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CrashStats

Fatal A31 crash in Dorset on 11 November 2003 at 20:30 involving a Mercedes Sprinter van

A Mercedes Sprinter van and a Vauxhall Astra were involved in a crash on the A31 in Dorset at 20:30 on Tuesday 11 November 2003. The 53-year-old male driver of the Vauxhall Astra was killed.

It happened after dark with unlit street lights in fine weather on a wet dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
11 Nov 2003
Tuesday, 20:30
Vehicles
2
Mercedes Sprinter and Vauxhall Astra
Casualties
1
1 killed

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 50.8442, longitude -1.80353, in the BH24 postcode district. It is one of the crashes that make up the St Leonards & St Ives, Dorset, BH24 2AT area accident hotspot. The location was in the former East Dorset district.

Map of where the crash happened in Dorset

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  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
2003553E05981
Council area
Dorset
Police force
Dorset

Road and location details

First road class
A
First road number
31
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
Junction control
Give way or uncontrolled
Second road class
B
Second road number
3081

Pedestrian crossing information

Crossing facilities
No physical crossing facility within 50 m

Environmental conditions

Light conditions
Dark, street lights unlit
Weather
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Wet or damp

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 10 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 17 June 1998.

Vehicles involved (2)

  • Vehicle 1: Mercedes Sprinter

    Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes

    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
    41 years
    Engine capacity
    2,874 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    1 year

  • Vehicle 2: Vauxhall Astra

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Changing lane to right
    Travelling from
    North East
    Travelling to
    South West
    Skidding and overturning
    Skidded
    First point of impact
    Offside
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    53 years
    Engine capacity
    1,686 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    8 years

Casualties (1)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 53, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Vauxhall Astra)

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 2003553E05981 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the Dorset road accident statistics for 2003.