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CrashStats

A1 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 49,565 collisions on the A1 from 1979 to 2025, with 73,429 casualties. Of those crashes, 1,435 were fatal and 9,136 serious, and 1,702 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 478 collisions on the A1, down 3% from 491 in 2024, with 676 casualties.

Live A1 closures, incidents and roadworks are checked every 5 minutes.

Collisions since 1979
49,565
3rd highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
73,429
1.48 per collision
Fatal collisions
1,435
1,702 people killed
Serious collisions
9,136
11,848 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
478
Down 3% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
676
Level with 2024

Crash severity on the A1

On the A1, 2.9% of collisions were fatal and 18% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal1,4352.9%
  • Serious9,13618%
  • Slight38,99479%

Where the A1 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
3rd
Most casualties
2nd
Most fatal collisions
1st
Most serious collisions
2nd

A1 accidents by year

Collisions on the A1 peaked at 1,529 in 1990 and were down to 478 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the A1, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 478
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025478676
2024491678
2023474647
2022538761
2021462597
2020436551
2019590787
2018604862
2017647935
2016680972
20157371,052
20147281,030
20136871,039
20127371,033
20117981,147
20108731,240
20098641,294
20088371,226
20079071,311
20061,0021,496
20051,1231,696
20041,1891,793
20031,3131,947
20021,3021,990
20011,2421,920
20001,3001,979
19991,1981,838
19981,3111,949
19971,3462,016
19961,3802,109
19951,3301,956
19941,3101,939
19931,2801,906
19921,3752,134
19911,3582,039
19901,5292,361
19891,4952,250
19881,4042,184
19871,3091,937
19861,4692,216
19851,3992,090
19841,4102,011
19831,2831,866
19821,3922,101
19811,2841,908
19801,3071,957
19791,3572,003

When crashes happen on the A1

Friday has the most collisions on the A1 (8,601), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (10,672).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday7,115 (14%)
  • Tuesday6,682 (13%)
  • Wednesday6,780 (14%)
  • Thursday7,157 (14%)
  • Friday8,601 (17%)
  • Saturday6,955 (14%)
  • Sunday6,275 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am2,229 (4.5%)
  • 3am to 6am1,571 (3.2%)
  • 6am to 9am6,359 (13%)
  • 9am to noon8,326 (17%)
  • Noon to 3pm8,985 (18%)
  • 3pm to 6pm10,672 (22%)
  • 6pm to 9pm7,308 (15%)
  • 9pm to midnight4,115 (8.3%)

Collisions by month

  • January3,982 (8%)
  • February3,515 (7.1%)
  • March3,759 (7.6%)
  • April3,773 (7.6%)
  • May3,877 (7.8%)
  • June4,038 (8.1%)
  • July4,249 (8.6%)
  • August4,520 (9.1%)
  • September4,143 (8.4%)
  • October4,619 (9.3%)
  • November4,571 (9.2%)
  • December4,519 (9.1%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight35,040 (71%)
  • Dark, street lights lit8,038 (16%)
  • Dark, no street lighting5,696 (11%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown429 (0.9%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit356 (0.7%)
  • Not recorded6 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in A1 crashes

On the A1, 49% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 70 mph and 67% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph3 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph1,072 (2.2%)
  • 30 mph13,975 (28%)
  • 40 mph1,887 (3.8%)
  • 50 mph2,882 (5.8%)
  • 60 mph5,418 (11%)
  • 70 mph24,317 (49%)
  • Not recorded11 (under 0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds37,759 (76%)
  • Raining, no high winds6,191 (12%)
  • Fine with high winds1,145 (2.3%)
  • Fog or mist866 (1.7%)
  • Other3,125 (6.3%)
  • Not recorded479 (1%)

Road surface

  • Dry33,036 (67%)
  • Wet or damp14,780 (30%)
  • Frost or ice950 (1.9%)
  • Snow481 (1%)
  • Other135 (0.3%)
  • Not recorded183 (0.4%)

Type of road

  • Dual carriageway29,160 (59%)
  • Single carriageway14,926 (30%)
  • Roundabout3,306 (6.7%)
  • One way street or slip road1,527 (3.1%)
  • Not recorded646 (1.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in A1 crashes

Car occupants make up 67% of the people killed or injured on the A1, followed by motorcyclists (8.4%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant49,329 (67%)
  • Motorcyclist6,188 (8.4%)
  • Pedestrian5,013 (6.8%)
  • Van occupant3,464 (4.7%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)2,955 (4%)
  • Cyclist2,924 (4%)
  • Other3,545 (4.8%)
  • Not recorded11 (under 0.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car66,536 (69%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes9,927 (10%)
  • Motorcycle6,554 (6.8%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes6,393 (6.6%)
  • Pedal cycle3,046 (3.1%)
  • Bus or coach2,192 (2.3%)
  • Other2,221 (2.3%)
  • Not recorded34 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 51,218 (1.7%)
  • 6 to 101,681 (2.3%)
  • 11 to 152,093 (2.9%)
  • 16 to 207,852 (11%)
  • 21 to 2510,619 (14%)
  • 26 to 3516,859 (23%)
  • 36 to 4512,093 (16%)
  • 46 to 558,632 (12%)
  • 56 to 655,826 (7.9%)
  • 66 to 753,227 (4.4%)
  • Over 751,783 (2.4%)
  • Not recorded1,546 (2.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider44,006 (60%)
  • Passenger24,410 (33%)
  • Pedestrian5,013 (6.8%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the A1

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the A1

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

A1 crashes by council area

Collisions on the A1 were recorded in 28 council areas. Islington has the most, with 9,275, followed by Barnet (4,529) and North Yorkshire (3,838).

Collisions on the A1 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stIslington9,27510,399721,289
2ndBarnet4,5295,90370583
3rdNorth Yorkshire3,8386,5861631,135
4thHuntingdonshire3,2955,284132749
5thNorthumberland3,0425,484164699
6thSouth Kesteven2,3123,581114478
7thGateshead2,2193,74024174
8thCity of Edinburgh2,1742,73639424
9thBassetlaw1,9623,25170394
10thCentral Bedfordshire1,9102,87268377
11thEast Lothian1,8642,919106542
12thNewark and Sherwood1,4412,41365342
13thHaringey1,3831,65316245
14thLeeds1,3572,32659255
15thWakefield1,2612,08245202
16thPeterborough1,1551,96244240
17thNewcastle upon Tyne1,1471,942784
18thHertsmere8411,34815106
19thDoncaster6721,14820108
20thScottish Borders6111,01353179
21stRutland5879213299
22ndBedford5107971676
23rdWelwyn Hatfield491719776
24thCity of London423460156
25thNorth Tyneside4226541279
26thNorth Hertfordshire196327621
27thSouth Tyneside189270839
28thStevenage108161314

A1 crashes by town

Collisions on the A1 were recorded in 29 towns and built-up areas, led by Islington (8,501) and Barnet (3,268).

Recent crashes on the A1

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the A1, from 15 December to 31 December 2025.

Severity