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CrashStats

Serious M5 crash in Somerset on 31 March 1985 at 14:58 involving a minibus

A minibus and a car were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 14:58 on Sunday 31 March 1985. There were five casualties: one person was seriously injured and four 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
Serious
Date
31 Mar 1985
Sunday, 14:58
Vehicles
2
Minibus and car
Casualties
5
1 seriously injured, 4 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.21645, longitude -2.96066, 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
  • Serious

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198552GU00436
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
Daylight
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Dry

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 30 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 2 January 2007.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Minibus

    Minibus or motor caravan

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Lane or location
    On lay-by or hard shoulder
    Hit object in carriageway
    Parked vehicle
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    44 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Parked
    Travelling from
    Parked
    Travelling to
    Parked
    Lane or location
    On lay-by or hard shoulder
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    Hit object off carriageway
    Other permanent object
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    56 years

Casualties (5)

  • Casualty 1: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 54, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 56, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 12, minibus or motor caravan occupant, in vehicle 1 (Minibus)

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 5, minibus or motor caravan occupant, in vehicle 1 (Minibus)

  • Casualty 5: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 44, minibus or motor caravan occupant, in vehicle 1 (Minibus)

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 198552GU00436 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 1985.