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CrashStats

South Lakeland road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 18,124 road traffic collisions in South Lakeland from 1979 to 2025, and 25,595 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 458 were fatal and 4,330 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 184 collisions, down 7% on 2024 (198), and casualties fell from 234 to 231.

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

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
18,124
Casualties
25,595
1.41 per collision
Fatal collisions
458
2.5% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
184
Down 7% on 2024

Crash severity in South Lakeland

2.5% of collisions in South Lakeland from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 24% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal4582.5%
  • Serious4,33024%
  • Slight13,33674%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal5012%
  • Serious5,34721%
  • Slight19,74777%

South Lakeland road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in South Lakeland, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 550 in 1990. In 2025 there were 184, down 7% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 184
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025184231
2024198234
2023222288
2022220283
2021169251
2020172221
2019257350
2018243326
2017293415
2016294379
2015278379
2014302388
2013278401
2012265367
2011284385
2010328458
2009340453
2008388538
2007422604
2006422624
2005422592
2004410593
2003386520
2002435662
2001384561
2000446634
1999493714
1998471662
1997475716
1996475685
1995436636
1994425608
1993454668
1992415603
1991464667
1990550776
1989496707
1988478680
1987497689
1986508722
1985505670
1984466661
1983450663
1982483703
1981521741
1980495709
1979525778

When and where crashes happen in South Lakeland

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,380 (13%)
  • Tuesday2,402 (13%)
  • Wednesday2,442 (13%)
  • Thursday2,489 (14%)
  • Friday2,870 (16%)
  • Saturday2,796 (15%)
  • Sunday2,745 (15%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59636 (3.5%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59303 (1.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:591,909 (11%)
  • 09:00 to 11:592,910 (16%)
  • 12:00 to 14:593,778 (21%)
  • 15:00 to 17:594,570 (25%)
  • 18:00 to 20:592,520 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:591,498 (8.3%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,195 (6.6%)
  • February1,128 (6.2%)
  • March1,257 (6.9%)
  • April1,485 (8.2%)
  • May1,703 (9.4%)
  • June1,632 (9%)
  • July1,889 (10%)
  • August1,895 (10%)
  • September1,679 (9.3%)
  • October1,523 (8.4%)
  • November1,392 (7.7%)
  • December1,346 (7.4%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight13,954 (77%)
  • Dark, no street lighting2,736 (15%)
  • Dark, street lights lit1,330 (7.3%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown60 (0.3%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit44 (0.2%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds13,662 (75%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,706 (15%)
  • Raining with high winds401 (2.2%)
  • Fine with high winds256 (1.4%)
  • Snowing, no high winds145 (0.8%)
  • Fog or mist137 (0.8%)
  • Snowing with high winds66 (0.4%)
  • Other428 (2.4%)
  • Not recorded323 (1.8%)

Road surface

  • Dry10,999 (61%)
  • Wet or damp6,299 (35%)
  • Frost or ice530 (2.9%)
  • Snow205 (1.1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep65 (0.4%)
  • Oil or diesel2 (under 0.1%)
  • Mud1 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded23 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 15 mph1 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph82 (0.5%)
  • 30 mph6,078 (34%)
  • 40 mph924 (5.1%)
  • 50 mph205 (1.1%)
  • 60 mph8,291 (46%)
  • 70 mph2,537 (14%)
  • Not recorded6 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway14,448 (80%)
  • Dual carriageway2,276 (13%)
  • One way street or slip road946 (5.2%)
  • Roundabout349 (1.9%)
  • Not recorded105 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in South Lakeland

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant15,811 (62%)
  • Motorcyclist3,661 (14%)
  • Pedestrian2,496 (9.8%)
  • Cyclist1,705 (6.7%)
  • Van occupant741 (2.9%)
  • Bus or coach occupant378 (1.5%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)353 (1.4%)
  • Minibus occupant238 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant126 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant50 (0.2%)
  • Other36 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5467 (1.8%)
  • 6 to 10758 (3%)
  • 11 to 151,326 (5.2%)
  • 16 to 204,813 (19%)
  • 21 to 253,219 (13%)
  • 26 to 354,137 (16%)
  • 36 to 453,312 (13%)
  • 46 to 552,725 (11%)
  • 56 to 652,101 (8.2%)
  • 66 to 751,488 (5.8%)
  • Over 751,176 (4.6%)
  • Not recorded73 (0.3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider15,151 (59%)
  • Passenger7,948 (31%)
  • Pedestrian2,496 (9.8%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car21,904 (70%)
  • Motorcycle3,553 (11%)
  • Pedal cycle1,750 (5.6%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,508 (4.8%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,351 (4.3%)
  • Bus or coach411 (1.3%)
  • Other vehicle324 (1%)
  • Minibus191 (0.6%)
  • Taxi or private hire car92 (0.3%)
  • Agricultural vehicle74 (0.2%)
  • Other38 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded25 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in South Lakeland

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

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 South Lakeland

Kendal Strickland and Fell, Westmorland and Furness, LA9 4UU area is the busiest accident hotspot in South Lakeland, with 456 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 4 of them fatal.

Roads in South Lakeland with the most crashes

The A590 had the most collisions in South Lakeland from 1979 to 2025: 2,570, including 108 fatal and 586 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in South Lakeland, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA5902,5704,082108586
2ndA5911,7112,57872411
3rdA61,4731,90726295
4thA651,1801,66026287
5thM69731,64842212
6thA6846901,03220209
7thA59264694812183
8thA50744085226110
9thA508737052713102
10thA593326461889
11thA595304446961
12thB5277304423562
13thA685291422571
14thA5092263399677
15thA5284226280546
16thA6832182781579
17thB5281169216144
18thB5284168257547
19thA6070166215346
20thB5278159241435

Towns in South Lakeland

Kendal had the most collisions of any town in South Lakeland from 1979 to 2025: 2,528.

Postcode districts in South Lakeland

LA12 had the most collisions of any postcode district in South Lakeland from 1979 to 2025: 3,809.

Westmorland and Furness and its former districts

Westmorland and Furness recorded 38,503 collisions from 1979 to 2025, and 47% of them were in the old South Lakeland district.

Other former districts in Westmorland and Furness

Latest crashes in South Lakeland

Of the latest 24 crashes in South Lakeland, none were fatal and 6 were serious. The most recent was on 31 December 2025.

Severity