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CrashStats

Highland road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 28,651 road traffic collisions in Highland from 1979 to 2025, and 43,433 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 1,195 were fatal and 8,901 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 245 collisions, down 10% on 2024 (273), and casualties fell from 405 to 392.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
28,651
100th highest of 351 areas
Casualties
43,433
1.52 per collision
Fatal collisions
1,195
4.2% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
245
Down 10% on 2024

Crash severity in Highland

4.2% of collisions in Highland from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 31% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal1,1954.2%
  • Serious8,90131%
  • Slight18,55565%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal1,3583.1%
  • Serious12,06728%
  • Slight30,00869%

Highland road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Highland, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,020 in 1979. In 2025 there were 245, down 10% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 245
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025245392
2024273405
2023259390
2022206308
2021207295
2020215296
2019335499
2018387540
2017307434
2016386545
2015379507
2014431580
2013443616
2012455696
2011488685
2010474724
2009614938
2008586846
2007626929
2006620879
2005656993
20046801,058
20036781,035
2002628927
20016941,071
20006871,031
19997601,146
19987801,211
19977461,172
19967221,172
19957141,092
1994617939
19936931,043
19927631,170
19917691,229
19908171,318
19898511,358
19887201,088
19877161,078
19867681,199
19857851,250
19848021,207
19837521,155
19829491,437
19819671,461
19809811,487
19791,0201,602

When and where crashes happen in Highland

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday3,822 (13%)
  • Tuesday3,661 (13%)
  • Wednesday3,712 (13%)
  • Thursday4,022 (14%)
  • Friday4,804 (17%)
  • Saturday4,913 (17%)
  • Sunday3,717 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:591,468 (5.1%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59602 (2.1%)
  • 06:00 to 08:592,527 (8.8%)
  • 09:00 to 11:594,174 (15%)
  • 12:00 to 14:595,689 (20%)
  • 15:00 to 17:597,107 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:594,354 (15%)
  • 21:00 to 23:592,730 (9.5%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,963 (6.9%)
  • February1,816 (6.3%)
  • March1,955 (6.8%)
  • April1,912 (6.7%)
  • May2,469 (8.6%)
  • June2,619 (9.1%)
  • July3,063 (11%)
  • August3,464 (12%)
  • September2,727 (9.5%)
  • October2,315 (8.1%)
  • November2,150 (7.5%)
  • December2,198 (7.7%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight20,955 (73%)
  • Dark, no street lighting4,711 (16%)
  • Dark, street lights lit2,341 (8.2%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown460 (1.6%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit184 (0.6%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds19,194 (67%)
  • Raining, no high winds4,928 (17%)
  • Raining with high winds888 (3.1%)
  • Snowing, no high winds770 (2.7%)
  • Fine with high winds556 (1.9%)
  • Snowing with high winds350 (1.2%)
  • Fog or mist181 (0.6%)
  • Other1,609 (5.6%)
  • Not recorded175 (0.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry15,598 (54%)
  • Wet or damp10,444 (36%)
  • Frost or ice1,466 (5.1%)
  • Snow964 (3.4%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep84 (0.3%)
  • Oil or diesel48 (0.2%)
  • Mud15 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded32 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph15 (0.1%)
  • 15 mph7 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph180 (0.6%)
  • 30 mph7,447 (26%)
  • 40 mph1,188 (4.1%)
  • 50 mph270 (0.9%)
  • 60 mph18,970 (66%)
  • 70 mph571 (2%)
  • Not recorded3 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway25,955 (91%)
  • Dual carriageway1,512 (5.3%)
  • One way street or slip road551 (1.9%)
  • Roundabout353 (1.2%)
  • Not recorded280 (1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Highland

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant28,560 (66%)
  • Motorcyclist4,388 (10%)
  • Pedestrian3,875 (8.9%)
  • Cyclist2,054 (4.7%)
  • Van occupant1,376 (3.2%)
  • Bus or coach occupant862 (2%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)819 (1.9%)
  • Minibus occupant749 (1.7%)
  • Other vehicle occupant484 (1.1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant206 (0.5%)
  • Other60 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5910 (2.1%)
  • 6 to 101,442 (3.3%)
  • 11 to 152,215 (5.1%)
  • 16 to 207,261 (17%)
  • 21 to 255,890 (14%)
  • 26 to 357,748 (18%)
  • 36 to 455,742 (13%)
  • 46 to 554,844 (11%)
  • 56 to 653,624 (8.3%)
  • 66 to 752,271 (5.2%)
  • Over 751,264 (2.9%)
  • Not recorded222 (0.5%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider24,209 (56%)
  • Passenger15,349 (35%)
  • Pedestrian3,875 (8.9%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car32,688 (71%)
  • Motorcycle4,245 (9.2%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes2,202 (4.8%)
  • Pedal cycle2,142 (4.7%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes2,128 (4.6%)
  • Other vehicle826 (1.8%)
  • Bus or coach676 (1.5%)
  • Minibus537 (1.2%)
  • Taxi or private hire car353 (0.8%)
  • Agricultural vehicle104 (0.2%)
  • Other53 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded14 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Highland

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Highland ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Highland had the 100th most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
100th
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
84th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
13th
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
30th
highest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
97thBarking and Dagenham29,56637,4232833,884
98thRichmond upon Thames29,30034,1082294,911
99thMerton29,17334,6802374,516
100thHighland (this area)28,65143,4331,1958,901
101stPreston28,41439,2643145,156
102ndHarrow27,98934,0122504,266
103rdAberdeenshire27,93839,8301,2317,474

Accident hotspots in Highland

Inverness Central, Highland, IV1 1RN area is the busiest accident hotspot in Highland, with 347 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 4 of them fatal.

Roads in Highland with the most crashes

The A9 had the most collisions in Highland from 1979 to 2025: 4,330, including 284 fatal and 1,421 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Highland, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA94,3307,4822841,421
2ndA823,6755,7241651,033
3rdA871,2592,06962375
4thA961,0761,79051331
5thA8368841,38949293
6thA8628031,17932255
7thA8327671,23443290
8thA8356921,12242272
9thA83054878618161
10thA9551285128183
11thA85047077721150
12thA8642466211150
13thB81736853116111
14thB90063535021098
15thA88232451320116
16thA939277422596
17thA992623892069
18thB91522543871049
19thB862208310861
20thA8341902821766

Towns in Highland

Inverness had the most collisions of any town in Highland from 1979 to 2025: 2,766.

Postcode districts in Highland

IV2 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Highland from 1979 to 2025: 3,312.

Latest crashes in Highland

Of the latest 24 crashes in Highland, none were fatal and 12 were serious. The most recent was on 30 December 2025.

Severity