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CrashStats

M23 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 3,213 collisions on the M23 from 1979 to 2025, with 5,488 casualties. Of those crashes, 55 were fatal and 488 serious, and 61 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 17 collisions on the M23, down 62% from 45 in 2024, with 32 casualties.

Live M23 closures, incidents and roadworks are checked every 5 minutes.

Collisions since 1979
3,213
356th highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
5,488
1.71 per collision
Fatal collisions
55
61 people killed
Serious collisions
488
608 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
17
Down 62% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
32
Down 65% on 2024

Crash severity on the M23

On the M23, 1.7% of collisions were fatal and 15% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal551.7%
  • Serious48815%
  • Slight2,67083%

Where the M23 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
356th
Most casualties
270th
Most fatal collisions
382nd
Most serious collisions
438th

M23 accidents by year

Collisions on the M23 peaked at 128 in 1994 and were down to 17 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the M23, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 17
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20251732
20244591
20232641
20222942
20213349
20202642
20195986
201869124
201778143
201673135
201586161
201478116
201359107
20126099
20116296
201075124
200991158
200879126
200775124
200679138
2005111188
200482121
200396153
200286139
200191139
200080149
1999101170
199898168
199791154
199691155
199585146
1994128277
199382151
199270143
19916396
199097185
198991149
198872121
198771115
19865586
19854881
19844776
19833252
19823951
19812955
19804161
19793773

When crashes happen on the M23

Sunday has the most collisions on the M23 (588), and 6am to 9am is the busiest time of day (590).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday454 (14%)
  • Tuesday411 (13%)
  • Wednesday404 (13%)
  • Thursday459 (14%)
  • Friday433 (13%)
  • Saturday464 (14%)
  • Sunday588 (18%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am175 (5.4%)
  • 3am to 6am190 (5.9%)
  • 6am to 9am590 (18%)
  • 9am to noon534 (17%)
  • Noon to 3pm493 (15%)
  • 3pm to 6pm556 (17%)
  • 6pm to 9pm420 (13%)
  • 9pm to midnight255 (7.9%)

Collisions by month

  • January246 (7.7%)
  • February225 (7%)
  • March236 (7.3%)
  • April227 (7.1%)
  • May260 (8.1%)
  • June266 (8.3%)
  • July286 (8.9%)
  • August289 (9%)
  • September312 (9.7%)
  • October289 (9%)
  • November286 (8.9%)
  • December291 (9.1%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight2,123 (66%)
  • Dark, no street lighting681 (21%)
  • Dark, street lights lit321 (10%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown67 (2.1%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit21 (0.7%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in M23 crashes

On the M23, 94% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 70 mph and 63% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 20 mph2 (0.1%)
  • 30 mph28 (0.9%)
  • 40 mph20 (0.6%)
  • 50 mph111 (3.5%)
  • 60 mph42 (1.3%)
  • 70 mph3,010 (94%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds2,332 (73%)
  • Raining, no high winds483 (15%)
  • Raining with high winds106 (3.3%)
  • Fine with high winds51 (1.6%)
  • Other115 (3.6%)
  • Not recorded126 (3.9%)

Road surface

  • Dry2,010 (63%)
  • Wet or damp1,093 (34%)
  • Frost or ice61 (1.9%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep20 (0.6%)
  • Other19 (0.6%)
  • Not recorded10 (0.3%)

Type of road

  • Dual carriageway2,598 (81%)
  • Single carriageway208 (6.5%)
  • One way street or slip road203 (6.3%)
  • Roundabout172 (5.4%)
  • Not recorded32 (1%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in M23 crashes

Car occupants make up 86% of the people killed or injured on the M23, followed by motorcyclists (3.9%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant4,706 (86%)
  • Motorcyclist214 (3.9%)
  • Van occupant214 (3.9%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)106 (1.9%)
  • Minibus occupant70 (1.3%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant70 (1.3%)
  • Bus or coach occupant38 (0.7%)
  • Other70 (1.3%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car5,740 (83%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes378 (5.5%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes338 (4.9%)
  • Motorcycle202 (2.9%)
  • Taxi or private hire car72 (1%)
  • Other vehicle54 (0.8%)
  • Other100 (1.5%)
  • Not recorded1 (under 0.1%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 582 (1.5%)
  • 6 to 10105 (1.9%)
  • 11 to 15131 (2.4%)
  • 16 to 20516 (9.4%)
  • 21 to 25903 (16%)
  • 26 to 351,307 (24%)
  • 36 to 45886 (16%)
  • 46 to 55713 (13%)
  • 56 to 65457 (8.3%)
  • 66 to 75212 (3.9%)
  • Over 7585 (1.5%)
  • Not recorded91 (1.7%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider3,368 (61%)
  • Passenger2,083 (38%)
  • Pedestrian37 (0.7%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the M23

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the M23

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Fatal
  • Serious
  • Slight

M23 crashes by council area

Collisions on the M23 were recorded in 4 council areas. Tandridge has the most, with 1,594, followed by Crawley (1,070) and Reigate and Banstead (475).

Collisions on the M23 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stTandridge1,5942,98524233
2ndCrawley1,0701,62321149
3rdReigate and Banstead475757992
4thMid Sussex73112113

M23 crashes by town

Collisions on the M23 were recorded in 6 towns and built-up areas, led by Crawley, Crawley (50) and Smallfield (27).

Recent crashes on the M23

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the M23, from 9 October 2024 to 24 December 2025.

Severity