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Road collisions in Central Bedfordshire
Police recorded 2,563 road collisions involving injury in Central Bedfordshire between 2021 and 2025, about 513 a year. 51 of them were fatal, and an estimated 548 involved serious injury once DfT's severity adjustment is applied. These are reported injury collisions only: damage-only incidents and unreported injuries are not included.
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When collisions happen
The busiest hour was 5pm to 6pm, and 32% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (close to the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 26% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 471 in 2021 to 475 in 2025, a very small change. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Central Bedfordshire should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Central Bedfordshire, 3,700 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 8% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 6% (12%) and motorcyclists 8% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 70%. 9 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 8% of casualties, close to the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 21% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 8% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 291 | 7.9% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 218 | 5.9% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 281 | 7.6% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 2,602 | 70.3% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 16 | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 242 | 6.5% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 50 | 1.4% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 50 | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 93 | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 151 | 4.2% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 379 | 10.5% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 396 | 10.9% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 743 | 20.5% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 658 | 18.2% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 465 | 12.8% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 375 | 10.4% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 170 | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 139 | 3.8% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
10.8% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 8.3% a cyclist (15.0%) and 10.7% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 8.4% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 22.5% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 27 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 3,727 | 75.2% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 370 | 7.5% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 233 | 4.7% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 292 | 5.9% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 225 | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 20 | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 91 | 1.8% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Central Bedfordshire
These are the 100 metre squares with the most reported collisions in 2021 to 2025. Location is the average position of the collisions in each square, so treat it as approximate.
| # | Where | Junction type | Collisions | Fatal | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bedford Road (A421) | Roundabout | 16 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Bedford Road (A5) | Not at a junction | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Skimpot Road (A505) | Not at a junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | A5 | Not at a junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | Ampthill Road (B530) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 1 | View on map |
| 6 | A421 | Not at a junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | West Street (B489) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Warren Lane (A6) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | A6 | T or staggered junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | Vandyke Road | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | West Street (B489) | Not at a junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | A5 | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | M1 | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Chapel End Road (A6) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Hill Lane (A1) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | London Road (A1) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | High Road (A1) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Bedford Road (A421) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | High Street (B1042) | Crossroads | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Bedford Road (A6) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Hockliffe Street (A4012) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Bedford Road (A5) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Church Street (A505) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Coniston Road (A5120) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Hatters Way (A5065) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 1 | View on map |
Roads and streets with the most collisions
Each collision is matched to the nearest named road. Long roads and busy town centres collect the most, so this list shows where collisions are recorded, not which streets are riskiest.
| Road or street | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Road | 107 | 3 | 16 |
| High Street | 73 | 1 | 17 |
| Luton Road | 58 | 1 | 12 |
| London Road | 49 | 0 | 7 |
| Watling Street | 35 | 1 | 6 |
| Ampthill Road | 34 | 1 | 8 |
| Sundon Road | 33 | 0 | 8 |
| High Street North | 33 | 1 | 6 |
| Dunstable Road | 33 | 0 | 16 |
| West Street | 30 | 1 | 3 |
| Hitchin Road | 25 | 0 | 5 |
| Station Road | 24 | 0 | 4 |
| High Street South | 22 | 0 | 5 |
| Lower Harpenden Road | 22 | 0 | 6 |
| Church Street | 22 | 1 | 2 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
43% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 42% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 39% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, lower than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | 308 | 6 | 48 |
| A5 | 112 | 2 | 16 |
| A505 | 107 | 4 | 15 |
| A507 | 105 | 4 | 34 |
| A6 | 104 | 3 | 25 |
| A1 | 88 | 1 | 20 |
| A421 | 82 | 1 | 16 |
| A5183 | 46 | 2 | 11 |
| B5120 | 37 | 0 | 10 |
| B489 | 36 | 1 | 4 |
| A5505 | 35 | 0 | 4 |
| A5120 | 34 | 0 | 13 |
| A4012 | 31 | 0 | 8 |
| B1042 | 28 | 2 | 5 |
| A6001 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
28% of collisions in Central Bedfordshire happened in darkness, close to the 28% across Great Britain. 29% happened on roads classed as urban, lower than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 308 | 12.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 11 | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| A road | 848 | 33.1% | 44.0% |
| B road | 288 | 11.2% | 12.5% |
| C road | 0 | 0.0% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 1,108 | 43.2% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 204 | 8.0% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 910 | 35.5% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 242 | 9.4% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 134 | 5.2% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 681 | 26.6% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 392 | 15.3% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 1,560 | 61.2% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 558 | 21.9% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 87 | 3.4% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 8 | 0.3% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 9 | 0.4% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 82 | 3.2% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 246 | 9.6% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,852 | 72.3% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 387 | 15.1% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 28 | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 250 | 9.8% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 46 | 1.8% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Central Bedfordshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 734 | 28.6% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 1,829 | 71.4% | 32.8% |
About these figures
Only collisions involving injury that were reported to the police are counted. The figures are not adjusted for traffic volume or population, so they should not be used to rank areas against each other. Serious and slight splits use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment. Full explanation.