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CrashStats

A438 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 3,659 collisions on the A438 from 1979 to 2025, with 5,053 casualties. Of those crashes, 106 were fatal and 860 serious, and 121 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 27 collisions on the A438, down 16% from 32 in 2024, with 36 casualties.

Collisions since 1979
3,659
307th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
5,053
1.38 per collision
Fatal collisions
106
121 people killed
Serious collisions
860
1,094 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
27
Down 16% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
36
Down 8% on 2024

Crash severity on the A438

On the A438, 2.9% of collisions were fatal and 24% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal1062.9%
  • Serious86024%
  • Slight2,69374%

Where the A438 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
307th
Most casualties
301st
Most fatal collisions
191st
Most serious collisions
220th

A438 accidents by year

Collisions on the A438 peaked at 146 in 1987 and were down to 27 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the A438, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 27
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20252736
20243239
20233347
20223244
20212935
20202736
20194157
20183235
20173552
20164248
20154868
20144457
20134051
20124970
20115371
20104355
20095771
20087297
200773102
200675100
200587141
200467102
200387127
200287128
200188129
200090135
199970100
199876115
199797140
199697132
1995103150
199496126
199399131
199284118
1991112155
1990124173
1989115161
1988138182
1987146195
1986112135
1985129181
1984118152
1983111158
1982112146
198197146
1980123157
1979110167

When crashes happen on the A438

Friday has the most collisions on the A438 (671), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (885).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday483 (13%)
  • Tuesday539 (15%)
  • Wednesday558 (15%)
  • Thursday524 (14%)
  • Friday671 (18%)
  • Saturday501 (14%)
  • Sunday383 (10%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am139 (3.8%)
  • 3am to 6am57 (1.6%)
  • 6am to 9am485 (13%)
  • 9am to noon566 (15%)
  • Noon to 3pm690 (19%)
  • 3pm to 6pm885 (24%)
  • 6pm to 9pm519 (14%)
  • 9pm to midnight318 (8.7%)

Collisions by month

  • January288 (7.9%)
  • February242 (6.6%)
  • March279 (7.6%)
  • April286 (7.8%)
  • May302 (8.3%)
  • June302 (8.3%)
  • July309 (8.4%)
  • August296 (8.1%)
  • September320 (8.7%)
  • October363 (9.9%)
  • November327 (8.9%)
  • December345 (9.4%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight2,701 (74%)
  • Dark, street lights lit519 (14%)
  • Dark, no street lighting403 (11%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit18 (0.5%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown14 (0.4%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in A438 crashes

On the A438, 42% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 30 mph and 64% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph1 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph7 (0.2%)
  • 30 mph1,535 (42%)
  • 40 mph553 (15%)
  • 50 mph57 (1.6%)
  • 60 mph1,449 (40%)
  • 70 mph57 (1.6%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds2,905 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds510 (14%)
  • Fine with high winds57 (1.6%)
  • Raining with high winds48 (1.3%)
  • Other127 (3.5%)
  • Not recorded12 (0.3%)

Road surface

  • Dry2,347 (64%)
  • Wet or damp1,192 (33%)
  • Frost or ice72 (2%)
  • Snow27 (0.7%)
  • Other17 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway3,248 (89%)
  • Dual carriageway233 (6.4%)
  • Roundabout157 (4.3%)
  • One way street or slip road17 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in A438 crashes

Car occupants make up 61% of the people killed or injured on the A438, followed by motorcyclists (13%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant3,072 (61%)
  • Motorcyclist648 (13%)
  • Pedestrian508 (10%)
  • Cyclist480 (9.5%)
  • Van occupant154 (3%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)94 (1.9%)
  • Other95 (1.9%)
  • Not recorded2 (under 0.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car4,745 (70%)
  • Motorcycle664 (9.8%)
  • Pedal cycle490 (7.2%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes342 (5%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes327 (4.8%)
  • Bus or coach65 (1%)
  • Other vehicle61 (0.9%)
  • Other80 (1.2%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 554 (1.1%)
  • 6 to 10115 (2.3%)
  • 11 to 15306 (6.1%)
  • 16 to 20982 (19%)
  • 21 to 25640 (13%)
  • 26 to 35869 (17%)
  • 36 to 45688 (14%)
  • 46 to 55514 (10%)
  • 56 to 65419 (8.3%)
  • 66 to 75268 (5.3%)
  • Over 75196 (3.9%)
  • Not recorded2 (under 0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider3,320 (66%)
  • Passenger1,225 (24%)
  • Pedestrian508 (10%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the A438

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the A438

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

A438 crashes by council area

Collisions on the A438 were recorded in 5 council areas. Herefordshire has the most, with 2,227, followed by Tewkesbury (654) and Malvern Hills (421).

Collisions on the A438 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stHerefordshire2,2273,02852509
2ndTewkesbury65486617145
3rdMalvern Hills42160518114
4thPowys3435281986
5thWychavon4501

A438 crashes by town

Collisions on the A438 were recorded in 5 towns and built-up areas, led by Hereford (1,103) and Tewkesbury (332).

Recent crashes on the A438

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the A438, from 30 January to 19 December 2025.

Severity