Road collisions in Cherwell
Police recorded 999 road collisions involving injury in Cherwell between 2021 and 2025, about 200 a year. 25 of them were fatal, and an estimated 272 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.
Check your own street
Want to see collisions near a particular address in Cherwell? Search by postcode
When collisions happen
The busiest hour was 8am to 9am, and 31% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (lower than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 25% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 193 in 2021 to 194 in 2025, a very small change. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Cherwell should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Cherwell, 1,284 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 9% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 11% (12%) and motorcyclists 12% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 60%. 2 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 8% of casualties, lower than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 19% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 10% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 112 | 8.7% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 138 | 10.7% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 153 | 11.9% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 775 | 60.4% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 7 | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 82 | 6.4% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 17 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 11 | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 34 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 53 | 4.2% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 118 | 9.3% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 121 | 9.6% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 258 | 20.4% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 199 | 15.7% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 197 | 15.6% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 143 | 11.3% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 79 | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 52 | 4.1% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
10.8% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 13.8% a cyclist (15.0%) and 15.0% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 7.9% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 21.8% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 11 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 1,287 | 69.9% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 122 | 6.6% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 92 | 5.0% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 158 | 8.6% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 142 | 7.7% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 17 | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 24 | 1.3% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Cherwell
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 | Hennef Way (A422) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Unnamed road | Crossroads | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Oxford Road (A4260) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | West Bar Street (B4035) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | A34 | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Northampton Road (B430) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Frieze Way (A34) | Not at a junction | 5 | 1 | View on map |
| 8 | A4421 | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Williamscot Hill (A361) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | South Bar Street (A361) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Oxford Road (A41) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | Bloxham Road (A361) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Unnamed road | Crossroads | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | B4011 | T or staggered junction | 4 | 1 | View on map |
| 15 | South Bar Street (A361) | T or staggered junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Northampton Road (A34) | Not at a junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | A34 | Not at a junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | A34 | Not at a junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | A43 | Roundabout | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Woodstock Road (A44) | Roundabout | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Hennef Way (A422) | Roundabout | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Orchard Way | Not at a junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Banbury Road (A4260) | T or staggered junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | A41 | T or staggered junction | 4 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Bloxham Road (A361) | Crossroads | 4 | 0 | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Road | 79 | 3 | 23 |
| Banbury Road | 25 | 0 | 6 |
| Southam Road | 24 | 1 | 9 |
| Woodstock Road | 22 | 1 | 2 |
| Bloxham Road | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| Warwick Road | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| Hennef Way | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| Station Road | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Northampton Road | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| High Street | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| Ruscote Avenue | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| South Bar Street | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| Williamscot Hill | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Bridge Street | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Aynho Road | 9 | 0 | 2 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
41% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 33% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 50% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, lower than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M40 | 86 | 3 | 28 |
| A4260 | 83 | 3 | 21 |
| A34 | 72 | 0 | 12 |
| A361 | 70 | 5 | 17 |
| B4100 | 54 | 1 | 14 |
| A422 | 49 | 1 | 8 |
| A41 | 39 | 1 | 12 |
| A4095 | 30 | 0 | 10 |
| A44 | 29 | 2 | 5 |
| A4421 | 25 | 1 | 9 |
| B4035 | 25 | 0 | 10 |
| A423 | 19 | 1 | 9 |
| B4030 | 16 | 1 | 5 |
| B430 | 16 | 0 | 6 |
| A43 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
26% of collisions in Cherwell happened in darkness, lower than the 28% across Great Britain. 34% happened on roads classed as urban, lower than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 86 | 8.6% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 447 | 44.7% | 44.0% |
| B road | 143 | 14.3% | 12.5% |
| C road | 6 | 0.6% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 317 | 31.7% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 79 | 7.9% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 326 | 32.6% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 129 | 12.9% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 138 | 13.8% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 165 | 16.5% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 162 | 16.2% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 496 | 49.7% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 281 | 28.2% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 47 | 4.7% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 1 | 0.1% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 56 | 5.6% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 11 | 1.1% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 105 | 10.5% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 744 | 74.5% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 143 | 14.3% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 2 | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 109 | 10.9% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 1 | 0.1% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Cherwell | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 342 | 34.2% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 657 | 65.8% | 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.