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CrashStats

Preston road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 28,414 road traffic collisions in Preston from 1979 to 2025, and 39,264 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 314 were fatal and 5,156 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 346 collisions, up 1% on 2024 (343), and casualties fell from 465 to 453.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
28,414
101st highest of 351 areas
Casualties
39,264
1.38 per collision
Fatal collisions
314
1.1% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
346
Up 1% on 2024

Crash severity in Preston

1.1% of collisions in Preston from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 18% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal3141.1%
  • Serious5,15618%
  • Slight22,94481%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal3440.9%
  • Serious5,77715%
  • Slight33,14384%

Preston road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Preston, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 888 in 1997. In 2025 there were 346, up 1% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 346
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025346453
2024343465
2023363515
2022333449
2021319458
2020270370
2019362494
2018409560
2017378518
2016394548
2015386575
2014464642
2013378503
2012469638
2011489676
2010529774
2009636892
2008657936
20077261,008
20067621,112
20057211,019
20047141,013
2003706974
20027361,111
20018551,275
20007971,215
19996671,019
19987051,016
19978881,288
19968201,179
19957881,138
19948531,188
19937451,053
1992718950
19917541,008
19907611,035
1989664890
1988632824
1987622802
1986665860
1985633855
1984681858
1983627762
1982653805
1981642841
1980669821
1979685879

When and where crashes happen in Preston

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday4,075 (14%)
  • Tuesday4,073 (14%)
  • Wednesday4,118 (14%)
  • Thursday4,233 (15%)
  • Friday4,843 (17%)
  • Saturday3,937 (14%)
  • Sunday3,135 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:591,004 (3.5%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59381 (1.3%)
  • 06:00 to 08:592,934 (10%)
  • 09:00 to 11:593,878 (14%)
  • 12:00 to 14:595,390 (19%)
  • 15:00 to 17:597,617 (27%)
  • 18:00 to 20:594,636 (16%)
  • 21:00 to 23:592,574 (9.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January2,136 (7.5%)
  • February2,072 (7.3%)
  • March2,312 (8.1%)
  • April2,233 (7.9%)
  • May2,349 (8.3%)
  • June2,353 (8.3%)
  • July2,349 (8.3%)
  • August2,376 (8.4%)
  • September2,461 (8.7%)
  • October2,704 (9.5%)
  • November2,631 (9.3%)
  • December2,438 (8.6%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight20,385 (72%)
  • Dark, street lights lit7,192 (25%)
  • Dark, no street lighting565 (2%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown174 (0.6%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit98 (0.3%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds22,730 (80%)
  • Raining, no high winds4,468 (16%)
  • Raining with high winds295 (1%)
  • Fine with high winds289 (1%)
  • Snowing, no high winds123 (0.4%)
  • Fog or mist61 (0.2%)
  • Snowing with high winds15 (0.1%)
  • Other172 (0.6%)
  • Not recorded261 (0.9%)

Road surface

  • Dry18,343 (65%)
  • Wet or damp9,611 (34%)
  • Frost or ice327 (1.2%)
  • Snow88 (0.3%)
  • Mud12 (under 0.1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep10 (under 0.1%)
  • Oil or diesel1 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded22 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph2 (under 0.1%)
  • 15 mph2 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph737 (2.6%)
  • 30 mph22,388 (79%)
  • 40 mph1,957 (6.9%)
  • 50 mph276 (1%)
  • 60 mph994 (3.5%)
  • 70 mph2,054 (7.2%)
  • Not recorded4 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway21,732 (76%)
  • Dual carriageway4,627 (16%)
  • One way street or slip road1,215 (4.3%)
  • Roundabout713 (2.5%)
  • Not recorded127 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Preston

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant22,341 (57%)
  • Pedestrian6,735 (17%)
  • Motorcyclist3,242 (8.3%)
  • Cyclist3,124 (8%)
  • Bus or coach occupant1,540 (3.9%)
  • Van occupant1,067 (2.7%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant583 (1.5%)
  • Minibus occupant220 (0.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)212 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle occupant136 (0.3%)
  • Other47 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded17 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 51,312 (3.3%)
  • 6 to 101,996 (5.1%)
  • 11 to 152,456 (6.3%)
  • 16 to 206,291 (16%)
  • 21 to 255,210 (13%)
  • 26 to 357,458 (19%)
  • 36 to 455,141 (13%)
  • 46 to 553,837 (9.8%)
  • 56 to 652,591 (6.6%)
  • 66 to 751,670 (4.3%)
  • Over 751,157 (2.9%)
  • Not recorded145 (0.4%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider21,310 (54%)
  • Passenger11,219 (29%)
  • Pedestrian6,735 (17%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car37,559 (73%)
  • Motorcycle3,365 (6.5%)
  • Pedal cycle3,229 (6.3%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes2,882 (5.6%)
  • Bus or coach1,725 (3.3%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,276 (2.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car795 (1.5%)
  • Other vehicle300 (0.6%)
  • Minibus238 (0.5%)
  • Goods vehicle, weight unknown67 (0.1%)
  • Other75 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded30 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Preston

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Preston ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Preston had the 101st most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
101st
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
98th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
153rd
lowest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
107th
highest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
98thRichmond upon Thames29,30034,1082294,911
99thMerton29,17334,6802374,516
100thHighland28,65143,4331,1958,901
101stPreston (this area)28,41439,2643145,156
102ndHarrow27,98934,0122504,266
103rdAberdeenshire27,93839,8301,2317,474
104thGateshead27,89938,4104074,555

Accident hotspots in Preston

City Centre, Preston, PR1 1FB area is the busiest accident hotspot in Preston, with 1,899 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 8 of them fatal.

Roads in Preston with the most crashes

The A6 had the most collisions in Preston from 1979 to 2025: 3,667, including 39 fatal and 590 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Preston, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA63,6675,13039590
2ndA50852,3133,35128405
3rdA591,9412,59926382
4thM61,4902,72033255
5thB62431,4131,85415319
6thA5831,3391,88520228
7thB62419231,3385151
8thA60635697501107
9thB541156978513126
10thB6242518701578
11thM55495919874
12thA5072430563261
13thB526942663315113
14thA5071210268048
15thA5825173110
16thB5258374005
17thB5254121703
18thA5083101300
19thA58581401
20thB624561101

Towns in Preston

Preston, Preston had the most collisions of any town in Preston from 1979 to 2025: 18,844.

Postcode districts in Preston

PR1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Preston from 1979 to 2025: 13,339.

Latest crashes in Preston

Of the latest 24 crashes in Preston, 1 was fatal and 9 were serious. The most recent was on 30 December 2025.

Severity