Skip to main content
CrashStats

Purbeck road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 7,682 road traffic collisions in Purbeck from 1979 to 2025, and 11,597 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 183 were fatal and 1,721 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 109 collisions, up 22% on 2024 (89), and casualties rose from 118 to 142.

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

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
7,682
Casualties
11,597
1.51 per collision
Fatal collisions
183
2.4% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
109
Up 22% on 2024

Crash severity in Purbeck

2.4% of collisions in Purbeck from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 22% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal1832.4%
  • Serious1,72122%
  • Slight5,77875%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal1971.7%
  • Serious2,15519%
  • Slight9,24580%

Purbeck road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Purbeck, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 248 in 1997. In 2025 there were 109, up 22% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 109
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025109142
202489118
202396127
2022103132
202188117
202091127
2019122175
2018119172
2017117184
2016138229
2015142204
2014124177
2013107153
2012108178
2011138184
2010121167
2009144226
2008172253
2007171243
2006164232
2005163255
2004195281
2003194276
2002213322
2001202315
2000193303
1999217313
1998214338
1997248396
1996211352
1995184327
1994179317
1993186304
1992170249
1991192312
1990221369
1989202269
1988191300
1987162220
1986191299
1985167254
1984173273
1983164248
1982173257
1981167242
1980216304
1979231362

When and where crashes happen in Purbeck

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday1,076 (14%)
  • Tuesday1,053 (14%)
  • Wednesday1,126 (15%)
  • Thursday1,078 (14%)
  • Friday1,175 (15%)
  • Saturday1,111 (14%)
  • Sunday1,063 (14%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59275 (3.6%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59116 (1.5%)
  • 06:00 to 08:59974 (13%)
  • 09:00 to 11:591,203 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:591,358 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:591,936 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:591,076 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:59744 (9.7%)

Collisions by month

  • January568 (7.4%)
  • February490 (6.4%)
  • March563 (7.3%)
  • April610 (7.9%)
  • May691 (9%)
  • June671 (8.7%)
  • July787 (10%)
  • August843 (11%)
  • September628 (8.2%)
  • October667 (8.7%)
  • November539 (7%)
  • December625 (8.1%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight5,731 (75%)
  • Dark, no street lighting866 (11%)
  • Dark, street lights lit711 (9.3%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit346 (4.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown28 (0.4%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds6,252 (81%)
  • Raining, no high winds1,009 (13%)
  • Fog or mist87 (1.1%)
  • Fine with high winds81 (1.1%)
  • Raining with high winds75 (1%)
  • Snowing, no high winds15 (0.2%)
  • Snowing with high winds2 (under 0.1%)
  • Other141 (1.8%)
  • Not recorded20 (0.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry5,244 (68%)
  • Wet or damp2,228 (29%)
  • Frost or ice162 (2.1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep30 (0.4%)
  • Snow16 (0.2%)
  • Not recorded2 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph3 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph16 (0.2%)
  • 30 mph2,419 (31%)
  • 40 mph526 (6.8%)
  • 50 mph222 (2.9%)
  • 60 mph4,144 (54%)
  • 70 mph352 (4.6%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway6,732 (88%)
  • Roundabout464 (6%)
  • Dual carriageway350 (4.6%)
  • One way street or slip road122 (1.6%)
  • Not recorded14 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Purbeck

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant7,758 (67%)
  • Motorcyclist1,515 (13%)
  • Pedestrian819 (7.1%)
  • Cyclist666 (5.7%)
  • Van occupant349 (3%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)132 (1.1%)
  • Bus or coach occupant128 (1.1%)
  • Minibus occupant106 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant69 (0.6%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant48 (0.4%)
  • Other6 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5192 (1.7%)
  • 6 to 10381 (3.3%)
  • 11 to 15564 (4.9%)
  • 16 to 202,365 (20%)
  • 21 to 251,381 (12%)
  • 26 to 351,987 (17%)
  • 36 to 451,522 (13%)
  • 46 to 551,208 (10%)
  • 56 to 65898 (7.7%)
  • 66 to 75627 (5.4%)
  • Over 75464 (4%)
  • Not recorded8 (0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider7,186 (62%)
  • Passenger3,592 (31%)
  • Pedestrian819 (7.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car10,348 (73%)
  • Motorcycle1,510 (11%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes795 (5.6%)
  • Pedal cycle680 (4.8%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes456 (3.2%)
  • Other vehicle158 (1.1%)
  • Bus or coach136 (1%)
  • Minibus75 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car66 (0.5%)
  • Agricultural vehicle23 (0.2%)
  • Other10 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Purbeck

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

Accident hotspots in Purbeck

Lytchett Matravers & Upton, Dorset, BH16 5SY area is the busiest accident hotspot in Purbeck, with 313 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 4 of them fatal.

Roads in Purbeck with the most crashes

The A351 had the most collisions in Purbeck from 1979 to 2025: 1,372, including 28 fatal and 290 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Purbeck, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA3511,3721,99328290
2ndA351,3482,13345273
3rdA35259699727138
4thA350396646589
5thB3067363480781
6thA31205382558
7thB3351173279462
8thB3075167237931
9thB3390148264341
10thB3070140193429
11thB3068106142023
12thB306983119222
13thB30716594017
14thA3510456215
15thA3500415728
16thA3520141802
17thA3049122310
18thA310071012
19thA3574502
20thA3112501

Towns in Purbeck

Swanage had the most collisions of any town in Purbeck from 1979 to 2025: 616.

Postcode districts in Purbeck

BH20 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Purbeck from 1979 to 2025: 3,539.

Dorset and its former districts

Dorset recorded 51,591 collisions from 1979 to 2025, and 15% of them were in the old Purbeck district.

Other former districts in Dorset

Latest crashes in Purbeck

Of the latest 24 crashes in Purbeck, none were fatal and 5 were serious. The most recent was on 30 December 2025.

Severity