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CrashStats

Fatal M40 crash in West Northamptonshire on 23 December 2017 at 23:37 involving a Volkswagen Polo

Five vehicles, including a Volkswagen Polo and a car, were involved in a crash on the M40 in West Northamptonshire at 23:37 on Saturday 23 December 2017. The 60-year-old male driver of the Volkswagen Polo and the 29-year-old male driver of the car were killed, one other person was seriously injured and three were slightly injured.

It happened after dark with no street lighting in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
23 Dec 2017
Saturday, 23:37
Vehicles
5
Volkswagen Polo and 4 others
Casualties
6
2 killed, 1 seriously injured, 3 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 52.04894, longitude -1.30598, in the OX17 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
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
201734WS80447
Council area
West Northamptonshire
Police force
Northamptonshire
Police attended the scene
Yes
Highway authority
Northamptonshire

Road and location details

First road class
Motorway
First road number
40
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
Fine, no high winds
Road surface
Dry

Enhanced collision data

How severity was recorded
Judged by the reporting police officer

The 6 nearest recorded crashes

The nearest, 26 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 4 April 2002.

Vehicles involved (5)

  • Vehicle 1: Volkswagen Polo

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    Skidding and overturning
    Overturned
    Leaving the carriageway
    Offside onto central reservation
    Hit object off carriageway
    Central crash barrier
    First point of impact
    Front
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    60 years
    Engine capacity
    1,197 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    0 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    20 to 30% least deprived

  • Vehicle 2: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Front
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    29 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    10 to 20% least deprived

  • Vehicle 3: Volkswagen Crafter

    Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Back
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    50 years
    Engine capacity
    1,968 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    2 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived

  • Vehicle 4: BMW 1 Series

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Back
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Male
    Driver age
    76 years
    Engine capacity
    1,995 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Diesel
    Vehicle age
    6 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    40 to 50% most deprived

  • Vehicle 5: Ford Focus

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South East
    Travelling to
    North West
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    First point of impact
    Front
    Left-hand drive
    No
    Driver sex
    Female
    Driver age
    31 years
    Engine capacity
    999 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    2 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived

Casualties (6)

  • Casualty 1: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 60, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Volkswagen Polo)

    Home area deprivation
    20 to 30% least deprived

  • Casualty 2: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 29, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Home area deprivation
    10 to 20% least deprived

  • Casualty 3: Driver

    Serious

    Male, aged 50, van occupant, in vehicle 3 (Volkswagen Crafter)

    Home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived

  • Casualty 4: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 76, car occupant, in vehicle 4 (BMW 1 Series)

    Home area deprivation
    40 to 50% most deprived

  • Casualty 5: Driver

    Slight

    Female, aged 31, car occupant, in vehicle 5 (Ford Focus)

    Home area deprivation
    40 to 50% least deprived

  • Casualty 6: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 29, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    10 to 20% least deprived

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 201734WS80447 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 2017.