Skip to main content
CrashStats

M5 crash in Somerset on 25 April 1997 at 10:37 involving a Vauxhall Astra

Five vehicles, including a Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Galaxy, were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 10:37 on Friday 25 April 1997. The 70-year-old male driver of the Mazda 626 was slightly injured.

It happened in daylight in the rain on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Slight
Date
25 Apr 1997
Friday, 10:37
Vehicles
5
Vauxhall Astra and 4 others
Casualties
1
1 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.23907, longitude -2.94394, in the TA9 postcode district. The location was in the former Sedgemoor district.

Map of where the crash happened in Somerset

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

  • 1 crash
  • Slight

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
1997520014593
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
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
Daylight
Weather
Raining, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, at the same spot, was a slight injury crash on 24 August 1979.

Vehicles involved (5)

  • Vehicle 1: Vauxhall Astra

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    37 years
    Engine capacity
    1,598 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 2: Ford Galaxy

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    36 years
    Engine capacity
    1,998 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    0 years

  • Vehicle 3: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    38 years

  • Vehicle 4: Renault Laguna

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    40 years
    Engine capacity
    1,998 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    2 years

  • Vehicle 5: Mazda 626

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    70 years
    Engine capacity
    1,991 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    2 years

Casualties (1)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 70, car occupant, in vehicle 5 (Mazda 626)

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 1997520014593 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 1997.