Skip to main content
CrashStats

M5 crash in Somerset on 20 June 1997 at 17:42 involving a Volvo

Five vehicles, including a Volvo and a Rover 600 Series, were involved in a crash on the M5 in Somerset at 17:42 on Friday 20 June 1997. All five casualties were 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
20 Jun 1997
Friday, 17:42
Vehicles
5
Volvo and 4 others
Casualties
5
5 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 50.96686, longitude -3.209, in the TA21 postcode district. The location was in the former Somerset West and Taunton 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
1997520021643
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 serious injury crash on 17 July 1996.

Vehicles involved (5)

  • Vehicle 1: Volvo

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Front
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    22 years
    Engine capacity
    1,700 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    7 years

  • Vehicle 2: Rover 600 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Waiting to go ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    21 years
    Engine capacity
    1,997 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 3: Vauxhall Cavalier

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Waiting to go ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    29 years
    Engine capacity
    1,998 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    3 years

  • Vehicle 4: Renault Laguna

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Waiting to go ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    39 years
    Engine capacity
    1,998 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    2 years

  • Vehicle 5: Honda Civic

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Waiting to go ahead
    Travelling from
    South West
    Travelling to
    North East
    First point of impact
    Back
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    32 years
    Engine capacity
    1,493 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    1 year

Casualties (5)

  • Casualty 1: Passenger

    Slight

    Male, aged 24, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volvo)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 22, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volvo)

  • Casualty 3: Driver

    Slight

    Female, aged 21, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 600 Series)

  • Casualty 4: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 49, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Rover 600 Series)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger

  • Casualty 5: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 29, car occupant, in vehicle 3 (Vauxhall Cavalier)

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 1997520021643 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.