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CrashStats

Portsmouth road accidents in 1979: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 983 road traffic collisions in Portsmouth in 1979, and 1,216 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 14 were fatal and 270 were serious.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 36,247 collisions in Portsmouth.

Collisions in 1979
983
Casualties in 1979
1,216
Fatal collisions
14
1.4% of collisions
Serious collisions
270
27% of collisions

Crash severity in Portsmouth in 1979

1.4% of collisions in Portsmouth in 1979 were fatal and 27% serious, against 0.8% and 18% in Portsmouth from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal141.4%
  • Serious27027%
  • Slight69971%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal181.5%
  • Serious30825%
  • Slight89073%

Portsmouth road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Portsmouth, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 1,051 in 1985. 1979 is highlighted, with 983.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1979
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025457510
2024449519
2023463534
2022449529
2021428486
2020427495
2019484563
2018520608
2017541614
2016561652
2015591663
2014589693
2013607727
2012634740
2011684807
2010582742
2009596705
2008597719
2007675788
2006719877
2005729915
2004784962
20038051,016
20029111,146
20018111,014
20009801,217
19999131,108
19989061,134
19978861,100
19969801,184
19959501,158
19949091,081
19939841,180
19928821,060
19919231,086
19909671,154
19891,0481,241
19881,0051,175
19879091,097
19861,0011,175
19851,0511,230
19841,0251,219
19839531,108
19821,0031,203
19819711,131
19809251,126
19799831,216

When and where crashes happen in Portsmouth in 1979

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday128 (13%)
  • Tuesday119 (12%)
  • Wednesday132 (13%)
  • Thursday176 (18%)
  • Friday192 (20%)
  • Saturday145 (15%)
  • Sunday91 (9.3%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5941 (4.2%)
  • 03:00 to 05:597 (0.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59114 (12%)
  • 09:00 to 11:59120 (12%)
  • 12:00 to 14:59184 (19%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59256 (26%)
  • 18:00 to 20:59135 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59126 (13%)

Collisions by month

  • January56 (5.7%)
  • February45 (4.6%)
  • March99 (10%)
  • April69 (7%)
  • May96 (9.8%)
  • June99 (10%)
  • July86 (8.7%)
  • August101 (10%)
  • September70 (7.1%)
  • October88 (9%)
  • November93 (9.5%)
  • December81 (8.2%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight708 (72%)
  • Dark, street lights lit254 (26%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown11 (1.1%)
  • Dark, no street lighting9 (0.9%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit1 (0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds783 (80%)
  • Raining, no high winds127 (13%)
  • Fine with high winds17 (1.7%)
  • Raining with high winds14 (1.4%)
  • Snowing, no high winds3 (0.3%)
  • Fog or mist1 (0.1%)
  • Snowing with high winds1 (0.1%)
  • Other34 (3.5%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry694 (71%)
  • Wet or damp270 (27%)
  • Frost or ice14 (1.4%)
  • Snow5 (0.5%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph831 (85%)
  • 40 mph46 (4.7%)
  • 70 mph106 (11%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway720 (73%)
  • Dual carriageway131 (13%)
  • Roundabout87 (8.9%)
  • One way street or slip road32 (3.3%)
  • Not recorded13 (1.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Portsmouth in 1979

Casualties by road user

  • Motorcyclist349 (29%)
  • Car occupant339 (28%)
  • Pedestrian273 (22%)
  • Cyclist169 (14%)
  • Bus or coach occupant41 (3.4%)
  • Van occupant17 (1.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant13 (1.1%)
  • Minibus occupant7 (0.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)4 (0.3%)
  • Other vehicle occupant4 (0.3%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 537 (3%)
  • 6 to 1081 (6.7%)
  • 11 to 1589 (7.3%)
  • 16 to 20341 (28%)
  • 21 to 25178 (15%)
  • 26 to 35151 (12%)
  • 36 to 4591 (7.5%)
  • 46 to 5578 (6.4%)
  • 56 to 6585 (7%)
  • 66 to 7553 (4.4%)
  • Over 7532 (2.6%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider676 (56%)
  • Pedestrian273 (22%)
  • Passenger267 (22%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car867 (53%)
  • Motorcycle367 (23%)
  • Pedal cycle173 (11%)
  • Bus or coach72 (4.4%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes64 (3.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car36 (2.2%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes22 (1.4%)
  • Minibus16 (1%)
  • Other vehicle12 (0.7%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Portsmouth in 1979

Map of the last 24 crashes of 1979 in Portsmouth

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

How Portsmouth ranked among 349 areas in 1979

Of the 349 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Portsmouth had the 80th most road collisions in 1979.

Collisions
80th
highest of 349 areas
Casualties
82nd
highest of 349 areas
Fatal collisions
156th
highest of 349 areas
Serious collisions
56th
highest of 349 areas

Roads in Portsmouth with the most crashes in 1979

The A3 had the most collisions in Portsmouth in 1979: 130, including 1 fatal and 38 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Portsmouth, 1979
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3130157138
2ndA28893128021
3rdA204789100221
4thA275975218
5thA20305875216
6thB21543844015
7thB2151141506
8thA397121302
9thB2152101113
10thB2155101515
11thM2791403
12thA3336910
13thB21776704
14thM2753400
15thA2281100
16thB21341100
17thB21531100

Towns in Portsmouth: crashes in 1979

Portsmouth itself had the most collisions of any town in the area in 1979: 846.

Postcode districts in Portsmouth: crashes in 1979

PO6 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Portsmouth in 1979: 221.

Latest crashes in Portsmouth in 1979

Of the last 24 crashes in Portsmouth in 1979, none were fatal and 3 were serious. The last was on 31 December 1979.

Severity

Portsmouth road accidents in other years