The A638: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 176 people were killed or seriously injured in 153 collisions on the A638, making it the 63th worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
153
serious or fatal collisions
176
people killed or seriously injured
8
collisions that took a life
#63
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The A638 carries 589 recorded injury collisions over the period, 153 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Wakefield, Doncaster, Kirklees, with 1 further areas also recording collisions. Its fatal share, 5%, 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 39 serious collisions, and the count is up 50% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the A638
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
- Wakefield56 KSI
- Doncaster51 KSI
- Kirklees34 KSI
- Bassetlaw12 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the A638
2025: 39 (up 21.9% on the year before) · peak 39 in 2025 · +50% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the A638
How many accidents happen on the A638?
Police recorded 589 injury collisions on the A638 over 2021–2025, of which 153 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 176 people killed or seriously injured, including 8 fatal collisions.
Is the A638 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 63 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 57 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 A638 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Wakefield, Doncaster, Kirklees. 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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