The A1: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 823 people were killed or seriously injured in 716 collisions on the A1, making it the 1st worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
716
serious or fatal collisions
823
people killed or seriously injured
75
collisions that took a life
#1
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A1 carries 3,205 recorded injury collisions over the period, 716 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Islington, Northumberland, South Kesteven, with 3 further areas also recording collisions. Collisions here are more likely than average to be fatal: 10% against 7% across the numbered network, which usually points to higher speeds. Most collisions were recorded on 70 mph sections. The worst year of the period was 2022 with 176 serious collisions, and the count is up 12% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A1
Blue markers are serious collisions, red crosses fatal. Click any marker for the year. Zoom in to see the specific junctions and stretches where they cluster.
Where along the route
- Islington90 KSI
- Northumberland52 KSI
- South Kesteven52 KSI
- Huntingdonshire38 KSI
- Doncaster35 KSI
- Barnet27 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A1
2025: 149 (up 10.4% on the year before) · peak 176 in 2022 · +12% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A1
How many accidents happen on the A1?
Police recorded 3,205 injury collisions on the A1 over 2021–2025, of which 716 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 823 people killed or seriously injured, including 75 fatal collisions.
Is the A1 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 1 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 1 among a roads. That is a count rather than a rate: longer and busier roads accumulate more collisions, so a high ranking reflects exposure as well as risk.
Where on the A1 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Islington, Northumberland, South Kesteven. The map on this page plots every serious and fatal collision recorded on the route, so you can see the specific stretches rather than the total.
Counts include every collision the police recorded on this road number across all authority areas. They are not adjusted for traffic volume or road length, so treat them as a measure of where injury concentrates rather than a per-mile risk rating. Method. Free to reuse with attribution to this page.
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