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CrashStats

Serious M1 crash in West Northamptonshire on 8 December 1997 at 05:56 involving a Ford Sierra

A Ford Sierra, a Rover 200 Series and a Seddon/Atkinson lorry were involved in a crash on the M1 in West Northamptonshire at 05:56 on Monday 8 December 1997. There were four casualties: one person was seriously injured and three were slightly injured.

It happened after dark under street lighting in the rain on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Serious
Date
8 Dec 1997
Monday, 05:56
Vehicles
3
Ford Sierra and 2 others
Casualties
4
1 seriously injured, 3 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 52.14437, longitude -0.83877, in the NN7 postcode district. The location was in the former South Northamptonshire district.

Map of where the crash happened in West Northamptonshire

Use the arrow keys to move the map and the plus and minus keys to zoom.

  • 1 crash
  • Serious

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
199734TM00727
Council area
West Northamptonshire
Police force
Northamptonshire
Highway authority
Northamptonshire

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
1
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, street lights lit
Weather
Raining, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 35 metres away, was a serious injury crash on 30 July 2024.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Ford Sierra

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    First point of impact
    Nearside
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    29 years
    Engine capacity
    1,993 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    14 years

  • Vehicle 2: Rover 200 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation
    Hit object off carriageway
    Central crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    38 years
    Engine capacity
    1,342 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    9 years

  • Vehicle 3: Seddon/Atkinson

    Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes

    Towing and articulation
    Articulated vehicle
    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    52 years
    Engine capacity
    10,000 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    7 years

Casualties (4)

  • Casualty 1: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 25, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Ford Sierra)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 15, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 35, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 36, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 200 Series)

    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 199734TM00727 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the West Northamptonshire road accident statistics for 1997.