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CrashStats

A491 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 2,605 collisions on the A491 from 1979 to 2025, with 3,595 casualties. Of those crashes, 60 were fatal and 520 serious, and 63 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 20 collisions on the A491, up 25% from 16 in 2024, with 28 casualties.

Collisions since 1979
2,605
446th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
3,595
1.38 per collision
Fatal collisions
60
63 people killed
Serious collisions
520
625 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
20
Up 25% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
28
Up 4% on 2024

Crash severity on the A491

On the A491, 2.3% of collisions were fatal and 20% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal602.3%
  • Serious52020%
  • Slight2,02578%

Where the A491 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
446th
Most casualties
439th
Most fatal collisions
353rd
Most serious collisions
409th

A491 accidents by year

Collisions on the A491 peaked at 103 in 1997 and were down to 20 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the A491, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 20
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20252028
20241627
20232636
20222531
20211821
20201216
20192440
20183143
20172231
20163448
20152334
20142739
20133039
20122536
20113646
20104054
20093865
20083847
20074263
20064364
20054862
20044560
20035473
20026276
20016391
200077106
199972104
199884122
1997103155
199683114
19956584
199476119
19938298
19927189
19917094
199077107
198977107
198891122
198787111
198688118
19857093
198486123
198384106
198288128
198177111
198087118
19796896

When crashes happen on the A491

Friday has the most collisions on the A491 (431), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (580).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday360 (14%)
  • Tuesday380 (15%)
  • Wednesday382 (15%)
  • Thursday408 (16%)
  • Friday431 (17%)
  • Saturday376 (14%)
  • Sunday268 (10%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am97 (3.7%)
  • 3am to 6am36 (1.4%)
  • 6am to 9am290 (11%)
  • 9am to noon421 (16%)
  • Noon to 3pm465 (18%)
  • 3pm to 6pm580 (22%)
  • 6pm to 9pm408 (16%)
  • 9pm to midnight308 (12%)

Collisions by month

  • January233 (8.9%)
  • February202 (7.8%)
  • March217 (8.3%)
  • April222 (8.5%)
  • May219 (8.4%)
  • June226 (8.7%)
  • July211 (8.1%)
  • August203 (7.8%)
  • September195 (7.5%)
  • October248 (9.5%)
  • November226 (8.7%)
  • December203 (7.8%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight1,812 (70%)
  • Dark, street lights lit683 (26%)
  • Dark, no street lighting96 (3.7%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown9 (0.3%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit5 (0.2%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in A491 crashes

On the A491, 72% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 30 mph and 64% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph1 (under 0.1%)
  • 30 mph1,876 (72%)
  • 40 mph284 (11%)
  • 50 mph28 (1.1%)
  • 60 mph247 (9.5%)
  • 70 mph169 (6.5%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds1,986 (76%)
  • Raining, no high winds364 (14%)
  • Fine with high winds26 (1%)
  • Raining with high winds21 (0.8%)
  • Other179 (6.9%)
  • Not recorded29 (1.1%)

Road surface

  • Dry1,676 (64%)
  • Wet or damp881 (34%)
  • Frost or ice40 (1.5%)
  • Snow6 (0.2%)
  • Oil or diesel1 (under 0.1%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,738 (67%)
  • Dual carriageway563 (22%)
  • One way street or slip road220 (8.4%)
  • Roundabout70 (2.7%)
  • Not recorded14 (0.5%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in A491 crashes

Car occupants make up 61% of the people killed or injured on the A491, followed by pedestrians (16%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant2,202 (61%)
  • Pedestrian590 (16%)
  • Motorcyclist397 (11%)
  • Cyclist207 (5.8%)
  • Van occupant89 (2.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant46 (1.3%)
  • Other63 (1.8%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car3,653 (75%)
  • Motorcycle404 (8.3%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes240 (4.9%)
  • Pedal cycle214 (4.4%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes181 (3.7%)
  • Bus or coach77 (1.6%)
  • Other89 (1.8%)
  • Not recorded6 (0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 552 (1.4%)
  • 6 to 1065 (1.8%)
  • 11 to 15191 (5.3%)
  • 16 to 20717 (20%)
  • 21 to 25473 (13%)
  • 26 to 35637 (18%)
  • 36 to 45436 (12%)
  • 46 to 55381 (11%)
  • 56 to 65258 (7.2%)
  • 66 to 75205 (5.7%)
  • Over 75142 (3.9%)
  • Not recorded38 (1.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider2,124 (59%)
  • Passenger881 (25%)
  • Pedestrian590 (16%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the A491

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the A491

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

A491 crashes by council area

Collisions on the A491 were recorded in 5 council areas. Dudley has the most, with 2,063, followed by Bromsgrove (522) and Wyre Forest (11).

Collisions on the A491 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stDudley2,0632,73629402
2ndBromsgrove52283130112
3rdWyre Forest111812
4thBirmingham3302
5thRedditch3401

A491 crashes by town

Collisions on the A491 were recorded in 5 towns and built-up areas, led by Stourbridge (1,074) and Kingswinford (840).

Recent crashes on the A491

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the A491, from 13 August 2024 to 18 December 2025.

Severity