 mph235 (2.4%)
  • 50 mph63 (0.7%)
  • 60 mph3,838 (40%)
  • 70 mph582 (6%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway8,600 (89%)
  • Dual carriageway610 (6.3%)
  • Roundabout254 (2.6%)
  • One way street or slip road158 (1.6%)
  • Not recorded42 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in East Lothian

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant7,548 (57%)
  • Pedestrian2,120 (16%)
  • Motorcyclist1,235 (9.4%)
  • Cyclist852 (6.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant574 (4.4%)
  • Van occupant521 (4%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)119 (0.9%)
  • Minibus occupant83 (0.6%)
  • Other vehicle occupant82 (0.6%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant37 (0.3%)
  • Other14 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5418 (3.2%)
  • 6 to 10726 (5.5%)
  • 11 to 15824 (6.2%)
  • 16 to 202,145 (16%)
  • 21 to 251,512 (11%)
  • 26 to 352,191 (17%)
  • 36 to 451,696 (13%)
  • 46 to 551,284 (9.7%)
  • 56 to 651,038 (7.9%)
  • 66 to 75741 (5.6%)
  • Over 75574 (4.4%)
  • Not recorded37 (0.3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider6,951 (53%)
  • Passenger4,115 (31%)
  • Pedestrian2,120 (16%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car11,077 (70%)
  • Motorcycle1,224 (7.7%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,061 (6.7%)
  • Pedal cycle880 (5.6%)
  • Bus or coach659 (4.2%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes525 (3.3%)
  • Other vehicle196 (1.2%)
  • Taxi or private hire car78 (0.5%)
  • Minibus72 (0.5%)
  • Agricultural vehicle25 (0.2%)
  • Other8 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded6 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in East Lothian

Map of the 24 most recent crashes and the 10 busiest accident hotspots in East Lothian

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How East Lothian ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, East Lothian had the 26th fewest road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
26th
lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
28th
lowest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
Joint 101st
lowest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
64th
lowest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
323rdForest of Dean10,07314,5503062,539
324thStevenage9,94713,260901,636
325thMid Devon9,87913,5902222,183
326thEast Lothian (this area)9,66413,1862612,529
327thEast Dunbartonshire9,22812,2841642,176
328thRossendale9,14512,6461611,866
329thWest Devon9,08213,0842111,971

Accident hotspots in East Lothian

Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 6PP area is the busiest accident hotspot in East Lothian, with 380 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 2 of them fatal.

Roads in East Lothian with the most crashes

The A1 had the most collisions in East Lothian from 1979 to 2025: 1,864, including 106 fatal and 542 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in East Lothian, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA11,8642,919106542
2ndA1999031,13913175
3rdA1987781,13532259
4thB134851568816165
5thA6093277382791
6thB6371253347185
7thA6094199273671
8thB1377199295552
9thB6355179269857
10thA1087177228348
11thA6137176271647
12thA6124121147143
13thB1347118171232
14thB1361118174228
15thB1345114190433
16thB6415110146225
17thB641491130330
18thA720689509
19thB13464959019
20thB63694880415

Towns in East Lothian

Musselburgh had the most collisions of any town in East Lothian from 1979 to 2025: 1,551.

Postcode districts in East Lothian

EH21 had the most collisions of any postcode district in East Lothian from 1979 to 2025: 2,779.

Latest crashes in East Lothian

Of the latest 24 crashes in East Lothian, none were fatal and 9 were serious. The most recent was on 19 December 2025.

Severity