Skip to main content
CrashStats

Harrogate road accidents in 1981: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 665 road traffic collisions in Harrogate in 1981, and 944 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 22 were fatal and 264 were serious.

Collisions were up 2% on 1980 (652), and casualties rose from 926.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 26,002 collisions in Harrogate.

District council until April 2023, now part of North Yorkshire. Figures follow the old district boundary.

Collisions in 1981
665
Up 2% on 1980
Casualties in 1981
944
Up 2% on 1980
Fatal collisions
22
3.3% of collisions
Serious collisions
264
40% of collisions

Crash severity in Harrogate in 1981

3.3% of collisions in Harrogate in 1981 were fatal and 40% serious, against 2.3% and 25% in Harrogate from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal223.3%
  • Serious26440%
  • Slight37957%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal242.5%
  • Serious32835%
  • Slight59263%

Harrogate road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Harrogate, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 798 in 1989. 1981 is highlighted, with 665, up 2% on 1980.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1981
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025298408
2024244335
2023284409
2022196277
2021233309
2020219301
2019278399
2018339472
2017408578
2016438626
2015457657
2014446604
2013457645
2012457650
2011469712
2010439646
2009471685
2008482698
2007558849
2006537805
2005544763
2004655932
20036921,004
20027181,073
2001653947
20006991,053
19997201,105
19987251,032
19976901,121
1996691951
19957081,008
19947471,136
1993628910
19926431,003
1991667998
19907261,100
19897981,213
19886911,022
1987627911
1986654999
1985647980
1984666979
1983619869
1982689988
1981665944
1980652926
1979678998

When and where crashes happen in Harrogate in 1981

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday99 (15%)
  • Tuesday83 (12%)
  • Wednesday76 (11%)
  • Thursday95 (14%)
  • Friday109 (16%)
  • Saturday102 (15%)
  • Sunday101 (15%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5944 (6.6%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5912 (1.8%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5950 (7.5%)
  • 09:00 to 11:5987 (13%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59134 (20%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59159 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5987 (13%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5992 (14%)

Collisions by month

  • January61 (9.2%)
  • February43 (6.5%)
  • March44 (6.6%)
  • April55 (8.3%)
  • May51 (7.7%)
  • June57 (8.6%)
  • July57 (8.6%)
  • August53 (8%)
  • September60 (9%)
  • October69 (10%)
  • November59 (8.9%)
  • December56 (8.4%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight453 (68%)
  • Dark, street lights lit108 (16%)
  • Dark, no street lighting101 (15%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown2 (0.3%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit1 (0.2%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds538 (81%)
  • Raining, no high winds73 (11%)
  • Snowing, no high winds15 (2.3%)
  • Fine with high winds14 (2.1%)
  • Raining with high winds7 (1.1%)
  • Fog or mist6 (0.9%)
  • Snowing with high winds4 (0.6%)
  • Other5 (0.8%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.5%)

Road surface

  • Dry410 (62%)
  • Wet or damp212 (32%)
  • Frost or ice23 (3.5%)
  • Snow19 (2.9%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.2%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph321 (48%)
  • 40 mph16 (2.4%)
  • 60 mph269 (40%)
  • 70 mph59 (8.9%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway578 (87%)
  • Dual carriageway55 (8.3%)
  • One way street or slip road27 (4.1%)
  • Roundabout5 (0.8%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Harrogate in 1981

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant519 (55%)
  • Motorcyclist186 (20%)
  • Pedestrian112 (12%)
  • Cyclist71 (7.5%)
  • Van occupant27 (2.9%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)10 (1.1%)
  • Minibus occupant9 (1%)
  • Other vehicle occupant6 (0.6%)
  • Bus or coach occupant4 (0.4%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 514 (1.5%)
  • 6 to 1033 (3.5%)
  • 11 to 1568 (7.2%)
  • 16 to 20285 (30%)
  • 21 to 25144 (15%)
  • 26 to 35133 (14%)
  • 36 to 4578 (8.3%)
  • 46 to 5570 (7.4%)
  • 56 to 6547 (5%)
  • 66 to 7546 (4.9%)
  • Over 7526 (2.8%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider562 (60%)
  • Passenger270 (29%)
  • Pedestrian112 (12%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car758 (64%)
  • Motorcycle173 (15%)
  • Pedal cycle75 (6.3%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes69 (5.8%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes61 (5.1%)
  • Bus or coach20 (1.7%)
  • Other vehicle20 (1.7%)
  • Minibus11 (0.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car2 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Harrogate in 1981

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1981 in Harrogate

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Roads in Harrogate with the most crashes in 1981

The A59 and A61 had the most collisions in Harrogate in 1981, with 103 each.

Roads ranked by collisions in Harrogate, 1981
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA59103143047
2ndA61103151731
3rdA158100729
4thB62653143011
5thA6055152923
6thB6162141904
7thA661121603
8thB6161122105
9thA658111504
10thB6165101304
11thB6451101216
12thA60408803
13thA610881614
14thB12244702
15thB61634601
16thB61643300
17thB60551101
18thB61661100

Towns in Harrogate: crashes in 1981

Harrogate itself had the most collisions of any town in the area in 1981: 220.

Postcode districts in Harrogate: crashes in 1981

HG1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Harrogate in 1981: 135.

North Yorkshire and its former districts in 1981

North Yorkshire recorded 2,699 collisions in 1981, and 25% of them were in the old Harrogate district.

Other former districts in North Yorkshire

Latest crashes in Harrogate in 1981

Of the last 24 crashes in Harrogate in 1981, none were fatal and 7 were serious. The last was on 31 December 1981.

Severity

Harrogate road accidents in other years