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CrashStats

A49 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 18,194 collisions on the A49 from 1979 to 2025, with 26,501 casualties. Of those crashes, 472 were fatal and 3,322 serious, and 534 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 127 collisions on the A49, down 2% from 130 in 2024, with 189 casualties.

Live A49 closures, incidents and roadworks are checked every 5 minutes.

Collisions since 1979
18,194
38th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
26,501
1.46 per collision
Fatal collisions
472
534 people killed
Serious collisions
3,322
4,164 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
127
Down 2% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
189
Up 3% on 2024

Crash severity on the A49

On the A49, 2.6% of collisions were fatal and 18% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal4722.6%
  • Serious3,32218%
  • Slight14,40079%

Where the A49 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
38th
Most casualties
35th
Most fatal collisions
28th
Most serious collisions
35th

A49 accidents by year

Collisions on the A49 peaked at 583 in 1990 and were down to 127 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the A49, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 127
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
2025127189
2024130184
2023147188
2022139182
2021179246
2020116162
2019168236
2018216299
2017217311
2016194286
2015226314
2014240327
2013240348
2012260375
2011275401
2010312459
2009339546
2008341496
2007370524
2006407622
2005413617
2004452685
2003444641
2002469701
2001443669
2000451697
1999511765
1998540857
1997550844
1996545877
1995542828
1994539828
1993495752
1992558812
1991535730
1990583830
1989556792
1988555834
1987508717
1986489676
1985486665
1984499679
1983417588
1982474660
1981450625
1980493664
1979554773

When crashes happen on the A49

Friday has the most collisions on the A49 (2,981), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (4,265).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday2,551 (14%)
  • Tuesday2,491 (14%)
  • Wednesday2,643 (15%)
  • Thursday2,708 (15%)
  • Friday2,981 (16%)
  • Saturday2,732 (15%)
  • Sunday2,088 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am742 (4.1%)
  • 3am to 6am306 (1.7%)
  • 6am to 9am2,167 (12%)
  • 9am to noon2,820 (15%)
  • Noon to 3pm3,677 (20%)
  • 3pm to 6pm4,265 (23%)
  • 6pm to 9pm2,554 (14%)
  • 9pm to midnight1,663 (9.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January1,431 (7.9%)
  • February1,330 (7.3%)
  • March1,413 (7.8%)
  • April1,368 (7.5%)
  • May1,435 (7.9%)
  • June1,426 (7.8%)
  • July1,586 (8.7%)
  • August1,594 (8.8%)
  • September1,657 (9.1%)
  • October1,660 (9.1%)
  • November1,726 (9.5%)
  • December1,568 (8.6%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight13,112 (72%)
  • Dark, street lights lit3,424 (19%)
  • Dark, no street lighting1,380 (7.6%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit182 (1%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown95 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in A49 crashes

On the A49, 50% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 30 mph and 60% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 10 mph1 (under 0.1%)
  • 20 mph11 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph9,018 (50%)
  • 40 mph1,704 (9.4%)
  • 50 mph360 (2%)
  • 60 mph6,413 (35%)
  • 70 mph685 (3.8%)
  • Not recorded2 (under 0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds14,106 (78%)
  • Raining, no high winds2,785 (15%)
  • Fine with high winds291 (1.6%)
  • Raining with high winds286 (1.6%)
  • Other612 (3.4%)
  • Not recorded114 (0.6%)

Road surface

  • Dry10,984 (60%)
  • Wet or damp6,790 (37%)
  • Frost or ice266 (1.5%)
  • Snow86 (0.5%)
  • Other53 (0.3%)
  • Not recorded15 (0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway13,098 (72%)
  • Dual carriageway2,906 (16%)
  • Roundabout1,481 (8.1%)
  • One way street or slip road655 (3.6%)
  • Not recorded54 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in A49 crashes

Car occupants make up 67% of the people killed or injured on the A49, followed by motorcyclists (11%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant17,648 (67%)
  • Motorcyclist2,812 (11%)
  • Pedestrian2,282 (8.6%)
  • Cyclist1,452 (5.5%)
  • Van occupant845 (3.2%)
  • Bus or coach occupant598 (2.3%)
  • Other860 (3.2%)
  • Not recorded4 (under 0.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car25,161 (72%)
  • Motorcycle2,834 (8.1%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes2,216 (6.3%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes1,905 (5.5%)
  • Pedal cycle1,487 (4.3%)
  • Bus or coach656 (1.9%)
  • Other664 (1.9%)
  • Not recorded3 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5457 (1.7%)
  • 6 to 10649 (2.4%)
  • 11 to 151,221 (4.6%)
  • 16 to 204,602 (17%)
  • 21 to 253,672 (14%)
  • 26 to 354,991 (19%)
  • 36 to 453,806 (14%)
  • 46 to 552,931 (11%)
  • 56 to 652,089 (7.9%)
  • 66 to 751,280 (4.8%)
  • Over 75772 (2.9%)
  • Not recorded31 (0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider16,492 (62%)
  • Passenger7,727 (29%)
  • Pedestrian2,282 (8.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the A49

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the A49

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

A49 crashes by council area

Collisions on the A49 were recorded in 9 council areas. Wigan has the most, with 4,270, followed by Shropshire (3,526) and Herefordshire (3,421).

Collisions on the A49 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stWigan4,2705,94737484
2ndShropshire3,5265,499157919
3rdHerefordshire3,4215,117127736
4thWarrington3,4204,52740422
5thCheshire West and Chester1,4792,23952302
6thChorley7871,21520171
7thSt. Helens5187421199
8thCheshire East39665019118
9thSouth Ribble343519764

A49 crashes by town

Collisions on the A49 were recorded in 23 towns and built-up areas, led by Wigan (2,799) and Warrington (2,460).

Recent crashes on the A49

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the A49, from 1 November to 30 December 2025.

Severity