Road collisions in New Forest
Police recorded 1,589 road collisions involving injury in New Forest between 2021 and 2025, about 318 a year. 20 of them were fatal, and an estimated 414 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 34% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (higher than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 27% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 305 in 2021 to 337 in 2025, a rise of 10%. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so New Forest should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across New Forest, 2,009 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 9% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 11% (12%) and motorcyclists 13% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 61%. 4 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 7% of casualties, lower than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 22% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 18% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 183 | 9.1% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 226 | 11.2% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 265 | 13.2% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,219 | 60.7% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 12 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 90 | 4.5% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 14 | 0.7% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 25 | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 44 | 2.2% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 75 | 3.7% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 239 | 11.9% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 206 | 10.3% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 295 | 14.7% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 253 | 12.6% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 271 | 13.5% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 244 | 12.2% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 187 | 9.3% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 169 | 8.4% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
11.4% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 13.7% a cyclist (15.0%) and 16.0% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 3.2% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 24.0% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 8 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 1,994 | 70.6% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 235 | 8.3% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 53 | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 262 | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 240 | 8.5% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 16 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 26 | 0.9% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in New 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 | Spicer's Hill (A35) | Not at a junction | 14 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | A36 | Roundabout | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Southampton Road (A336) | Crossroads | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Hythe Bypass (A326) | Not at a junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | Long Lane | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Norleywood Road (B3054) | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Lyndhurst Road (A35) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | M27 | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Totton Bypass (A35) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | Marchwood Bypass (A326) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Old Milton Road | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | Salisbury Road (A36) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Howgare Road (A354) | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Lyndhurst Road (A31) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Commercial Road (A36) | Private drive or entrance | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Romsey Road (A36) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Ringwood Road (A336) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Milford Road (A337) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | Kennard Road | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | M27 | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Romsey Road (A36) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Eling Lane (B3076) | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Salisbury Road (A31) | Not at a junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Spencer Road | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Sway Road | Crossroads | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury Road | 73 | 1 | 13 |
| Southampton Road | 60 | 0 | 19 |
| Ringwood Road | 55 | 1 | 14 |
| Lyndhurst Road | 45 | 0 | 13 |
| Milford Road | 39 | 1 | 10 |
| Hythe Bypass | 37 | 0 | 12 |
| Marchwood Bypass | 35 | 3 | 8 |
| Lymington Road | 30 | 0 | 11 |
| Main Road | 28 | 1 | 7 |
| Totton Bypass | 24 | 0 | 4 |
| High Street | 23 | 0 | 8 |
| Long Lane | 23 | 0 | 8 |
| Christchurch Road | 22 | 1 | 7 |
| Romsey Road | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| Beaulieu Road | 19 | 0 | 4 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
45% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 24% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 46% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, lower than the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A35 | 142 | 0 | 43 |
| A337 | 125 | 2 | 34 |
| A326 | 117 | 4 | 35 |
| A31 | 109 | 4 | 21 |
| A36 | 88 | 0 | 14 |
| M27 | 47 | 1 | 7 |
| B3058 | 46 | 0 | 16 |
| A336 | 41 | 1 | 8 |
| A338 | 40 | 1 | 9 |
| B3055 | 35 | 1 | 10 |
| B3054 | 33 | 0 | 11 |
| B3347 | 29 | 0 | 10 |
| B3078 | 18 | 0 | 5 |
| B3056 | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| A354 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
27% of collisions in New Forest happened in darkness, close to the 28% across Great Britain. 40% happened on roads classed as urban, lower than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 47 | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 677 | 42.6% | 44.0% |
| B road | 200 | 12.6% | 12.5% |
| C road | 2 | 0.1% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 663 | 41.7% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 4 | 0.3% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 715 | 45.0% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 384 | 24.2% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 97 | 6.1% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 230 | 14.5% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 159 | 10.0% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 857 | 54.2% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 472 | 29.9% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 101 | 6.4% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 3 | 0.2% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 76 | 4.8% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 11 | 0.7% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 60 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,162 | 73.1% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 169 | 10.6% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 5 | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 211 | 13.3% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 42 | 2.6% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in New Forest | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 639 | 40.2% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 950 | 59.8% | 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.