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CrashStats

Serious M53 crash in Wirral on 24 December 1997 at 18:30 involving a Vauxhall Cavalier

Eight vehicles, including a Vauxhall Cavalier and a Ford Mondeo, were involved in a crash on the M53 in Wirral at 18:30 on Wednesday 24 December 1997. There were four casualties: two people were seriously injured and two were slightly injured.

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
Serious
Date
24 Dec 1997
Wednesday, 18:30
Vehicles
8
Vauxhall Cavalier and 7 others
Casualties
4
2 seriously injured, 2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 53.30713, longitude -2.99344, in the CH64 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in Wirral

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  • 1 crash
  • Serious

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
1997050005618
Council area
Wirral
Police force
Merseyside

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
53
Road type
Dual carriageway
Speed limit
70 mph
Urban or rural
Rural
Trunk road
Trunk road (National Highways)

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, 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, 64 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 9 July 2005.

Vehicles involved (8)

  • Vehicle 1: Vauxhall Cavalier

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Hit object in carriageway
    Other object
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    46 years
    Engine capacity
    1,796 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    7 years

  • Vehicle 2: Ford Mondeo

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    18 years
    Engine capacity
    1,753 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 3: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object in carriageway
    Bollard or refuge
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation and rebounded
    Hit object off carriageway
    Other permanent object
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    26 years

  • Vehicle 4: Ford Escort

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object in carriageway
    Other object
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    31 years
    Engine capacity
    1,392 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    7 years

  • Vehicle 5: BMW 3 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object in carriageway
    Bollard or refuge
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation
    Hit object off carriageway
    Central crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    39 years
    Engine capacity
    1,596 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 6: Vauxhall Corsa

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Hit object in carriageway
    Other object
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    48 years
    Engine capacity
    1,195 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    0 years

  • Vehicle 7: Ford Transit

    Other vehicle

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Hit object in carriageway
    Other object
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    40 years
    Engine capacity
    2,496 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    4 years

  • Vehicle 8: Toyota Carina

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    61 years
    Engine capacity
    1,587 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    5 years

Casualties (4)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 48, car occupant, in vehicle 6 (Vauxhall Corsa)

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 40, other vehicle occupant, in vehicle 7 (Ford Transit)

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 30, other vehicle occupant, in vehicle 7 (Ford Transit)

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 30, car occupant, in vehicle 4 (Ford Escort)

    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 1997050005618 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Wirral road accident statistics for 1997.