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CrashStats

Somerset West and Taunton road accidents in 1979: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 475 road traffic collisions in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979, and 637 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 14 were fatal and 176 were serious.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 18,868 collisions in Somerset West and Taunton.

District council until April 2023, now part of Somerset. Figures follow the old district boundary.

Collisions in 1979
475
Casualties in 1979
637
Fatal collisions
14
2.9% of collisions
Serious collisions
176
37% of collisions

Crash severity in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979

2.9% of collisions in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979 were fatal and 37% serious, against 2.1% and 19% in Somerset West and Taunton from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal142.9%
  • Serious17637%
  • Slight28560%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal152.4%
  • Serious21634%
  • Slight40664%

Somerset West and Taunton road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Somerset West and Taunton, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 542 in 2001. 1979 is highlighted, with 475.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1979
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025212297
2024217303
2023172253
2022176242
2021194273
2020131168
2019278373
2018263369
2017298458
2016299443
2015268373
2014323434
2013325447
2012275383
2011339525
2010363497
2009367538
2008437619
2007483677
2006504706
2005518731
2004479621
2003481649
2002490671
2001542735
2000529721
1999453623
1998500665
1997466633
1996454606
1995456647
1994465636
1993395547
1992474632
1991434587
1990479594
1989465617
1988502653
1987493651
1986456618
1985476632
1984514712
1983498658
1982466638
1981531674
1980453626
1979475637

When and where crashes happen in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday72 (15%)
  • Tuesday63 (13%)
  • Wednesday73 (15%)
  • Thursday67 (14%)
  • Friday82 (17%)
  • Saturday72 (15%)
  • Sunday46 (9.7%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:5923 (4.8%)
  • 03:00 to 05:597 (1.5%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5954 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:5968 (14%)
  • 12:00 to 14:5983 (17%)
  • 15:00 to 17:59119 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5956 (12%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5965 (14%)

Collisions by month

  • January38 (8%)
  • February40 (8.4%)
  • March30 (6.3%)
  • April46 (9.7%)
  • May42 (8.8%)
  • June43 (9.1%)
  • July45 (9.5%)
  • August40 (8.4%)
  • September36 (7.6%)
  • October42 (8.8%)
  • November31 (6.5%)
  • December42 (8.8%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight346 (73%)
  • Dark, street lights lit64 (13%)
  • Dark, no street lighting61 (13%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown2 (0.4%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit2 (0.4%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds327 (69%)
  • Raining, no high winds64 (13%)
  • Fine with high winds19 (4%)
  • Raining with high winds16 (3.4%)
  • Snowing, no high winds11 (2.3%)
  • Snowing with high winds4 (0.8%)
  • Fog or mist2 (0.4%)
  • Other29 (6.1%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry275 (58%)
  • Wet or damp157 (33%)
  • Frost or ice29 (6.1%)
  • Snow14 (2.9%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph1 (0.2%)
  • 30 mph236 (50%)
  • 40 mph13 (2.7%)
  • 70 mph225 (47%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway429 (90%)
  • Dual carriageway25 (5.3%)
  • One way street or slip road10 (2.1%)
  • Roundabout8 (1.7%)
  • Not recorded3 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant293 (46%)
  • Motorcyclist168 (26%)
  • Cyclist72 (11%)
  • Pedestrian67 (11%)
  • Van occupant18 (2.8%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)8 (1.3%)
  • Minibus occupant3 (0.5%)
  • Other vehicle occupant3 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant3 (0.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant2 (0.3%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 59 (1.4%)
  • 6 to 1016 (2.5%)
  • 11 to 1553 (8.3%)
  • 16 to 20194 (30%)
  • 21 to 2569 (11%)
  • 26 to 3582 (13%)
  • 36 to 4550 (7.8%)
  • 46 to 5552 (8.2%)
  • 56 to 6554 (8.5%)
  • 66 to 7540 (6.3%)
  • Over 7518 (2.8%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider402 (63%)
  • Passenger168 (26%)
  • Pedestrian67 (11%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car465 (57%)
  • Motorcycle173 (21%)
  • Pedal cycle74 (9%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes37 (4.5%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes35 (4.3%)
  • Other vehicle18 (2.2%)
  • Bus or coach9 (1.1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car6 (0.7%)
  • Minibus4 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for Somerset West and Taunton in 1979

Map of the last 23 crashes of 1979 in Somerset West and Taunton

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

  • 23 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Roads in Somerset West and Taunton with the most crashes in 1979

The A38 had the most collisions in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979: 76, including 1 fatal and 25 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Somerset West and Taunton, 1979
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA387698125
2ndA3615062216
3rdA394675122
4thA3584062317
5thA3038161803
6thM5122223
7thB317081207
8thB319081014
9thB31877903
10thA30274402
11thA3784711
12thB322441003
13thA3963400
14thB31393501
15thB31913302
16thB32233300
17thB31512201
18thB31882201
19thB32222200

Towns in Somerset West and Taunton: crashes in 1979

Taunton had the most collisions of any town in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979: 165.

Postcode districts in Somerset West and Taunton: crashes in 1979

TA1 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979: 131.

Somerset and its former districts in 1979

Somerset recorded 1,831 collisions in 1979, and 26% of them were in the old Somerset West and Taunton district.

Other former districts in Somerset

Latest crashes in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979

Of the last 24 crashes in Somerset West and Taunton in 1979, none were fatal and 13 were serious. The last was on 31 December 1979.

Severity

Somerset West and Taunton road accidents in other years