Skip to main content
CrashStats

Fatal A39 crash in North Devon on 29 December 1981 at 16:46 involving a motorcycle

A motorcycle and a car were involved in a crash on the A39 in North Devon at 16:46 on Tuesday 29 December 1981. The 49-year-old male rider of the motorcycle was killed and a 1-year-old male passenger in the car and the 37-year-old male driver of the car were slightly injured.

It happened after dark under street lighting in fine weather on a wet single carriageway with a 40 mph limit, at a T or staggered junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
29 Dec 1981
Tuesday, 16:46
Vehicles
2
Motorcycle and car
Casualties
3
1 killed, 2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.07198, longitude -4.07846, in the EX31 postcode district and within the built-up area of Barnstaple.

Map of where the crash happened in North Devon

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

  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198150H560699
Council area
North Devon
Police force
Devon and Cornwall

Road and location details

First road class
A
First road number
39
Road type
Single carriageway
Speed limit
40 mph

Junction information

Junction type
T or staggered junction
Junction control
Give way or uncontrolled
Second road class
Unclassified

Pedestrian crossing information

Crossing facilities
No physical crossing facility within 50 m

Environmental conditions

Light conditions
Dark, street lights lit
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 10 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 11 April 2005.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Motorcycle

    Motorcycle 50cc and under

    Manoeuvre
    Turning right
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    North
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    49 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

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

Casualties (3)

  • Casualty 1: Rider

    Fatal

    Male, aged 49, motorcyclist (50cc and under), on vehicle 1 (Motorcycle)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 1, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 37, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (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 198150H560699 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the North Devon road accident statistics for 1981.