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CrashStats

Fatal M5 crash in Somerset on 9 December 1983 at 18:10 involving a car

Two cars and a bus or coach were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 18:10 on Friday 9 December 1983. The 47-year-old male driver of vehicle 2 was killed.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
9 Dec 1983
Friday, 18:10
Vehicles
3
Car and 2 others
Casualties
1
1 killed

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.23817, longitude -2.94393, in the TA9 postcode district. The location was in the former Sedgemoor district.

Map of where the crash happened in Somerset

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198352GBU1934
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
Junction control
Give way or uncontrolled
Second road class
Motorway
Second road number
5

Pedestrian crossing information

Crossing facilities
No physical crossing facility within 50 m

Environmental conditions

Light conditions
Dark, no street lighting
Weather
Raining with high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp
Carriageway hazards
Other object in carriageway

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a slight injury crash on 7 October 1999.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Hit object in carriageway
    Other object
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation and rebounded
    Hit object off carriageway
    Central crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    21 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

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

  • Vehicle 3: Bus or coach

    Bus or coach (17 or more seats)

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

Casualties (1)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 47, 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 198352GBU1934 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 1983.