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CrashStats

Fatal M5 crash in Bristol on 10 April 1987 at 08:49 involving a car

Two cars were involved in a crash on the M5 in Bristol at 08:49 on Friday 10 April 1987. The 19-year-old male driver of vehicle 1, a 20-year-old female passenger in vehicle 1 and a 92-year-old male passenger in vehicle 2 were killed and two other people were seriously injured.

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

Severity
Fatal
Date
10 Apr 1987
Friday, 08:49
Vehicles
2
Car and another
Casualties
5
3 killed, 2 seriously injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.49967, longitude -2.68295, in the BS11 postcode district and within the built-up area of Avonmouth.

Map of where the crash happened in Bristol

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
198752CS00544
Council area
Bristol
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, 19 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 2 May 2025.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    West
    Travelling to
    East
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside, crossed central reservation
    Hit object off carriageway
    Central crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    19 years

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    East
    Travelling to
    West
    Leaving the carriageway
    Nearside
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    33 years

Casualties (5)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 19, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Fatal

    Female, aged 20, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 33, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Fatal

    Male, aged 92, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 5: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 36, 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 198752CS00544 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Bristol road accident statistics for 1987.