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CrashStats

M4 crash in South Gloucestershire on 29 August 1981 at 10:50 involving a car

Three cars were involved in a crash on the M4 in South Gloucestershire at 10:50 on Saturday 29 August 1981. All four casualties were slightly injured.

It happened in daylight in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Slight
Date
29 Aug 1981
Saturday, 10:50
Vehicles
3
Car and 2 others
Casualties
4
4 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.58887, longitude -2.59984, 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
198152DFT1314
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
Daylight
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Dry

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 23 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 27 September 2025.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Slowing or stopping
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    47 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

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

  • Vehicle 3: Car

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

Casualties (4)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Slight

    Female, aged 47, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 16, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 17, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 11, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Rear 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 198152DFT1314 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 1981.