The A48: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 191 people were killed or seriously injured in 153 collisions on the A48, making it the 64th worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
153
serious or fatal collisions
191
people killed or seriously injured
19
collisions that took a life
#64
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A48 carries 572 recorded injury collisions over the period, 153 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Carmarthenshire, Newport, Forest of Dean, with 3 further areas also recording collisions. Collisions here are more likely than average to be fatal: 12% against 7% across the numbered network, which usually points to higher speeds. Most collisions were recorded on 30 mph sections. The worst year of the period was 2025 with 40 serious collisions, and the count is up 43% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A48
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
- Carmarthenshire37 KSI
- Newport26 KSI
- Forest of Dean23 KSI
- Cardiff16 KSI
- Vale of Glamorgan13 KSI
- Monmouthshire12 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A48
2025: 40 (up 48.1% on the year before) · peak 40 in 2025 · +42.9% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A48
How many accidents happen on the A48?
Police recorded 572 injury collisions on the A48 over 2021–2025, of which 153 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 191 people killed or seriously injured, including 19 fatal collisions.
Is the A48 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 64 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 58 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 A48 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Carmarthenshire, Newport, Forest of Dean. 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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