The A6: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 711 people were killed or seriously injured in 640 collisions on the A6, making it the 2nd worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
640
serious or fatal collisions
711
people killed or seriously injured
47
collisions that took a life
#2
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A6 carries 2,353 recorded injury collisions over the period, 640 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Lancaster, Preston, Derbyshire Dales, 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 2024 with 143 serious collisions, and the count is up 23% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A6
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
- Lancaster67 KSI
- Preston41 KSI
- Derbyshire Dales41 KSI
- Manchester40 KSI
- Salford38 KSI
- Stockport37 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A6
2025: 134 (down 6.3% on the year before) · peak 143 in 2024 · +22.9% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A6
How many accidents happen on the A6?
Police recorded 2,353 injury collisions on the A6 over 2021–2025, of which 640 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 711 people killed or seriously injured, including 47 fatal collisions.
Is the A6 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 2 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 2 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 A6 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Lancaster, Preston, Derbyshire Dales. 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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