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CrashStats

West Somerset road accidents in 1979: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 120 road traffic collisions in West Somerset in 1979, and 169 people were killed or injured in them. Of those collisions, 3 were fatal and 50 were serious.

Across all years from 1979 to 2025, police recorded 4,155 collisions in West Somerset.

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

Collisions in 1979
120
Casualties in 1979
169
Fatal collisions
3
2.5% of collisions
Serious collisions
50
42% of collisions

Crash severity in West Somerset in 1979

2.5% of collisions in West Somerset in 1979 were fatal and 42% serious, against 2.8% and 22% in West Somerset from 1979 to 2025.

Collisions by worst injury

  • Fatal32.5%
  • Serious5042%
  • Slight6756%

People hurt, by injury

  • Fatal31.8%
  • Serious6036%
  • Slight10663%

West Somerset road accidents by year

Collisions and casualties in West Somerset, 1979 to 2025

Collisions peaked at 128 in 1984. 1979 is highlighted, with 120.

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 1979
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20255796
20245373
20233254
20223448
20213140
20202233
20195985
20185992
201764107
201661106
201576120
201484122
201371113
201262100
201185125
201074113
200991158
2008102165
2007119187
2006123192
2005109165
2004105147
2003125180
200298153
2001109148
200096147
1999114139
1998113148
1997106141
199689126
1995102148
1994109161
199365108
1992111168
199179105
199085114
198979109
198899143
1987107148
198699134
1985102136
1984128190
1983119193
1982107146
1981108154
1980113156
1979120169

When and where crashes happen in West Somerset in 1979

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday17 (14%)
  • Tuesday19 (16%)
  • Wednesday24 (20%)
  • Thursday13 (11%)
  • Friday16 (13%)
  • Saturday18 (15%)
  • Sunday13 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • 00:00 to 02:596 (5%)
  • 03:00 to 05:592 (1.7%)
  • 06:00 to 08:5912 (10%)
  • 09:00 to 11:5915 (13%)
  • 12:00 to 14:5921 (18%)
  • 15:00 to 17:5931 (26%)
  • 18:00 to 20:5915 (13%)
  • 21:00 to 23:5918 (15%)

Collisions by month

  • January8 (6.7%)
  • February7 (5.8%)
  • March10 (8.3%)
  • April13 (11%)
  • May6 (5%)
  • June9 (7.5%)
  • July16 (13%)
  • August14 (12%)
  • September14 (12%)
  • October13 (11%)
  • November8 (6.7%)
  • December2 (1.7%)

Light conditions

  • Daylight92 (77%)
  • Dark, no street lighting21 (18%)
  • Dark, street lights lit7 (5.8%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds92 (77%)
  • Raining, no high winds14 (12%)
  • Fine with high winds7 (5.8%)
  • Raining with high winds3 (2.5%)
  • Fog or mist1 (0.8%)
  • Snowing, no high winds1 (0.8%)
  • Other2 (1.7%)

Road surface

  • Dry77 (64%)
  • Wet or damp35 (29%)
  • Frost or ice8 (6.7%)

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph46 (38%)
  • 70 mph74 (62%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway116 (97%)
  • Dual carriageway2 (1.7%)
  • One way street or slip road2 (1.7%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Who was hurt in road crashes in West Somerset in 1979

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant84 (50%)
  • Motorcyclist49 (29%)
  • Pedestrian15 (8.9%)
  • Cyclist9 (5.3%)
  • Van occupant6 (3.6%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)2 (1.2%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant2 (1.2%)
  • Bus or coach occupant1 (0.6%)
  • Minibus occupant1 (0.6%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 52 (1.2%)
  • 6 to 105 (3%)
  • 11 to 159 (5.3%)
  • 16 to 2051 (30%)
  • 21 to 2518 (11%)
  • 26 to 3523 (14%)
  • 36 to 4513 (7.7%)
  • 46 to 5512 (7.1%)
  • 56 to 6513 (7.7%)
  • 66 to 7517 (10%)
  • Over 756 (3.6%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider104 (62%)
  • Passenger50 (30%)
  • Pedestrian15 (8.9%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car109 (56%)
  • Motorcycle52 (27%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes11 (5.6%)
  • Pedal cycle9 (4.6%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes5 (2.6%)
  • Bus or coach3 (1.5%)
  • Minibus2 (1%)
  • Other vehicle2 (1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car2 (1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Crash map for West Somerset in 1979

Map of the last 19 crashes of 1979 in West Somerset

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

  • 19 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

Roads in West Somerset with the most crashes in 1979

The A39 had the most collisions in West Somerset in 1979: 46, including 1 fatal and 22 serious.

Roads ranked by collisions in West Somerset, 1979
RankRoadCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stA394675122
2ndB319081014
3rdA3584712
4thB322441003
5thA3963400
6thB31913302
7thB32233300
8thB32222200
9thB31391100

Towns in West Somerset: crashes in 1979

Minehead had the most collisions of any town in West Somerset in 1979: 24.

Postcode districts in West Somerset: crashes in 1979

TA24 had the most collisions of any postcode district in West Somerset in 1979: 51.

Somerset and its former districts in 1979

Somerset recorded 1,831 collisions in 1979, and 6.6% of them were in the old West Somerset district.

Other former districts in Somerset

Latest crashes in West Somerset in 1979

Of the last 24 crashes in West Somerset in 1979, none were fatal and 12 were serious. The last was on 25 December 1979.

Severity

West Somerset road accidents in other years