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CrashStats

Fatal M5 crash in South Gloucestershire on 16 September 2017 at 14:36 involving a Subaru Forester

A car, a Subaru Forester and a lorry were involved in a crash on the M5 in South Gloucestershire at 14:36 on Saturday 16 September 2017. There were nine casualties: four people were killed, three were seriously injured and two were slightly injured.

It happened in daylight in fine weather on a dry dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit, away from any junction.

Severity
Fatal
Date
16 Sep 2017
Saturday, 14:36
Vehicles
3
Subaru Forester and 2 others
Casualties
9
4 killed, 3 seriously injured, 2 slightly injured

Location of the crash

Police recorded the crash at latitude 51.56754, longitude -2.52988, in the BS32 postcode district.

Map of where the crash happened in South Gloucestershire

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

  • 1 crash
  • Fatal

Collision details

Basic information

Reference
2017521706263
Council area
South Gloucestershire
Police force
Avon and Somerset
Police attended the scene
Yes

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
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, 37 metres away, was a slight injury crash on 9 October 2025.

Vehicles involved (3)

  • Vehicle 1: Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    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
    42 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    20 to 30% most deprived

  • Vehicle 2: Subaru Forester

    Car

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    South
    Travelling to
    North
    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
    66 years
    Engine capacity
    1,995 cc
    Fuel or propulsion
    Petrol
    Vehicle age
    4 years

  • Vehicle 3: Lorry

    Goods vehicle 7.5 tonnes and over

    Manoeuvre
    Going ahead
    Travelling from
    North
    Travelling to
    South
    Position at junction
    Not at or within 20 metres of junction
    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
    46 years
    Driver home area deprivation
    10% least deprived

Casualties (9)

  • Casualty 1: Passenger

    Slight

    Female, aged 49, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    20 to 30% most deprived

  • Casualty 2: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 42, goods vehicle occupant (7.5 tonnes and over), in vehicle 3 (Lorry)

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

  • Casualty 3: Passenger

    Serious

    Female, aged 10, goods vehicle occupant (7.5 tonnes and over), in vehicle 3 (Lorry)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    10% least deprived

  • Casualty 4: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 66, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Subaru Forester)

  • Casualty 5: Driver

    Fatal

    Male, aged 46, goods vehicle occupant (7.5 tonnes and over), in vehicle 3 (Lorry)

    Home area deprivation
    10% least deprived

  • Casualty 6: Passenger

    Serious

    Male, aged 12, goods vehicle occupant (7.5 tonnes and over), in vehicle 3 (Lorry)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    10% least deprived

  • Casualty 7: Passenger

    Fatal

    Female, aged 62, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Subaru Forester)

    Car passenger
    Rear seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    30 to 40% least deprived

  • Casualty 8: Passenger

    Fatal

    Female, aged 64, car occupant, in vehicle 2 (Subaru Forester)

    Car passenger
    Front seat passenger
    Home area deprivation
    30 to 40% least deprived

  • Casualty 9: Driver

    Slight

    Male, aged 42, car occupant, in vehicle 1 (Car)

    Home area deprivation
    20 to 30% most 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 2017521706263 in the data published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and one of the crashes counted in the South Gloucestershire road accident statistics for 2017.