Skip to main content
CrashStats

North Dorset road accidents in 1979: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 199 road traffic collisions in North Dorset in 1979, and 285 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 6 were fatal and 61 were serious.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 8,400 collisions in North Dorset.

District council until April 2019, now part of Dorset. Figures follow the old district boundary.

Collisions in 1979
199
Casualties in 1979
285
Fatal collisions
6
3% of collisions
Serious collisions
61
31% of collisions

Crash severity in North Dorset in 1979

3% of collisions in North Dorset in 1979 were fatal and 31% serious, against 2.4% and 20% in North Dorset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal63%
  • Serious6131%
  • Slight13266%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal72.5%
  • Serious8731%
  • Slight19167%

North Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in North Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 286 in 2000. 1979 is highlighted, with 199.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1979
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025104131
2024111141
202390124
2022118148
202187106
2020102146
201972100
2018105154
2017113153
2016103146
2015131171
201496153
2013111167
2012113156
2011120156
2010158209
2009182271
2008191287
2007203302
2006227329
2005228327
2004227329
2003223324
2002239354
2001241370
2000286407
1999234327
1998231336
1997259383
1996241351
1995199333
1994193284
1993195283
1992200306
1991206295
1990212299
1989242345
1988209304
1987195259
1986234349
1985226317
1984183253
1983177221
1982190257
1981193266
1980201294
1979199285

When and where crashes happen in North Dorset in 1979

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday27 (14%)
  • Tuesday27 (14%)
  • Wednesday28 (14%)
  • Thursday33 (17%)
  • Friday28 (14%)
  • Saturday30 (15%)
  • Sunday26 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5914 (7%)
  • 03:00 to 05:591 (0.5%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5921 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:5935 (18%)
  • 12:00 to 14:5938 (19%)
  • 15:00 to 17:5946 (23%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5919 (9.5%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5925 (13%)

Collisions by month

  • January20 (10%)
  • February8 (4%)
  • March15 (7.5%)
  • April17 (8.5%)
  • May19 (9.5%)
  • June9 (4.5%)
  • July14 (7%)
  • August24 (12%)
  • September23 (12%)
  • October15 (7.5%)
  • November13 (6.5%)
  • December22 (11%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight142 (71%)
  • Dark, no street lighting37 (19%)
  • Dark, street lights lit17 (8.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown3 (1.5%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds134 (67%)
  • Raining, no high winds30 (15%)
  • Fog or mist7 (3.5%)
  • Snowing, no high winds5 (2.5%)
  • Raining with high winds4 (2%)
  • Snowing with high winds3 (1.5%)
  • Fine with high winds2 (1%)
  • Other12 (6%)
  • Not recorded2 (1%)

Road surface

  • Dry109 (55%)
  • Wet or damp62 (31%)
  • Frost or ice20 (10%)
  • Snow7 (3.5%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep1 (0.5%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph54 (27%)
  • 40 mph18 (9%)
  • 60 mph126 (63%)
  • 70 mph1 (0.5%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway186 (93%)
  • One way street or slip road11 (5.5%)
  • Roundabout1 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in North Dorset in 1979

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant162 (57%)
  • Motorcyclist69 (24%)
  • Pedestrian25 (8.8%)
  • Van occupant18 (6.3%)
  • Cyclist8 (2.8%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)3 (1.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 53 (1.1%)
  • 6 to 1012 (4.2%)
  • 11 to 1512 (4.2%)
  • 16 to 2078 (27%)
  • 21 to 2533 (12%)
  • 26 to 3546 (16%)
  • 36 to 4522 (7.7%)
  • 46 to 5521 (7.4%)
  • 56 to 6522 (7.7%)
  • 66 to 7523 (8.1%)
  • Over 7513 (4.6%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider173 (61%)
  • Passenger87 (31%)
  • Pedestrian25 (8.8%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car213 (61%)
  • Motorcycle70 (20%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes28 (8%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes27 (7.7%)
  • Pedal cycle8 (2.3%)
  • Other vehicle3 (0.9%)
  • Bus or coach1 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for North Dorset in 1979

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1979 in North Dorset

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Roads in North Dorset with the most crashes in 1979

The A354 had the most collisions in North Dorset in 1979: 36, including 2 fatal and 8 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in North Dorset, 1979
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA354364528
2ndA350232904
3rdA357151806
4thA30132305
5thB3092121807
6thA303101805
7thB3081101103
8thA3151411
9thB30915502
10thB30824701
11thB30952200
12thA30301100

Towns in North Dorset: crashes in 1979

Blandford Forum had the most collisions of any town in North Dorset in 1979: 28.

Postcode districts in North Dorset: crashes in 1979

DT11 had the most collisions of any postcode district in North Dorset in 1979: 106.

Dorset and its former districts in 1979

Dorset recorded 1,418 collisions in 1979, and 14% of them were in the old North Dorset district.

Other former districts in Dorset

Latest crashes in North Dorset in 1979

Of the last 24 crashes in North Dorset in 1979, none were fatal and 7 were serious. The last was on 30 December 1979.

Severity

North Dorset road accidents in other years