The M1: where people are seriously hurt
Over 2021–2025, 412 people were killed or seriously injured in 355 collisions on the M1, making it the 17th worst numbered road in Britain by that measure.
355
serious or fatal collisions
412
people killed or seriously injured
49
collisions that took a life
#17
of 150 numbered roads
What the record shows
The M1 carries 1,929 recorded injury collisions over the period, 355 of them serious or fatal. Serious injury concentrates in Central Bedfordshire, West Northamptonshire, St Albans, with 3 further areas also recording collisions. Collisions here are more likely than average to be fatal: 14% against 7% across the numbered network, which usually points to higher speeds. Most collisions were recorded on 70 mph sections. The worst year of the period was 2021 with 79 serious collisions, and the count is down 9% between 2021 and 2025.
Every serious and fatal collision on the M1
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
- Central Bedfordshire54 KSI
- West Northamptonshire46 KSI
- St Albans34 KSI
- Leeds25 KSI
- Rotherham20 KSI
- Wakefield15 KSI
Local authority areas with the most serious collisions on this road.
The trend
Serious and fatal collisions on the M1
2025: 72 (up 14.3% on the year before) · peak 79 in 2021 · -8.9% across the period
Axis clipped to the data range to show year-on-year movement.
About the M1
How many accidents happen on the M1?
Police recorded 1,929 injury collisions on the M1 over 2021–2025, of which 355 were fatal or serious. Those serious collisions left 412 people killed or seriously injured, including 49 fatal collisions.
Is the M1 a dangerous road?
By volume of serious injury it ranks 17 of the 150 numbered roads we analyse, and 3 among motorways. 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 M1 do collisions happen?
They concentrate in Central Bedfordshire, West Northamptonshire, St Albans. 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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