Skip to main content
CrashStats

M42 accidents: crash map and statistics

Police recorded 3,882 collisions on the M42 from 1979 to 2025, with 6,298 casualties. Of those crashes, 78 were fatal and 630 serious, and 91 people were killed.

In 2025 there were 63 collisions on the M42, up 26% from 50 in 2024, with 85 casualties.

Live M42 closures, incidents and roadworks are checked every 5 minutes.

Collisions since 1979
3,882
282nd highest of 4,923 roads
Casualties
6,298
1.62 per collision
Fatal collisions
78
91 people killed
Serious collisions
630
829 seriously injured
Collisions in 2025
63
Up 26% on 2024
Casualties in 2025
85
Up 10% on 2024

Crash severity on the M42

On the M42, 2% of collisions were fatal and 16% serious, against 1.6% and 18% across Great Britain.

Collisions by severity, 1979 to 2025

  • Fatal782%
  • Serious63016%
  • Slight3,17482%

Where the M42 ranks among 4,923 roads

Most collisions
282nd
Most casualties
227th
Most fatal collisions
272nd
Most serious collisions
316th

M42 accidents by year

Collisions on the M42 peaked at 177 in 1997 and were down to 63 in 2025.

Collisions and casualties on the M42, 1979 to 2025

  • Collisions
  • Collisions in 2025: 63
  • Casualties

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

View as a table
YearCollisionsCasualties
20256385
20245077
20233676
20225290
20216197
20204368
20194160
201871115
201788145
201688158
201588149
201491149
201397141
201271122
201195171
201092127
200988141
2008122228
2007106158
200693157
2005114186
2004152222
2003117172
2002169259
2001157232
2000146242
1999161268
1998152263
1997177309
1996140299
1995112174
1994121204
1993115195
1992114180
1991100163
199074112
19896891
19885469
19874567
19862231
198579
198457
1983710
198255
198135
198045
197955

When crashes happen on the M42

Friday has the most collisions on the M42 (745), and 3pm to 6pm is the busiest time of day (903).

Collisions by day of the week

  • Monday549 (14%)
  • Tuesday502 (13%)
  • Wednesday552 (14%)
  • Thursday569 (15%)
  • Friday745 (19%)
  • Saturday467 (12%)
  • Sunday498 (13%)

Collisions by time of day

  • Midnight to 3am196 (5%)
  • 3am to 6am152 (3.9%)
  • 6am to 9am595 (15%)
  • 9am to noon566 (15%)
  • Noon to 3pm637 (16%)
  • 3pm to 6pm903 (23%)
  • 6pm to 9pm559 (14%)
  • 9pm to midnight274 (7.1%)

Collisions by month

  • January295 (7.6%)
  • February277 (7.1%)
  • March298 (7.7%)
  • April304 (7.8%)
  • May285 (7.3%)
  • June278 (7.2%)
  • July351 (9%)
  • August318 (8.2%)
  • September305 (7.9%)
  • October400 (10%)
  • November406 (10%)
  • December365 (9.4%)

Light conditions at the time

  • Daylight2,675 (69%)
  • Dark, no street lighting663 (17%)
  • Dark, street lights lit505 (13%)
  • Dark, lighting unknown27 (0.7%)
  • Dark, street lights unlit12 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Road and weather conditions in M42 crashes

On the M42, 96% of collisions happened where the speed limit was 70 mph and 67% on a dry road surface.

Speed limit at the scene

  • 30 mph33 (0.9%)
  • 40 mph20 (0.5%)
  • 50 mph29 (0.7%)
  • 60 mph57 (1.5%)
  • 70 mph3,743 (96%)

Weather at the time

  • Fine, no high winds3,062 (79%)
  • Raining, no high winds503 (13%)
  • Raining with high winds59 (1.5%)
  • Fine with high winds57 (1.5%)
  • Other161 (4.1%)
  • Not recorded40 (1%)

Road surface

  • Dry2,583 (67%)
  • Wet or damp1,191 (31%)
  • Frost or ice40 (1%)
  • Flood over 3cm deep35 (0.9%)
  • Other28 (0.7%)
  • Not recorded5 (0.1%)

Type of road

  • Dual carriageway3,434 (88%)
  • One way street or slip road366 (9.4%)
  • Roundabout48 (1.2%)
  • Single carriageway21 (0.5%)
  • Not recorded13 (0.3%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

People hurt and vehicles involved in M42 crashes

Car occupants make up 81% of the people killed or injured on the M42, followed by van occupants (7.1%).

Casualties by road user

  • Car occupant5,122 (81%)
  • Van occupant447 (7.1%)
  • Goods vehicle occupant (over 3.5 tonnes)257 (4.1%)
  • Motorcyclist149 (2.4%)
  • Bus or coach occupant114 (1.8%)
  • Minibus occupant110 (1.7%)
  • Taxi or private hire car occupant46 (0.7%)
  • Other53 (0.8%)

Vehicles involved

  • Car6,684 (75%)
  • Goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes1,240 (14%)
  • Van or goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes721 (8%)
  • Motorcycle139 (1.6%)
  • Minibus38 (0.4%)
  • Taxi or private hire car34 (0.4%)
  • Other93 (1%)
  • Not recorded14 (0.2%)

Casualties by age

  • 0 to 5105 (1.7%)
  • 6 to 10109 (1.7%)
  • 11 to 15185 (2.9%)
  • 16 to 20512 (8.1%)
  • 21 to 25813 (13%)
  • 26 to 351,536 (24%)
  • 36 to 451,188 (19%)
  • 46 to 55888 (14%)
  • 56 to 65540 (8.6%)
  • 66 to 75227 (3.6%)
  • Over 75114 (1.8%)
  • Not recorded81 (1.3%)

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians

  • Driver or rider3,936 (62%)
  • Passenger2,323 (37%)
  • Pedestrian39 (0.6%)

Source: Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data

Map of recent crashes on the M42

Map of the 25 most recent crashes on the M42

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

  • 25 crashes
  • Serious
  • Slight

M42 crashes by council area

Collisions on the M42 were recorded in 7 council areas. North Warwickshire has the most, with 1,373, followed by Solihull (1,342) and Bromsgrove (725).

Collisions on the M42 in each area, 1979 to 2025
RankAreaCollisionsCasualtiesFatalSerious
1stNorth Warwickshire1,3732,22829254
2ndSolihull1,3422,16817196
3rdBromsgrove7251,17421117
4thStratford-on-Avon381624751
5thNorth West Leicestershire4377310
6thBirmingham6800
7thWychavon51112

M42 crashes by town

Collisions on the M42 were recorded in 7 towns and built-up areas, led by Knowle and Dorridge (106) and Solihull (61).

Recent crashes on the M42

These are the 25 most recent collisions on the M42, from 5 August to 29 December 2025.

Severity