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CrashStats

B981 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 788 collisions on the B981 from 1979 to 2025, with 1,102 casualties. Of those crashes, 23 were fatal and 199 serious, and 26 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 16 collisions on the B981, level with 2024, with 25 casualties.

Collisions since 1979
788
1,359th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
1,102
1.40 per collision
Fatal collisions
23
26 people killed
Serious collisions
199
239 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
16
Level with 2024
Casualties in 2025
25
Up 25% on 2024

Crash severity on the B981

On the B981, 2.9% of collisions were fatal and 25% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal232.9%
  • Serious19925%
  • Slight56672%

Where the B981 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
1,359th
Most casualties
1,317th
Most fatal collisions
870th
Most serious collisions
1,049th

B981 accidents by year

Collisions on the B981 peaked at 31 in 1997 and were down to 16 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the B981, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20251625
20241620
20231416
20221121
20211112
20201014
20191418
20182136
20171011
20161821
20151721
20141827
20131625
20121923
20111724
20101517
20091014
20081115
20072731
20062531
20052227
20041726
20032235
20022734
20012331
20002124
19992127
19982850
19973148
19962732
19951932
19942739
19932133
19922540
19912435
19901317
19891824
19881011
1987712
198633
19851124
198468
1983911
1982917
19811314
19801014
1979812

When crashes happen on the B981

Thursday has the most collisions on the B981 (133), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (207).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday97 (12%)
  • Tuesday125 (16%)
  • Wednesday103 (13%)
  • Thursday133 (17%)
  • Friday117 (15%)
  • Saturday127 (16%)
  • Sunday86 (11%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am33 (4.2%)
  • 3am to 6am10 (1.3%)
  • 6am to 9am84 (11%)
  • 9am to noon100 (13%)
  • Noon to 3pm144 (18%)
  • 3pm to 6pm207 (26%)
  • 6pm to 9pm128 (16%)
  • 9pm to midnight82 (10%)

Collisions by month

  • January57 (7.2%)
  • February73 (9.3%)
  • March70 (8.9%)
  • April59 (7.5%)
  • May69 (8.8%)
  • June71 (9%)
  • July54 (6.9%)
  • August58 (7.4%)
  • September56 (7.1%)
  • October70 (8.9%)
  • November90 (11%)
  • December61 (7.7%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight542 (69%)
  • Dark, street lights lit159 (20%)
  • Dark, no street lighting71 (9%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown9 (1.1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit7 (0.9%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in B981 crashes

On the B981, 42% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 30 mph and 56% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph9 (1.1%)
  • 30 mph328 (42%)
  • 40 mph223 (28%)
  • 50 mph4 (0.5%)
  • 60 mph223 (28%)
  • 70 mph1 (0.1%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds621 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds105 (13%)
  • Fine with high winds21 (2.7%)
  • Raining with high winds10 (1.3%)
  • Other27 (3.4%)
  • Not recorded4 (0.5%)

Road surface

  • Dry442 (56%)
  • Wet or damp292 (37%)
  • Frost or ice37 (4.7%)
  • Snow12 (1.5%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep3 (0.4%)
  • Other2 (0.3%)

Type of road

  • Single carriageway658 (84%)
  • Dual carriageway77 (9.8%)
  • Roundabout49 (6.2%)
  • One way street or slip road3 (0.4%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in B981 crashes

Car occupants make up 60% of the people killed or injured on the B981, followed by pedestrians (18%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant661 (60%)
  • Pedestrian200 (18%)
  • Motorcyclist97 (8.8%)
  • Van occupant40 (3.6%)
  • Cyclist38 (3.4%)
  • Bus or coach occupant19 (1.7%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)15 (1.4%)
  • Other32 (2.9%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car1,049 (77%)
  • Motorcycle92 (6.8%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes72 (5.3%)
  • Pedal cycle38 (2.8%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes31 (2.3%)
  • Bus or coach30 (2.2%)
  • Other vehicle20 (1.5%)
  • Other25 (1.8%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 524 (2.2%)
  • 6 to 1032 (2.9%)
  • 11 to 1564 (5.8%)
  • 16 to 20190 (17%)
  • 21 to 25173 (16%)
  • 26 to 35212 (19%)
  • 36 to 45134 (12%)
  • 46 to 55111 (10%)
  • 56 to 6559 (5.4%)
  • 66 to 7564 (5.8%)
  • Over 7538 (3.4%)
  • Not recorded1 (0.1%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider590 (54%)
  • Passenger312 (28%)
  • Pedestrian200 (18%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the B981

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the B981

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

B981 crashes by council area

All 788 collisions on the B981 were in Fife.

Collisions on the B981 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stFife7881,10223199

B981 crashes by town

Collisions on the B981 were recorded in 9 towns and built-up areas, led by Kirkcaldy (131) and Inverkeithing (78).

Recent crashes on the B981

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the B981, from 19 June 2024 to 19 December 2025.

Severity