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CrashStats

Scottish Borders road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 16,598 road traffic collisions in the Scottish Borders from 1979 to 2025, and 23,750 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 559 were fatal and 4,571 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 74 collisions, down 15% on 2024 (87), and casualties fell from 141 to 112.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
16,598
131st lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
23,750
1.43 per collision
Fatal collisions
559
3.4% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
74
Down 15% on 2024

Crash severity in the Scottish Borders

3.4% of collisions in the Scottish Borders from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 28% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal5593.4%
  • Serious4,57128%
  • Slight11,46869%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal6282.6%
  • Serious5,92825%
  • Slight17,19472%

Scottish Borders road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in the Scottish Borders, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 579 in 1989. In 2025 there were 74, down 15% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 74
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
202574112
202487141
2023107156
202294137
2021102140
202083108
2019145218
2018173239
2017186275
2016202302
2015220293
2014221295
2013257335
2012263370
2011275369
2010307398
2009363505
2008385533
2007334453
2006371510
2005447642
2004453640
2003442630
2002449630
2001412580
2000417609
1999368526
1998451643
1997396565
1996453649
1995431621
1994441646
1993472662
1992489756
1991467694
1990497709
1989579867
1988478686
1987471731
1986458649
1985439628
1984427583
1983439653
1982503698
1981497724
1980454706
1979519734

When and where crashes happen in the Scottish Borders

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,160 (13%)
  • Tuesday2,180 (13%)
  • Wednesday2,182 (13%)
  • Thursday2,410 (15%)
  • Friday2,765 (17%)
  • Saturday2,615 (16%)
  • Sunday2,286 (14%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59751 (4.5%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59323 (1.9%)
  • 06:00 to 08:591,761 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:592,631 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:593,464 (21%)
  • 15:00 to 17:593,937 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:592,368 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:591,363 (8.2%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,171 (7.1%)
  • February1,176 (7.1%)
  • March1,202 (7.2%)
  • April1,215 (7.3%)
  • May1,306 (7.9%)
  • June1,467 (8.8%)
  • July1,476 (8.9%)
  • August1,661 (10%)
  • September1,556 (9.4%)
  • October1,516 (9.1%)
  • November1,448 (8.7%)
  • December1,404 (8.5%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight12,356 (74%)
  • Dark, no street lighting2,930 (18%)
  • Dark, street lights lit1,195 (7.2%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit103 (0.6%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown14 (0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds11,817 (71%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,852 (17%)
  • Fine with high winds407 (2.5%)
  • Snowing, no high winds400 (2.4%)
  • Raining with high winds290 (1.7%)
  • Fog or mist175 (1.1%)
  • Snowing with high winds91 (0.5%)
  • Other473 (2.8%)
  • Not recorded93 (0.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry8,382 (51%)
  • Wet or damp6,740 (41%)
  • Frost or ice910 (5.5%)
  • Snow484 (2.9%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep64 (0.4%)
  • Oil or diesel11 (0.1%)
  • Mud4 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded3 (under 0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph3 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph104 (0.6%)
  • 30 mph4,612 (28%)
  • 40 mph122 (0.7%)
  • 50 mph89 (0.5%)
  • 60 mph11,621 (70%)
  • 70 mph47 (0.3%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway15,996 (96%)
  • One way street or slip road304 (1.8%)
  • Dual carriageway125 (0.8%)
  • Roundabout103 (0.6%)
  • Not recorded70 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in the Scottish Borders

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant16,394 (69%)
  • Pedestrian2,173 (9.1%)
  • Motorcyclist1,961 (8.3%)
  • Van occupant1,257 (5.3%)
  • Cyclist858 (3.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)451 (1.9%)
  • Bus or coach occupant288 (1.2%)
  • Other vehicle occupant172 (0.7%)
  • Minibus occupant142 (0.6%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant28 (0.1%)
  • Other25 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5565 (2.4%)
  • 6 to 10879 (3.7%)
  • 11 to 151,138 (4.8%)
  • 16 to 203,909 (16%)
  • 21 to 252,938 (12%)
  • 26 to 354,133 (17%)
  • 36 to 453,250 (14%)
  • 46 to 552,678 (11%)
  • 56 to 652,022 (8.5%)
  • 66 to 751,290 (5.4%)
  • Over 75910 (3.8%)
  • Not recorded38 (0.2%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider14,124 (59%)
  • Passenger7,453 (31%)
  • Pedestrian2,173 (9.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car19,090 (72%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,973 (7.5%)
  • Motorcycle1,934 (7.3%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,363 (5.2%)
  • Pedal cycle885 (3.4%)
  • Other vehicle481 (1.8%)
  • Bus or coach390 (1.5%)
  • Minibus118 (0.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle42 (0.2%)
  • Taxi or private hire car41 (0.2%)
  • Other16 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded11 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in the Scottish Borders

Map of the 24 most recent crashes and the 9 busiest accident hotspots in the Scottish Borders

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (9)

How the Scottish Borders ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, the Scottish Borders had the 131st fewest road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
131st
lowest of 351 areas
Casualties
144th
lowest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
55th
highest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
126th
highest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
218thTorbay16,75120,7291392,827
219thCaerphilly16,71823,0293123,148
220thHalton16,67023,0792242,666
221stScottish Borders (this area)16,59823,7505594,571
222ndWelwyn Hatfield16,55422,8402323,068
223rdEast Hampshire16,51122,7553753,980
224thSurrey Heath16,48622,9212002,606

Accident hotspots in the Scottish Borders

Galashiels and District, Scottish Borders, TD1 1ER area is the busiest accident hotspot in the Scottish Borders, with 235 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 1 of them fatal.

Roads in the Scottish Borders with the most crashes

The A7 had the most collisions in the Scottish Borders from 1979 to 2025: 2,043, including 76 fatal and 577 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in the Scottish Borders, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA72,0433,00076577
2ndA681,5552,53467449
3rdA721,1921,73043327
4thA6987881,13934234
5thA16111,01353179
6thA69757291226193
7thA610551576532136
8thA70145064621144
9thA70336757211116
10thA699247355870
11thA1107243379979
12thB6355234337653
13thA6091225350660
14thA702203308962
15thA708194286971
16thA60891902911145
17thB6461184243552
18thB6357183238572
19thA6112179236364
20thB709176259663

Towns in the Scottish Borders

Galashiels had the most collisions of any town in the Scottish Borders from 1979 to 2025: 1,134.

Postcode districts in the Scottish Borders

TD1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in the Scottish Borders from 1979 to 2025: 2,442.

Latest crashes in the Scottish Borders

Of the latest 24 crashes in the Scottish Borders, 1 was fatal and 13 were serious. The most recent was on 28 December 2025.

Severity