Serious M5 crash in Bristol on 21 October 1988 at 17:47 involving a car
Four cars were involved in a crash on the M5 in Bristol at 17:47 on Friday 21 October 1988. A 24-year-old female passenger in vehicle 2 was seriously injured and the 23-year-old male driver of vehicle 2 was slightly injured.
It happened after dark under street lighting in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.
- Severity
- Serious
- Date
- 21 Oct 1988
- Friday, 17:47
- Vehicles
- 4
- Car and 3 others
- Casualties
- 2
- 1 seriously injured, 1 slightly injured
Location of the crash
Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.49891, longitude -2.68956, 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
- Serious
Collision details
Basic information
- Reference
- 198852CS01744
- 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
- Dark, street lights lit
- Weather
- Fine, no high winds
- Road surface
- Dry
The 6 nearest recorded crashes
The nearest, 20 metres away, was a serious injury crash on 1 February 1988.
Serious
Car crash on the M5 in Bristol, 1 February 1988
20 m awayRef 198852CS00191
Slight
Vauxhall Astra crash on the A4 in Bristol, 20 May 1997
54 m awayRef 1997520043801
Slight
Volvo XC60 crash on the M5 in Bristol, 6 March 2025
57 m awayRef 2025522500887
Slight
Honda Civic crash on the M49 in Bristol, 23 October 2004
58 m awayRef 2004520140724
Slight
Citroen AX crash on the M5 in Bristol, 27 July 1994
63 m awayRef 19945294E6250
Slight
Vauxhall Astra crash on the M5 in South Gloucestershire, 1 February 1995
63 m awayRef 19955295E0405
Vehicles involved (4)
Vehicle 1: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Slowing or stopping
- Travelling from
- North East
- Travelling to
- South West
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 41 years
Vehicle 2: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- North East
- Travelling to
- South West
- Skidding and overturning
- Skidded
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 23 years
Vehicle 3: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- North East
- Travelling to
- South West
- Skidding and overturning
- Skidded
- First point of impact
- Back
- Driver sex
- Female
- Driver age
- 33 years
Vehicle 4: Car
- Manoeuvre
- Going ahead
- Travelling from
- North East
- Travelling to
- South West
- Skidding and overturning
- Skidded
- First point of impact
- Front
- Driver sex
- Male
- Driver age
- 52 years
Casualties (2)
Casualty 1: Driver
SlightMale, aged 23, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)
Casualty 2: Passenger
SeriousFemale, aged 24, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)
- Car passenger
- Front 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 198852CS01744 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 1988.