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CrashStats

Swale road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 19,855 road traffic collisions in Swale from 1979 to 2025, and 27,124 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 335 were fatal and 3,684 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 277 collisions, up 1% on 2024 (274), and casualties rose from 368 to 379.

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
19,855
173rd highest of 351 areas
Casualties
27,124
1.37 per collision
Fatal collisions
335
1.7% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
277
Up 1% on 2024

Crash severity in Swale

1.7% of collisions in Swale from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 19% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal3351.7%
  • Serious3,68419%
  • Slight15,83680%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal3751.4%
  • Serious4,34316%
  • Slight22,40683%

Swale road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in Swale, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 536 in 1984. In 2025 there were 277, up 1% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025277379
2024274368
2023324435
2022350501
2021339472
2020319427
2019372528
2018340497
2017408569
2016363496
2015361545
2014422588
2013374565
2012326446
2011388503
2010349464
2009395529
2008397546
2007370502
2006404550
2005419564
2004449597
2003415572
2002452589
2001486640
2000427566
1999390543
1998402556
1997387534
1996449620
1995436590
1994487661
1993455643
1992504679
1991464671
1990475659
1989532716
1988484669
1987500656
1986523712
1985529688
1984536755
1983488667
1982530683
1981511700
1980461601
1979512683

When and where crashes happen in Swale

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,736 (14%)
  • Tuesday2,788 (14%)
  • Wednesday2,952 (15%)
  • Thursday2,924 (15%)
  • Friday3,238 (16%)
  • Saturday2,818 (14%)
  • Sunday2,399 (12%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59737 (3.7%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59476 (2.4%)
  • 06:00 to 08:592,733 (14%)
  • 09:00 to 11:592,801 (14%)
  • 12:00 to 14:593,339 (17%)
  • 15:00 to 17:594,844 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:593,110 (16%)
  • 21:00 to 23:591,815 (9.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,502 (7.6%)
  • February1,361 (6.9%)
  • March1,570 (7.9%)
  • April1,575 (7.9%)
  • May1,687 (8.5%)
  • June1,754 (8.8%)
  • July1,814 (9.1%)
  • August1,788 (9%)
  • September1,688 (8.5%)
  • October1,818 (9.2%)
  • November1,711 (8.6%)
  • December1,587 (8%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight14,553 (73%)
  • Dark, street lights lit3,116 (16%)
  • Dark, no street lighting1,726 (8.7%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit236 (1.2%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown224 (1.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds15,629 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,734 (14%)
  • Fog or mist209 (1.1%)
  • Raining with high winds207 (1%)
  • Fine with high winds153 (0.8%)
  • Snowing, no high winds122 (0.6%)
  • Snowing with high winds17 (0.1%)
  • Other457 (2.3%)
  • Not recorded327 (1.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry13,827 (70%)
  • Wet or damp5,496 (28%)
  • Frost or ice392 (2%)
  • Snow86 (0.4%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep34 (0.2%)
  • Mud1 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded19 (0.1%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph2 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph118 (0.6%)
  • 30 mph10,575 (53%)
  • 40 mph1,622 (8.2%)
  • 50 mph395 (2%)
  • 60 mph4,280 (22%)
  • 70 mph2,862 (14%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway15,275 (77%)
  • Dual carriageway3,059 (15%)
  • Roundabout865 (4.4%)
  • One way street or slip road548 (2.8%)
  • Not recorded108 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in Swale

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant16,399 (60%)
  • Motorcyclist3,564 (13%)
  • Pedestrian3,294 (12%)
  • Cyclist1,961 (7.2%)
  • Van occupant753 (2.8%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)348 (1.3%)
  • Bus or coach occupant319 (1.2%)
  • Minibus occupant196 (0.7%)
  • Other vehicle occupant148 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant87 (0.3%)
  • Other39 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded16 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5589 (2.2%)
  • 6 to 101,243 (4.6%)
  • 11 to 151,843 (6.8%)
  • 16 to 205,273 (19%)
  • 21 to 253,370 (12%)
  • 26 to 354,699 (17%)
  • 36 to 453,480 (13%)
  • 46 to 552,553 (9.4%)
  • 56 to 651,787 (6.6%)
  • 66 to 751,015 (3.7%)
  • Over 75675 (2.5%)
  • Not recorded597 (2.2%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider16,637 (61%)
  • Passenger7,193 (27%)
  • Pedestrian3,294 (12%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car26,583 (72%)
  • Motorcycle3,615 (9.8%)
  • Pedal cycle2,025 (5.5%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,877 (5.1%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,608 (4.4%)
  • Other vehicle346 (0.9%)
  • Bus or coach287 (0.8%)
  • Minibus174 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car158 (0.4%)
  • Goods vehicle, weight unknown64 (0.2%)
  • Other101 (0.3%)
  • Not recorded57 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in Swale

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

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

  • 24 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Accident hotspots (10)

How Swale ranks among 351 areas

Of the 351 areas in England, Scotland and Wales, Swale had the 173rd most road collisions from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions
173rd
highest of 351 areas
Casualties
169th
highest of 351 areas
Fatal collisions
173rd
lowest of 351 areas
Serious collisions
163rd
lowest of 351 areas
Areas ranked by collisions, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
170thThanet19,90125,6372543,560
171stPerth and Kinross19,87428,6898086,815
172ndWarwick19,87126,6093834,243
173rdSwale (this area)19,85527,1243353,684
174thSouth Staffordshire19,74029,6544372,671
175thSouth Oxfordshire19,70727,6845974,339
176thBraintree19,65026,7403644,605

Accident hotspots in Swale

Chalkwell, Swale, ME10 4PL area is the busiest accident hotspot in Swale, with 767 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 3 of them fatal.

Roads in Swale with the most crashes

The A2 had the most collisions in Swale from 1979 to 2025: 3,809, including 77 fatal and 679 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in Swale, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA23,8095,18777679
2ndA2491,8422,89456387
3rdM21,7112,93941295
4thA2507959858145
5thB22316561,06321135
6thB20085627184116
7thB20054966201283
8thA2514496091185
9thA2993485611672
10thB2006271345139
11thB2163254332248
12thB2040231269442
13thB2007182209126
14thA2500110166019
15thB2045323728
16thB207791203
17thA20505500
18thA2593301
19thA252200
20thA282501

Towns in Swale

Sittingbourne had the most collisions of any town in Swale from 1979 to 2025: 4,598.

Postcode districts in Swale

ME9 had the most collisions of any postcode district in Swale from 1979 to 2025: 5,088.

Latest crashes in Swale

Of the latest 24 crashes in Swale, none were fatal and 6 were serious. The most recent was on 28 December 2025.

Severity