The A23: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 571 people were killed or seriously injured in 549 collisions on the A23, making it the 5th worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
549
serious or fatal collisions
571
people killed or seriously injured
19
collisions that took a life
#5
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A23 carries 2,723 recorded injury collisions over the period, 549 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Lambeth, Croydon, Brighton and Hove, with 3 further areas also recording collisions. Collisions here are less likely than average to be fatal (3% against 7%), typical of lower-speed urban sections. Most collisions were recorded on 30 mph sections. The worst year of the period was 2022 with 136 serious collisions, and the count is up 5% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A23
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
- Lambeth217 KSI
- Croydon111 KSI
- Brighton and Hove76 KSI
- Reigate and Banstead64 KSI
- Crawley45 KSI
- Mid Sussex33 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A23
2025: 102 (up 15.9% on the year before) · peak 136 in 2022 · +5.2% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A23
How many accidents happen on the A23?
Police recorded 2,723 injury collisions on the A23 over 2021–2025, of which 549 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 571 people killed or seriously injured, including 19 fatal collisions.
Is the A23 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 5 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 5 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 A23 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Lambeth, Croydon, Brighton and Hove. 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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