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Road collisions in Epping Forest
Police recorded 1,622 road collisions involving injury in Epping Forest between 2021 and 2025, about 324 a year. 46 of them were fatal, and an estimated 407 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 31% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (lower than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 30% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 339 in 2021 to 330 in 2025, a very small change. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Epping Forest should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Epping Forest, 2,241 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 9% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 5% (12%) and motorcyclists 13% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 67%. 11 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 5% of casualties, lower than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 21% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 9% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 192 | 8.6% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 109 | 4.9% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 285 | 12.7% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,499 | 66.9% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 14 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 133 | 5.9% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 9 | 0.4% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 24 | 1.1% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 27 | 1.2% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 68 | 3.1% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 227 | 10.3% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 251 | 11.4% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 476 | 21.6% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 392 | 17.8% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 305 | 13.8% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 228 | 10.3% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 123 | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 86 | 3.9% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
11.2% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 6.6% a cyclist (15.0%) and 16.9% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 10.3% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 23.2% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 5 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 2,310 | 72.7% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 243 | 7.6% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 180 | 5.7% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 290 | 9.1% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 115 | 3.6% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 15 | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 26 | 0.8% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Epping Forest
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 | Manor Road (B173) | T or staggered junction | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Chigwell Lane (M11) | T or staggered junction | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | High Road (A121) | T or staggered junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Coppice Row (B172) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | Gravel Lane (A1112) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | M25 | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Sewardstone Road (A112) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Alderton Hill | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Highbridge Street (A121) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | High Street (B1393) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Manor Road (B173) | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | Mount Road | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Parklands | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Sewardstone Road (A112) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Hobbs Cross Road (M25) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | London Road (A113) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | High Road (A121) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Coppice Row (B172) | Crossroads | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | B181 | Other junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Highbridge Street (B194) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | High Road (A113) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | High Road (B1393) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Honey Lane (A121) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Epping Road (B181) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Hobbs Cross Road (M11) | Not at a junction | 5 | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Road | 97 | 1 | 30 |
| Epping Road | 67 | 5 | 16 |
| High Street | 51 | 0 | 14 |
| London Road | 49 | 4 | 14 |
| Sewardstone Road | 41 | 2 | 14 |
| Manor Road | 40 | 0 | 10 |
| Epping New Road | 28 | 1 | 10 |
| Honey Lane | 21 | 0 | 4 |
| Coppice Row | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| Chigwell Lane | 20 | 0 | 5 |
| Woodridden Hill | 18 | 1 | 6 |
| Ongar Road | 18 | 1 | 6 |
| Abridge Road | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| Crooked Mile | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| Chelmsford Road | 16 | 3 | 7 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
42% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 39% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 34% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, lower than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | 196 | 5 | 32 |
| M11 | 194 | 5 | 37 |
| A121 | 120 | 3 | 36 |
| B1393 | 85 | 2 | 20 |
| A113 | 73 | 4 | 25 |
| B181 | 67 | 1 | 23 |
| A414 | 61 | 6 | 17 |
| B194 | 44 | 1 | 12 |
| B173 | 43 | 0 | 13 |
| A112 | 32 | 1 | 10 |
| B172 | 32 | 1 | 8 |
| A1168 | 29 | 0 | 7 |
| A104 | 28 | 1 | 10 |
| A128 | 19 | 0 | 4 |
| B184 | 15 | 2 | 4 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
29% of collisions in Epping Forest happened in darkness, close to the 28% across Great Britain. 31% happened on roads classed as urban, lower than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 390 | 24.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 392 | 24.2% | 44.0% |
| B road | 316 | 19.5% | 12.5% |
| C road | 0 | 0.0% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 524 | 32.3% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 30 | 1.8% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 645 | 39.8% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 256 | 15.8% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 62 | 3.8% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 259 | 16.0% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 370 | 22.8% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 1,058 | 65.7% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 333 | 20.7% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 70 | 4.3% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 6 | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 12 | 0.7% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 72 | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 60 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,157 | 71.3% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 258 | 15.9% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 22 | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 158 | 9.7% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 27 | 1.7% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Epping Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 507 | 31.3% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 1,115 | 68.7% | 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.