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CrashStats

West Dorset road accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 15,774 road traffic collisions in West Dorset from 1979 to 2025, and 23,872 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 390 were fatal and 3,407 were serious.

In 2025 police recorded 207 collisions, down 17% on 2024 (248), and casualties fell from 331 to 297.

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

Collisions, 1979 to 2025
15,774
Casualties
23,872
1.51 per collision
Fatal collisions
390
2.5% of collisions
Collisions in 2025
207
Down 17% on 2024

Crash severity in West Dorset

2.5% of collisions in West Dorset from 1979 to 2025 were fatal and 22% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal3902.5%
  • Serious3,40722%
  • Slight11,97776%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal4401.8%
  • Serious4,35818%
  • Slight19,07480%

West Dorset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in West Dorset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 467 in 1998. In 2025 there were 207, down 17% on 2024.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025207297
2024248331
2023209285
2022217316
2021222298
2020159226
2019209304
2018189265
2017225328
2016248382
2015277409
2014262384
2013249356
2012283408
2011289436
2010267401
2009317455
2008308461
2007342502
2006372581
2005346522
2004388602
2003359554
2002426663
2001441656
2000438710
1999401633
1998467699
1997440662
1996425671
1995355611
1994431686
1993392626
1992405662
1991391620
1990389616
1989386632
1988393584
1987400611
1986363538
1985358530
1984411621
1983341490
1982382573
1981367569
1980390540
1979390566

When and where crashes happen in West Dorset

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,164 (14%)
  • Tuesday2,175 (14%)
  • Wednesday2,226 (14%)
  • Thursday2,179 (14%)
  • Friday2,619 (17%)
  • Saturday2,420 (15%)
  • Sunday1,991 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:59485 (3.1%)
  • 03:00 to 05:59221 (1.4%)
  • 06:00 to 08:591,955 (12%)
  • 09:00 to 11:592,715 (17%)
  • 12:00 to 14:593,258 (21%)
  • 15:00 to 17:593,779 (24%)
  • 18:00 to 20:592,182 (14%)
  • 21:00 to 23:591,179 (7.5%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,164 (7.4%)
  • February1,047 (6.6%)
  • March1,159 (7.3%)
  • April1,173 (7.4%)
  • May1,326 (8.4%)
  • June1,352 (8.6%)
  • July1,554 (9.9%)
  • August1,573 (10%)
  • September1,406 (8.9%)
  • October1,393 (8.8%)
  • November1,318 (8.4%)
  • December1,309 (8.3%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight12,236 (78%)
  • Dark, no street lighting1,771 (11%)
  • Dark, street lights lit934 (5.9%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit766 (4.9%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown67 (0.4%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds12,276 (78%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,165 (14%)
  • Fog or mist420 (2.7%)
  • Raining with high winds224 (1.4%)
  • Fine with high winds199 (1.3%)
  • Snowing, no high winds70 (0.4%)
  • Snowing with high winds10 (0.1%)
  • Other336 (2.1%)
  • Not recorded74 (0.5%)

Road surface

  • Dry9,768 (62%)
  • Wet or damp5,435 (34%)
  • Frost or ice469 (3%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep52 (0.3%)
  • Snow50 (0.3%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph1 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph61 (0.4%)
  • 30 mph5,009 (32%)
  • 40 mph755 (4.8%)
  • 50 mph402 (2.5%)
  • 60 mph8,922 (57%)
  • 70 mph623 (3.9%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway14,446 (92%)
  • Dual carriageway749 (4.7%)
  • Roundabout426 (2.7%)
  • One way street or slip road119 (0.8%)
  • Not recorded34 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who is hurt in road crashes in West Dorset

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant16,560 (69%)
  • Motorcyclist2,836 (12%)
  • Pedestrian1,661 (7%)
  • Cyclist991 (4.2%)
  • Van occupant892 (3.7%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)359 (1.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant217 (0.9%)
  • Other vehicle occupant130 (0.5%)
  • Minibus occupant124 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant56 (0.2%)
  • Other44 (0.2%)
  • Not recorded2 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5453 (1.9%)
  • 6 to 10715 (3%)
  • 11 to 151,085 (4.5%)
  • 16 to 204,360 (18%)
  • 21 to 252,907 (12%)
  • 26 to 353,967 (17%)
  • 36 to 453,071 (13%)
  • 46 to 552,470 (10%)
  • 56 to 652,065 (8.7%)
  • 66 to 751,584 (6.6%)
  • Over 751,158 (4.9%)
  • Not recorded37 (0.2%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider14,970 (63%)
  • Passenger7,241 (30%)
  • Pedestrian1,661 (7%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car21,329 (72%)
  • Motorcycle2,806 (9.5%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,830 (6.2%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,317 (4.5%)
  • Pedal cycle1,024 (3.5%)
  • Other vehicle408 (1.4%)
  • Bus or coach312 (1.1%)
  • Minibus152 (0.5%)
  • Taxi or private hire car109 (0.4%)
  • Agricultural vehicle99 (0.3%)
  • Other39 (0.1%)
  • Not recorded3 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes and hotspots in West Dorset

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

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 West Dorset

Dorchester West, Dorset, DT1 1RU area is the busiest accident hotspot in West Dorset, with 427 collisions from 2001 to 2025, 4 of them fatal.

Roads in West Dorset with the most crashes

The A35 had the most collisions in West Dorset from 1979 to 2025: 3,192, including 111 fatal and 679 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in West Dorset, 1979 to 2025
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA353,1925,543111679
2ndB31571,0961,69738263
3rdA3529591,43214225
4thA377711,36436180
5thA3065297723165
6thA306664598315160
7thA3546431,06318117
8thB3162401512567
9thA3563665801487
10thA353268430356
11thB3150250322435
12thB3147242313534
13thB3145241314548
14thB3143233339167
15thA3030177257449
16thB3144174217015
17thA3052169223628
18thB3390155249531
19thB3165113170019
20thA350092166320

Towns in West Dorset

Dorchester, Dorset had the most collisions of any town in West Dorset from 1979 to 2025: 1,501.

Postcode districts in West Dorset

DT2 had the most collisions of any postcode district in West Dorset from 1979 to 2025: 5,659.

Dorset and its former districts

Dorset recorded 51,591 collisions from 1979 to 2025, and 31% of them were in the old West Dorset district.

Other former districts in Dorset

Latest crashes in West Dorset

Of the latest 24 crashes in West Dorset, none were fatal and 10 were serious. The most recent was on 30 December 2025.

Severity