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CrashStats

Serious M5 crash in Somerset on 19 December 1980 at 20:15 involving a car

Four cars were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 20:15 on Friday 19 December 1980. The 35-year-old male driver of vehicle 1 was seriously injured.

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

Severity
Serious
Date
19 Dec 1980
Friday, 20:15
Vehicles
4
Car and 3 others
Casualties
1
1 seriously injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.21643, longitude -2.96353, in the TA9 postcode district and within the built-up area of Highbridge. The location was in the former Sedgemoor district.

Map of where the crash happened in Somerset

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  • 1 crash
  • Serious

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198052GBU1981
Council area
Somerset
Police force
Avon and Somerset

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
5
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
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 71 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 19 September 1991.

Vehicles involved (4)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Overtaking moving vehicle on its offside
    Travelling from
    North
    Travelling to
    South
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object off carriageway
    Nearside or offside crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    35 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North
    Travelling to
    South
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside, crossed central reservation
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    30 years

  • Vehicle 3: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North
    Travelling to
    South
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    30 years

  • Vehicle 4: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North
    Travelling to
    South
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    55 years

Casualties (1)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 35, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

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 198052GBU1981 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Somerset road accident statistics for 1980.