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CrashStats

M4 crash in South Gloucestershire on 12 January 1979 at 18:43 involving a car

Two cars were involved in a crash on the M4 in South Gloucestershire at 18:43 on Friday 12 January 1979. The 49-year-old male driver of vehicle 2 and a 49-year-old female passenger in vehicle 2 were slightly injured.

It happened after dark with no street lighting on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Slight
Date
12 Jan 1979
Friday, 18:43
Vehicles
2
Car and another
Casualties
2
2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.5929, longitude -2.60336, in the BS35 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in South Gloucestershire

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  • 1 crash
  • Slight

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
197952EFT0074
Council area
South Gloucestershire
Police force
Avon and Somerset

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
4
Road type
Dual carriageway
Speed limit
70 mph

Junction information

Junction type
Not at junction or within 20 metres

Pedestrian crossing information

Crossing facilities
No physical crossing facility within 50 m

Environmental conditions

Light conditions
Dark, no street lighting
Weather
Other
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 88 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 4 August 2025.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Slowing or stopping
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    45 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    49 years

Casualties (2)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 49, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 49, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

Data source

This record comes from the Department for Transport’s road safety data (STATS19), in which police forces in Great Britain record every road crash reported to them where someone was injured. It is reference 197952EFT0074 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the South Gloucestershire road accident statistics for 1979.