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Road collisions in City of Edinburgh
Police recorded 2,389 road collisions involving injury in City of Edinburgh between 2021 and 2025, about 478 a year. 28 of them were fatal, and an estimated 721 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 35% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (higher than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 23% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 482 in 2021 to 470 in 2025, a very small change. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so City of Edinburgh should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across City of Edinburgh, 2,946 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 21% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 19% (12%) and motorcyclists 7% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 41%. 17 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 9% of casualties, close to the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 17% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 13% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 608 | 20.6% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 562 | 19.1% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 213 | 7.2% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,208 | 41.0% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 244 | 8.3% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 86 | 2.9% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 25 | 0.8% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 38 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 80 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 144 | 4.9% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 232 | 7.9% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 268 | 9.1% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 588 | 20.0% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 473 | 16.1% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 393 | 13.4% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 334 | 11.4% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 204 | 6.9% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 188 | 6.4% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
24.3% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 23.3% a cyclist (15.0%) and 8.7% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 3.1% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 17.7% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 14 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 2,663 | 63.9% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 271 | 6.5% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 77 | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 232 | 5.6% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 576 | 13.8% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 296 | 7.1% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 54 | 1.3% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in City of Edinburgh
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 | Drysdale Road | T or staggered junction | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Chambers Street (A7) | T or staggered junction | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Lothian Road (A700) | Crossroads | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Dalmeny Street | Crossroads | 9 | 1 | View on map |
| 5 | Ferry Road (A902) | Roundabout | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Princes Street (A8) | Not at a junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Princes Street (A8) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Calder Road (A71) | Not at a junction | 7 | 1 | View on map |
| 9 | Princes Street (A8) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | Queensferry Road (A90) | Junction with more than four arms | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | St John's Road (A8) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | London Road (A1) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Queensferry Road (A90) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Liberton Road (A701) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | M8 | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Niddrie Mains Road (A6095) | Crossroads | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Home Street (A702) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Old Dalkeith Road (A7) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | Princes Street (A8) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Calder Road (A71) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Sleigh Drive | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Princes Street (A8) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | South Charlotte Street (A90) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | M8 | Not at a junction | 5 | 1 | View on map |
| 25 | Queensferry Street (A90) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The City of Edinburgh Bypass | 101 | 3 | 22 |
| Ferry Road | 51 | 0 | 18 |
| Queensferry Road | 51 | 1 | 10 |
| Princes Street | 44 | 0 | 14 |
| Calder Road | 42 | 1 | 10 |
| Glasgow Road | 38 | 0 | 10 |
| London Road | 38 | 0 | 12 |
| St John's Road | 26 | 1 | 7 |
| Gorgie Road | 26 | 1 | 11 |
| Lothian Road | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| Slateford Road | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| Old Dalkeith Road | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| Wester Hailes Road | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| Gilmerton Road | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Colinton Road | 16 | 1 | 5 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
81% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 7% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 57% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, higher than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A8 | 156 | 4 | 45 |
| A720 | 121 | 3 | 26 |
| A90 | 92 | 1 | 22 |
| B701 | 83 | 0 | 26 |
| A7 | 80 | 1 | 29 |
| A71 | 77 | 2 | 24 |
| A902 | 63 | 0 | 17 |
| A1 | 63 | 0 | 22 |
| A70 | 61 | 1 | 21 |
| A701 | 52 | 0 | 15 |
| M8 | 46 | 2 | 8 |
| A702 | 46 | 0 | 18 |
| A199 | 45 | 0 | 14 |
| A700 | 32 | 0 | 6 |
| A6095 | 31 | 0 | 9 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
26% of collisions in City of Edinburgh happened in darkness, lower than the 28% across Great Britain. 88% happened on roads classed as urban, higher than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 71 | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 1,039 | 43.5% | 44.0% |
| B road | 200 | 8.4% | 12.5% |
| C road | 4 | 0.2% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 1,075 | 45.0% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 1,226 | 51.3% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 710 | 29.7% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 229 | 9.6% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 67 | 2.8% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 14 | 0.6% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 143 | 6.0% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 1,031 | 43.5% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 617 | 26.0% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 248 | 10.5% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 106 | 4.5% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 14 | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 263 | 11.1% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 92 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,770 | 74.1% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 537 | 22.5% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 15 | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 45 | 1.9% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 22 | 0.9% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in City of Edinburgh | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 2,101 | 88.0% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 287 | 12.0% | 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.