Road collisions in Sunderland
Police recorded 1,638 road collisions involving injury in Sunderland between 2021 and 2025, about 328 a year. 28 of them were fatal, and an estimated 334 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 3pm to 4pm, and 35% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (higher than the 32% across Great Britain). Thursday had the most collisions, and 24% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 325 in 2021 to 332 in 2025, a very small change. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Sunderland should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Sunderland, 2,124 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 19% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 9% (12%) and motorcyclists 8% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 55%. 9 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 15% of casualties, higher 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 Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 400 | 18.8% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 196 | 9.2% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 160 | 7.5% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,170 | 55.1% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 123 | 5.8% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 41 | 1.9% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 34 | 1.6% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 52 | 2.6% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 104 | 5.1% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 173 | 8.5% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 182 | 9.0% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 214 | 10.6% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 348 | 17.2% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 297 | 14.6% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 239 | 11.8% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 211 | 10.4% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 112 | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 96 | 4.7% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
23.8% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 11.8% a cyclist (15.0%) and 9.0% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 2.7% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 18.6% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 15 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 2,129 | 73.7% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 155 | 5.4% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 44 | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 172 | 6.0% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 201 | 7.0% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 128 | 4.4% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 61 | 2.1% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Sunderland
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 | Durham Road (A690) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Durham Road (A690) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | Bridge Crescent (A1018) | Not at a junction | 8 | 1 | View on map |
| 4 | Mary Street | T or staggered junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | St Michaels Way (A1231) | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | Chester Road (A182) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | High Street West | Crossroads | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Chester Road (B1519) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Wessington Way (A1231) | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | North Bridge Street (A1018) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Silksworth Lane (A690) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | The Broadway (A183) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | St Michaels Way (A1231) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Sunderland Highway (A1231) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Stockton Road (A1231) | Roundabout | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Wessington Way (A1290) | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | North Bridge Street (A1018) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Heworth Road | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | A183 | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Wessington Way (A1231) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | A183 | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Hylton Road | T or staggered junction | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Durham Road (A690) | Crossroads | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Sevenoaks Drive (A183) | Roundabout | 5 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Thompson Road (B1291) | T or staggered 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Road | 53 | 0 | 13 |
| Durham Road | 51 | 1 | 16 |
| Sunderland Highway | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| Hylton Road | 32 | 1 | 5 |
| Wessington Way | 30 | 0 | 4 |
| Springwell Road | 23 | 0 | 4 |
| Ryhope Road | 21 | 0 | 4 |
| Washington Highway | 20 | 0 | 3 |
| Northumberland Way | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| Station Road | 18 | 0 | 4 |
| The Broadway | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Silksworth Lane | 15 | 0 | 5 |
| Newcastle Road | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| Stockton Road | 14 | 1 | 2 |
| Ryhope Street South | 13 | 0 | 3 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
79% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 13% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 54% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, close to the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A183 | 104 | 1 | 23 |
| A1231 | 97 | 3 | 18 |
| A182 | 80 | 2 | 15 |
| A1018 | 69 | 1 | 12 |
| A690 | 66 | 1 | 20 |
| A19 | 65 | 6 | 12 |
| B1405 | 46 | 0 | 12 |
| B1286 | 39 | 1 | 9 |
| A1290 | 37 | 0 | 5 |
| A195 | 29 | 1 | 8 |
| B1291 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| B1522 | 25 | 0 | 5 |
| B1284 | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| B1519 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| B1294 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
25% of collisions in Sunderland happened in darkness, lower than the 28% across Great Britain. 80% happened on roads classed as urban, higher than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 0 | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 10 | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| A road | 559 | 34.1% | 44.0% |
| B road | 203 | 12.4% | 12.5% |
| C road | 190 | 11.6% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 676 | 41.3% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 190 | 11.6% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 1,096 | 66.9% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 85 | 5.2% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 53 | 3.2% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 76 | 4.6% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 138 | 8.4% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 752 | 46.2% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 488 | 30.0% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 141 | 8.7% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 9 | 0.6% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 6 | 0.4% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 73 | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 158 | 9.7% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,222 | 74.6% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 339 | 20.7% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 8 | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 44 | 2.7% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 25 | 1.5% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Sunderland | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 1,317 | 80.4% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 321 | 19.6% | 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.