The A56: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 203 people were killed or seriously injured in 178 collisions on the A56, making it the 50th worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
178
serious or fatal collisions
203
people killed or seriously injured
12
collisions that took a life
#50
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A56 carries 704 recorded injury collisions over the period, 178 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Trafford, Bury, Pendle, with 3 further areas also recording collisions. Its fatal share, 7%, sits close to the 7% average for the numbered network. Most collisions were recorded on 30 mph sections. The worst year of the period was 2025 with 44 serious collisions, and the count is up 29% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A56
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
- Trafford40 KSI
- Bury35 KSI
- Pendle23 KSI
- Cheshire West and Chester20 KSI
- Manchester15 KSI
- Warrington14 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A56
2025: 44 (up 37.5% on the year before) · peak 44 in 2025 · +29.4% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A56
How many accidents happen on the A56?
Police recorded 704 injury collisions on the A56 over 2021–2025, of which 178 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 203 people killed or seriously injured, including 12 fatal collisions.
Is the A56 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 50 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 44 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 A56 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Trafford, Bury, Pendle. 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.
Need this data for your own work?
Site and junction reports from £95, next working day. Free for community groups, campaigners and journalists.