Skip to main content
CrashStats

Plymouth road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 39,632 road traffic collisions in Plymouth from 1979 to 2025, and 49,197 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 358 were fatal and 7,366 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 420 collisions, down 1% on 2024 (423), and casualties fell from 523 to 503.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
39,632
63rd highest of 351 areas
Casualties
49,197
1.24 per collision
Fatal collisions
358
0.9% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
420
Down 1% on 2024

Crash severity in Plymouth

0.9% of collisions in Plymouth from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 19% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal3580.9%
  • Serious7,36619%
  • Slight31,90881%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal3840.8%
  • Serious8,17717%
  • Slight40,63683%

Plymouth road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Plymouth, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,231 in 1984. In 2025 there were 420, down 1% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 420
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025420503
2024423523
2023394474
2022371470
2021395488
2020381470
2019483610
2018465598
2017546722
2016538698
2015619804
2014598792
2013633830
2012587736
2011706916
2010716919
2009680885
2008722890
20079071,122
20069041,121
20058791,076
20049401,152
20039301,119
20029421,138
20019541,157
20009581,181
19999721,211
19981,0221,252
19971,0541,356
19961,0701,360
19951,0421,282
19941,0091,229
19931,0931,265
19921,0571,283
19911,0691,286
19901,1511,439
19899991,214
19881,1141,336
19871,0571,306
19861,1321,421
19851,1491,379
19841,2311,485
19831,1911,477
19821,0731,388
19819881,226
19801,0001,255
19791,0681,353

When and where crashes happen in Plymouth

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday5,741 (14%)
  • Tuesday5,828 (15%)
  • Wednesday5,944 (15%)
  • Thursday6,217 (16%)
  • Friday6,727 (17%)
  • Saturday5,435 (14%)
  • Sunday3,740 (9.4%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:591,510 (3.8%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59512 (1.3%)
  • 06:00 to 08:594,998 (13%)
  • 09:00 to 11:595,300 (13%)
  • 12:00 to 14:597,041 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:5910,705 (27%)
  • 18:00 to 20:596,007 (15%)
  • 21:00 to 23:593,559 (9%)

Collisions by month

  • January3,184 (8%)
  • February2,961 (7.5%)
  • March3,368 (8.5%)
  • April3,112 (7.9%)
  • May3,196 (8.1%)
  • June3,293 (8.3%)
  • July3,328 (8.4%)
  • August2,985 (7.5%)
  • September3,383 (8.5%)
  • October3,730 (9.4%)
  • November3,746 (9.5%)
  • December3,346 (8.4%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight30,727 (78%)
  • Dark, street lights lit8,014 (20%)
  • Dark, no street lighting605 (1.5%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit147 (0.4%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown134 (0.3%)
  • Not recorded5 (under 0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds30,476 (77%)
  • Raining, no high winds6,233 (16%)
  • Raining with high winds962 (2.4%)
  • Fine with high winds699 (1.8%)
  • Fog or mist172 (0.4%)
  • Snowing, no high winds50 (0.1%)
  • Snowing with high winds21 (0.1%)
  • Other784 (2%)
  • Not recorded235 (0.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry25,891 (65%)
  • Wet or damp13,367 (34%)
  • Frost or ice277 (0.7%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep39 (0.1%)
  • Snow30 (0.1%)
  • Oil or diesel14 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded14 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph8 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph182 (0.5%)
  • 30 mph32,055 (81%)
  • 40 mph4,186 (11%)
  • 50 mph254 (0.6%)
  • 60 mph1,819 (4.6%)
  • 70 mph1,116 (2.8%)
  • Not recorded12 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway26,161 (66%)
  • Dual carriageway8,496 (21%)
  • Roundabout3,725 (9.4%)
  • One way street or slip road981 (2.5%)
  • Not recorded269 (0.7%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Plymouth

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant24,615 (50%)
  • Pedestrian8,816 (18%)
  • Motorcyclist8,775 (18%)
  • Cyclist4,089 (8.3%)
  • Bus or coach occupant1,584 (3.2%)
  • Van occupant516 (1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant416 (0.8%)
  • Other vehicle occupant122 (0.2%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)111 (0.2%)
  • Minibus occupant104 (0.2%)
  • Other33 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded16 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 51,174 (2.4%)
  • 6 to 102,158 (4.4%)
  • 11 to 152,920 (5.9%)
  • 16 to 209,805 (20%)
  • 21 to 256,978 (14%)
  • 26 to 358,815 (18%)
  • 36 to 456,150 (13%)
  • 46 to 554,314 (8.8%)
  • 56 to 652,838 (5.8%)
  • 66 to 751,711 (3.5%)
  • Over 751,312 (2.7%)
  • Not recorded1,022 (2.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider29,203 (59%)
  • Passenger11,178 (23%)
  • Pedestrian8,816 (18%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car51,284 (72%)
  • Motorcycle9,156 (13%)
  • Pedal cycle4,187 (5.9%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes2,062 (2.9%)
  • Bus or coach1,903 (2.7%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,001 (1.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car910 (1.3%)
  • Other vehicle321 (0.5%)
  • Minibus191 (0.3%)
  • Goods vehicle, weight unknown26 (under 0.1%)
  • Other46 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded98 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Plymouth

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Plymouth ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Plymouth had the 63rd most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
63rd
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
69th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
163rd
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
52nd
highest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
60thWaltham Forest40,62649,2393225,584
61stCoventry40,21251,31748410,476
62ndHavering40,18352,3974246,013
63rdPlymouth (this area)39,63249,1973587,366
64thCentral Bedfordshire39,45357,2178987,044
65thCumberland38,87954,4469917,829
66thSefton38,81053,5304575,012

Accident hotspots in Plymouth

St Peter and the Waterfront, Plymouth, PL1 1LU area is the busiest accident hotspot in Plymouth, with 1,924 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 7 of them fatal.

Roads in Plymouth with the most crashes

The A374 had the most collisions in Plymouth from 1979 to 2025: 4,218, including 41 fatal and 854 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Plymouth, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3744,2185,25041854
2ndA3863,3384,36542581
3rdA382,4843,37246432
4thB32501,2671,53812208
5thB34138901,1849153
6thA3798141,0909142
7thB341676198711109
8thA38871487012249
9thB33966497922115
10thB32386207652154
11thA30645457007101
12thB3214487566496
13thB3240405457493
14thB3373328456377
15thB3432260354140
16thB3241255322479
17thA3041179222263
18thA3042156203363
19thB3244112137036
20thA308187106233

Towns in Plymouth

Plymouth itself had the most collisions of any town in the area from 1979 to 2025: 34,047.

Postcode districts in Plymouth

PL4 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Plymouth from 1979 to 2025: 6,934.

Latest crashes in Plymouth

Of the latest 24 crashes in Plymouth, none were fatal and 6 were serious. The most recent was on 28 December 2025.

Severity