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CrashStats

B197 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 1,814 collisions on the B197 from 1979 to 2025, with 2,598 casualties. Of those crashes, 28 were fatal and 344 serious, and 29 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 8 collisions on the B197, down 60% from 20 in 2024, with 8 casualties.

Collisions since 1979
1,814
637th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
2,598
1.43 per collision
Fatal collisions
28
29 people killed
Serious collisions
344
410 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
8
Down 60% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
8
Down 72% on 2024

Crash severity on the B197

On the B197, 1.5% of collisions were fatal and 19% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal281.5%
  • Serious34419%
  • Slight1,44279%

Where the B197 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
637th
Most casualties
602nd
Most fatal collisions
715th
Most serious collisions
628th

B197 accidents by year

Collisions on the B197 peaked at 58 in 1989 and were down to 8 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the B197, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 8
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
202588
20242029
20232532
20221930
20212442
20201420
20193161
20182229
20172230
20163043
20153651
20143850
20133146
20124362
20112638
20102944
20093347
20083548
20074462
20064064
20053859
20044361
20035172
20024770
20015276
20004872
19995171
19985174
19975068
19964979
19955169
19944162
19933854
19923447
19913548
19904257
19895877
19885575
19874658
19865469
19853963
19844558
19834860
19824168
19813543
19805169
19795183

When crashes happen on the B197

Thursday has the most collisions on the B197 (308), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (471).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday275 (15%)
  • Tuesday281 (15%)
  • Wednesday278 (15%)
  • Thursday308 (17%)
  • Friday275 (15%)
  • Saturday214 (12%)
  • Sunday183 (10%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am41 (2.3%)
  • 3am to 6am22 (1.2%)
  • 6am to 9am305 (17%)
  • 9am to noon236 (13%)
  • Noon to 3pm304 (17%)
  • 3pm to 6pm471 (26%)
  • 6pm to 9pm275 (15%)
  • 9pm to midnight160 (8.8%)

Collisions by month

  • January156 (8.6%)
  • February150 (8.3%)
  • March144 (7.9%)
  • April136 (7.5%)
  • May126 (6.9%)
  • June158 (8.7%)
  • July131 (7.2%)
  • August131 (7.2%)
  • September149 (8.2%)
  • October181 (10%)
  • November183 (10%)
  • December169 (9.3%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight1,300 (72%)
  • Dark, street lights lit368 (20%)
  • Dark, no street lighting119 (6.6%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown17 (0.9%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit10 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in B197 crashes

On the B197, 34% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 30 mph and 61% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph2 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph610 (34%)
  • 40 mph552 (30%)
  • 50 mph41 (2.3%)
  • 60 mph565 (31%)
  • 70 mph44 (2.4%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds1,405 (77%)
  • Raining, no high winds252 (14%)
  • Fine with high winds28 (1.5%)
  • Raining with high winds23 (1.3%)
  • Other85 (4.7%)
  • Not recorded21 (1.2%)

Road surface

  • Dry1,113 (61%)
  • Wet or damp640 (35%)
  • Frost or ice36 (2%)
  • Snow12 (0.7%)
  • Other7 (0.4%)
  • Not recorded6 (0.3%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway1,605 (88%)
  • Roundabout122 (6.7%)
  • Dual carriageway66 (3.6%)
  • One way street or slip road13 (0.7%)
  • Not recorded8 (0.4%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in B197 crashes

Car occupants make up 67% of the people killed or injured on the B197, followed by motorcyclists (14%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant1,745 (67%)
  • Motorcyclist372 (14%)
  • Cyclist203 (7.8%)
  • Pedestrian185 (7.1%)
  • Van occupant54 (2.1%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant14 (0.5%)
  • Bus or coach occupant9 (0.3%)
  • Other16 (0.6%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car2,669 (76%)
  • Motorcycle383 (11%)
  • Pedal cycle207 (5.9%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes118 (3.4%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes48 (1.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car26 (0.7%)
  • Bus or coach25 (0.7%)
  • Other38 (1.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 537 (1.4%)
  • 6 to 1057 (2.2%)
  • 11 to 15112 (4.3%)
  • 16 to 20524 (20%)
  • 21 to 25354 (14%)
  • 26 to 35499 (19%)
  • 36 to 45362 (14%)
  • 46 to 55280 (11%)
  • 56 to 65187 (7.2%)
  • 66 to 75112 (4.3%)
  • Over 7568 (2.6%)
  • Not recorded6 (0.2%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider1,831 (70%)
  • Passenger582 (22%)
  • Pedestrian185 (7.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the B197

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the B197

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

B197 crashes by council area

Collisions on the B197 were recorded in 5 council areas. Welwyn Hatfield has the most, with 817, followed by North Hertfordshire (533) and Stevenage (414).

Collisions on the B197 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stWelwyn Hatfield8171,17314167
2ndNorth Hertfordshire5337438101
3rdStevenage414604569
4thHertsmere406607
5thSt Albans6700

B197 crashes by town

Collisions on the B197 were recorded in 8 towns and built-up areas, led by Stevenage (384) and Woolmer Green (203).

Recent crashes on the B197

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the B197, from 23 February 2024 to 22 December 2025.

Severity