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CrashStats

Orkney Islands road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,401 road traffic collisions in the Orkney Islands from 1979 to 2025, and 1,955 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 75 were fatal and 455 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 8 collisions, down 38% on 2024 (13), and casualties fell from 18 to 9.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
1,401
3rd lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
1,955
1.40 per collision
Fatal collisions
75
5.4% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
8
Down 38% on 2024

Crash severity in the Orkney Islands

5.4% of collisions in the Orkney Islands from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 32% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal755.4%
  • Serious45532%
  • Slight87162%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal844.3%
  • Serious57329%
  • Slight1,29866%

Orkney Islands road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in the Orkney Islands, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 51 in 1980. In 2025 there were 8, down 38% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 8
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
202589
20241318
20231013
20221117
20211316
2020910
20192428
20181420
20171114
20162528
20151215
20142429
20132330
20121624
20111326
20102738
20092735
20083644
20072737
20064054
20054054
20043447
20033244
20024063
20013345
20002332
19994376
19984156
19973758
19963746
19954256
19943145
19934056
19923644
19913950
19903139
19894461
19882534
19873555
19863852
19854769
19843762
19833751
19824260
19814255
19805175
19794165

When and where crashes happen in the Orkney Islands

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday182 (13%)
  • Tuesday148 (11%)
  • Wednesday176 (13%)
  • Thursday191 (14%)
  • Friday235 (17%)
  • Saturday264 (19%)
  • Sunday205 (15%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59132 (9.4%)
  • 03:00 to 05:5943 (3.1%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59103 (7.4%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59158 (11%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59217 (15%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59333 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59229 (16%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59186 (13%)

Collisions by month

  • January95 (6.8%)
  • February104 (7.4%)
  • March113 (8.1%)
  • April95 (6.8%)
  • May123 (8.8%)
  • June131 (9.4%)
  • July138 (9.9%)
  • August143 (10%)
  • September111 (7.9%)
  • October114 (8.1%)
  • November125 (8.9%)
  • December109 (7.8%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight902 (64%)
  • Dark, no street lighting310 (22%)
  • Dark, street lights lit153 (11%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown29 (2.1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit7 (0.5%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds916 (65%)
  • Raining, no high winds178 (13%)
  • Fine with high winds86 (6.1%)
  • Raining with high winds64 (4.6%)
  • Snowing with high winds20 (1.4%)
  • Snowing, no high winds20 (1.4%)
  • Fog or mist14 (1%)
  • Other85 (6.1%)
  • Not recorded18 (1.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry826 (59%)
  • Wet or damp449 (32%)
  • Frost or ice84 (6%)
  • Snow34 (2.4%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep4 (0.3%)
  • Mud1 (0.1%)
  • Oil or diesel1 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded2 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph8 (0.6%)
  • 15 mph15 (1.1%)
  • 20 mph10 (0.7%)
  • 30 mph457 (33%)
  • 40 mph20 (1.4%)
  • 50 mph7 (0.5%)
  • 60 mph881 (63%)
  • 70 mph3 (0.2%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,314 (94%)
  • Dual carriageway31 (2.2%)
  • One way street or slip road30 (2.1%)
  • Roundabout12 (0.9%)
  • Not recorded14 (1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in the Orkney Islands

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant1,277 (65%)
  • Pedestrian257 (13%)
  • Motorcyclist205 (10%)
  • Cyclist102 (5.2%)
  • Van occupant40 (2%)
  • Minibus occupant21 (1.1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant17 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant16 (0.8%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)10 (0.5%)
  • Agricultural vehicle occupant5 (0.3%)
  • Other5 (0.3%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 538 (1.9%)
  • 6 to 1069 (3.5%)
  • 11 to 15122 (6.2%)
  • 16 to 20551 (28%)
  • 21 to 25239 (12%)
  • 26 to 35265 (14%)
  • 36 to 45205 (10%)
  • 46 to 55169 (8.6%)
  • 56 to 65126 (6.4%)
  • 66 to 7584 (4.3%)
  • Over 7578 (4%)
  • Not recorded9 (0.5%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider1,151 (59%)
  • Passenger547 (28%)
  • Pedestrian257 (13%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,548 (73%)
  • Motorcycle202 (9.5%)
  • Pedal cycle108 (5.1%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes77 (3.6%)
  • Other vehicle47 (2.2%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes45 (2.1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car31 (1.5%)
  • Bus or coach23 (1.1%)
  • Agricultural vehicle21 (1%)
  • Minibus14 (0.7%)
  • Other4 (0.2%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in the Orkney Islands

Map of the 24 most recent crashes and the 1 busiest accident hotspot in the Orkney Islands

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspot

How the Orkney Islands ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, the Orkney Islands had the 3rd fewest road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
3rd
lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
3rd
lowest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
6th
lowest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
4th
lowest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
345thOadby and Wigston5,2486,48060719
346thClackmannanshire4,0665,3171311,208
347thHeathrow Airport2,9933,65216331
348thNa h-Eileanan Siar2,2373,255100774
349thOrkney Islands (this area)1,4011,95575455
350thShetland Islands8661,24639186
351stIsles of Scilly6771012

Accident hotspots in the Orkney Islands

Kirkwall East, Orkney Islands, KW15 1JN area is the busiest accident hotspot in the Orkney Islands, with 115 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 2 of them fatal.

Roads in the Orkney Islands with the most crashes

The A965 had the most collisions in the Orkney Islands from 1979 to 2025: 309, including 24 fatal and 98 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in the Orkney Islands, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA9653094712498
2ndA9611432141040
3rdA960127172231
4thA9637993129
5thA96475109632
6thA9865484416
7thA9664157314
8thA9673550412
9thA9682400
10thB90062510
11thA91200
12thA9051101
13thA9701201
14thB90951310
15thB9641100
16thB9651100

Towns in the Orkney Islands

Kirkwall had 155 collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Postcode districts in the Orkney Islands

KW15 had the most collisions of any postcode district in the Orkney Islands from 1979 to 2025: 310.

Latest crashes in the Orkney Islands

Of the latest 24 crashes in the Orkney Islands, 2 were fatal and 13 were serious. The most recent was on 5 December 2025.

Severity