Road collisions in Plymouth
Police recorded 2,003 road collisions involving injury in Plymouth between 2021 and 2025, about 401 a year. 14 of them were fatal, and an estimated 328 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 22% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 395 in 2021 to 420 in 2025, a rise of 6%. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Plymouth should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Plymouth, 2,458 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 15% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 11% (12%) and motorcyclists 20% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 49%. 5 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 24% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 9% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 369 | 15.0% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 279 | 11.4% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 487 | 19.8% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,214 | 49.4% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 15 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 72 | 2.9% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 22 | 0.9% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 32 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 63 | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 128 | 5.3% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 354 | 14.6% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 243 | 10.0% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 475 | 19.6% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 390 | 16.1% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 281 | 11.6% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 246 | 10.1% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 116 | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 97 | 4.0% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
17.7% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 13.9% a cyclist (15.0%) and 23.8% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 1.8% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 25.0% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 13 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 2,567 | 68.8% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 269 | 7.2% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 36 | 1.0% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 508 | 13.6% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 284 | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 34 | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 31 | 0.8% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Plymouth
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 | Tavistock Road (A386) | T or staggered junction | 13 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Stuart Road (A386) | Roundabout | 13 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Wolseley Road (A3064) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Central Park Avenue (A386) | Roundabout | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | Wolseley Road | Roundabout | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Union Street (A374) | Roundabout | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Plymouth Road (A38) | Roundabout | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Union Street (A374) | Crossroads | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Greenbank Road (B3238) | Other junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | The Parkway (A38) | Roundabout | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Alexandra Road (B3214) | Crossroads | 8 | 1 | View on map |
| 12 | Outland Road (A386) | Not at a junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Tavistock Road (A386) | Not at a junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Plymouth Road (B3416) | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Ebrington Street | T or staggered junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Vauxhall Street (B3240) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Wolseley Road (A3064) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Glen Road (B3416) | Roundabout | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | Charles Street (A374) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | North Hill (B3250) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | The Parkway (B3413) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | The Parkway (A38) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Wolseley Road | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | North Road East (A374) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Tavistock Road (A386) | Not at a junction | 6 | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Parkway | 107 | 3 | 10 |
| Tavistock Road | 77 | 0 | 10 |
| Wolseley Road | 67 | 0 | 17 |
| Plymouth Road | 47 | 0 | 4 |
| Crownhill Road | 45 | 0 | 7 |
| Outland Road | 40 | 0 | 7 |
| Budshead Road | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| Union Street | 34 | 0 | 5 |
| Embankment Road | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| Exeter Street | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| Mannamead Road | 26 | 0 | 3 |
| Billacombe Road | 22 | 0 | 5 |
| North Hill | 22 | 0 | 7 |
| Glen Road | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| Victoria Road | 19 | 1 | 4 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
87% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 5% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 52% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, close to the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A374 | 168 | 2 | 35 |
| A386 | 161 | 0 | 25 |
| A38 | 141 | 3 | 15 |
| B3250 | 80 | 0 | 15 |
| B3413 | 70 | 0 | 10 |
| B3416 | 58 | 0 | 7 |
| A379 | 51 | 0 | 12 |
| B3396 | 46 | 0 | 7 |
| A3064 | 44 | 0 | 9 |
| B3240 | 31 | 0 | 9 |
| B3238 | 28 | 0 | 5 |
| B3373 | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| B3214 | 25 | 1 | 5 |
| B3432 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| A3860 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
29% of collisions in Plymouth happened in darkness, close to the 28% across Great Britain. 89% happened on roads classed as urban, higher than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 0 | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 577 | 28.8% | 44.0% |
| B road | 392 | 19.6% | 12.5% |
| C road | 3 | 0.1% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 1,031 | 51.5% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 56 | 2.8% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 1,679 | 83.8% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 158 | 7.9% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 1 | 0.0% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 15 | 0.7% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 94 | 4.7% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 940 | 47.9% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 476 | 24.2% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 129 | 6.6% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 36 | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 9 | 0.5% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 180 | 9.2% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 194 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,429 | 71.3% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 515 | 25.7% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 9 | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 34 | 1.7% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 16 | 0.8% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Plymouth | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 1,791 | 89.4% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 212 | 10.6% | 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.