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CrashStats

New Forest road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 26,818 road traffic collisions in the New Forest from 1979 to 2025, and 36,119 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 525 were fatal and 5,988 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 337 collisions, up 3% on 2024 (327), and casualties rose from 399 to 440.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
26,818
111th highest of 351 areas
Casualties
36,119
1.35 per collision
Fatal collisions
525
2% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
337
Up 3% on 2024

Crash severity in the New Forest

2% of collisions in the New Forest from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 22% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal5252%
  • Serious5,98822%
  • Slight20,30576%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal5651.6%
  • Serious7,14420%
  • Slight28,41079%

New Forest road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in the New Forest, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 788 in 1997. In 2025 there were 337, up 3% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 337
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025337440
2024327399
2023315406
2022304366
2021305394
2020284358
2019310389
2018371486
2017384479
2016428558
2015425525
2014419561
2013463601
2012475610
2011506637
2010468635
2009484658
2008439599
2007527703
2006579765
2005639841
2004615836
2003707995
2002632906
2001617861
2000677926
1999705912
1998724997
19977881,086
19967011,004
1995662897
1994617840
1993660963
1992626853
1991661908
19907371,031
19897811,050
1988699937
1987732972
19867431,023
1985746986
19847741,065
1983724966
1982680944
1981698943
1980658875
1979665933

When and where crashes happen in the New Forest

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday3,754 (14%)
  • Tuesday3,817 (14%)
  • Wednesday3,820 (14%)
  • Thursday3,860 (14%)
  • Friday4,328 (16%)
  • Saturday3,990 (15%)
  • Sunday3,249 (12%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59810 (3%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59370 (1.4%)
  • 06:00 to 08:593,432 (13%)
  • 09:00 to 11:594,346 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:594,826 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:596,722 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:593,812 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:592,500 (9.3%)

Collisions by month

  • January2,096 (7.8%)
  • February1,853 (6.9%)
  • March1,948 (7.3%)
  • April2,054 (7.7%)
  • May2,300 (8.6%)
  • June2,269 (8.5%)
  • July2,562 (9.6%)
  • August2,484 (9.3%)
  • September2,417 (9%)
  • October2,364 (8.8%)
  • November2,297 (8.6%)
  • December2,174 (8.1%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight19,832 (74%)
  • Dark, no street lighting3,677 (14%)
  • Dark, street lights lit2,853 (11%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown375 (1.4%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit81 (0.3%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds21,510 (80%)
  • Raining, no high winds3,166 (12%)
  • Raining with high winds476 (1.8%)
  • Fine with high winds334 (1.2%)
  • Fog or mist222 (0.8%)
  • Snowing, no high winds67 (0.2%)
  • Snowing with high winds14 (0.1%)
  • Other935 (3.5%)
  • Not recorded94 (0.4%)

Road surface

  • Dry18,641 (70%)
  • Wet or damp7,499 (28%)
  • Frost or ice524 (2%)
  • Snow77 (0.3%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep54 (0.2%)
  • Oil or diesel19 (0.1%)
  • Mud4 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph23 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph10,413 (39%)
  • 40 mph4,709 (18%)
  • 50 mph1,104 (4.1%)
  • 60 mph7,360 (27%)
  • 70 mph3,209 (12%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway21,867 (82%)
  • Dual carriageway3,358 (13%)
  • Roundabout1,056 (3.9%)
  • One way street or slip road419 (1.6%)
  • Not recorded118 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in the New Forest

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant22,090 (61%)
  • Motorcyclist5,413 (15%)
  • Cyclist3,456 (9.6%)
  • Pedestrian2,907 (8%)
  • Van occupant1,081 (3%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)333 (0.9%)
  • Bus or coach occupant309 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant190 (0.5%)
  • Minibus occupant177 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant106 (0.3%)
  • Other50 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded7 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5552 (1.5%)
  • 6 to 101,069 (3%)
  • 11 to 152,037 (5.6%)
  • 16 to 207,544 (21%)
  • 21 to 254,469 (12%)
  • 26 to 355,700 (16%)
  • 36 to 454,429 (12%)
  • 46 to 553,634 (10%)
  • 56 to 652,816 (7.8%)
  • 66 to 752,040 (5.6%)
  • Over 751,804 (5%)
  • Not recorded25 (0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider23,935 (66%)
  • Passenger9,277 (26%)
  • Pedestrian2,907 (8%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car34,544 (71%)
  • Motorcycle5,427 (11%)
  • Pedal cycle3,577 (7.3%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes2,679 (5.5%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,429 (2.9%)
  • Bus or coach439 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle357 (0.7%)
  • Minibus229 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car188 (0.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle58 (0.1%)
  • Other64 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in the New Forest

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How the New Forest ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, the New Forest had the 111th most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
111th
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
110th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
71st
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
77th
highest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
108thNorth East Lincolnshire27,45035,7342815,465
109thSwindon27,15835,3723274,445
110thSouthend-on-Sea27,13934,1762754,665
111thNew Forest (this area)26,81836,1195255,988
112thNorth Lincolnshire26,65236,9325545,678
113thRhondda Cynon Taf26,64837,1234963,869
114thHuntingdonshire26,47237,9066355,342

Accident hotspots in the New Forest

Marchwood & Eling, New Forest, SO40 9NE area is the busiest accident hotspot in the New Forest, with 507 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 2 of them fatal.

Roads in the New Forest with the most crashes

The A337 had the most collisions in the New Forest from 1979 to 2025: 2,669, including 51 fatal and 586 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in the New Forest, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3372,6693,74851586
2ndA312,0553,12162420
3rdA351,9292,78454484
4thA3261,5832,17335374
5thA361,1951,56122235
6thA3389231,43543256
7thB30557621,06713174
8thB305866485319152
9thB30546418687154
10thM276249241667
11thA33658976611123
12thB33474956878133
13thB307843359113104
14thB3056202310560
15thB3053115168731
16thA35492142530
17thB30797798221
18thB30816196514
19thB3076273204
20thA3090242704

Towns in the New Forest

Totton had the most collisions of any town in the New Forest from 1979 to 2025: 2,348.

Postcode districts in the New Forest

SO40 had the most collisions of any postcode district in the New Forest from 1979 to 2025: 5,576.

Latest crashes in the New Forest

Of the latest 24 crashes in the New Forest, none were fatal and 3 were serious. The most recent was on 31 December 2025.

Severity