Home / All areas / Blackburn with Darwen
Road collisions in Blackburn with Darwen
Police recorded 1,463 road collisions involving injury in Blackburn with Darwen between 2021 and 2025, about 293 a year. 12 of them were fatal, and an estimated 433 involved serious injury once DfT's severity adjustment is applied. These are reported injury collisions only: damage-only incidents and unreported injuries are not included.
Check your own street
Want to see collisions near a particular address in Blackburn with Darwen? Search by postcode
When collisions happen
The busiest hour was 5pm to 6pm, and 34% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (higher than the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 24% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 317 in 2021 to 286 in 2025, a fall of 10%. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so Blackburn with Darwen should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across Blackburn with Darwen, 2,009 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 18% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 6% (12%) and motorcyclists 7% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 65%. 5 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 13% of casualties, higher than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 25% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 7% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 364 | 18.1% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 129 | 6.4% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 138 | 6.9% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 1,297 | 64.6% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 11 | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 49 | 2.4% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 21 | 1.0% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 56 | 2.8% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 70 | 3.5% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 145 | 7.3% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 253 | 12.7% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 240 | 12.0% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 348 | 17.4% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 308 | 15.4% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 246 | 12.3% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 200 | 10.0% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 79 | 4.0% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 52 | 2.6% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
24.3% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 8.7% a cyclist (15.0%) and 8.7% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 2.3% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 25.6% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 8 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 2,195 | 82.7% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 104 | 3.9% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 34 | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 143 | 5.4% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 130 | 4.9% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 15 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 33 | 1.2% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in Blackburn with Darwen
These are the 100 metre squares with the most reported collisions in 2021 to 2025. Location is the average position of the collisions in each square, so treat it as approximate.
| # | Where | Junction type | Collisions | Fatal | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadsworth Road (B6130) | Crossroads | 20 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Blackamoor Road (A6077) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 3 | King Street (A6078) | Other junction | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | The Circus (A666) | T or staggered junction | 10 | 1 | View on map |
| 5 | Ramsgreave Drive (A6119) | Crossroads | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | King Street (A674) | Crossroads | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Whalley New Road (A666) | Crossroads | 9 | 1 | View on map |
| 8 | Barbara Castle Way (A6078) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | Wensley Road | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | A6078 | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Furthergate (A678) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | M65 | Not at a junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Preston New Road (A677) | Crossroads | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Rivington Road | Not at a junction | 8 | 0 | View on map |
| 15 | Whalley New Road (A666) | Other junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Bolton Road (A666) | Crossroads | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Yew Tree Drive (A6119) | Other junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | Bolton Road (A666) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 19 | Grimshaw Park (A6077) | T or staggered junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Grimshaw Park (A6077) | Not at a junction | 7 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Bank Top (A674) | T or staggered junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Whalley New Road (A666) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Whalley Banks (A674) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Copy Nook (A678) | Not at a junction | 6 | 0 | View on map |
| 25 | Wainwright Way (A6078) | Crossroads | 6 | 0 | View on map |
Roads and streets with the most collisions
Each collision is matched to the nearest named road. Long roads and busy town centres collect the most, so this list shows where collisions are recorded, not which streets are riskiest.
| Road or street | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Road | 63 | 1 | 13 |
| Whalley New Road | 45 | 1 | 17 |
| Shadsworth Road | 40 | 0 | 14 |
| Blackburn Road | 34 | 1 | 9 |
| Preston New Road | 30 | 0 | 2 |
| Livesey Branch Road | 30 | 0 | 8 |
| Haslingden Road | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| King Street | 23 | 1 | 8 |
| Preston Old Road | 23 | 1 | 7 |
| Rivington Road | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| Roman Road | 20 | 0 | 5 |
| Audley Range | 17 | 0 | 4 |
| Ramsgreave Drive | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| Montague Street | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| Barbara Castle Way | 15 | 0 | 8 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
86% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 6% on roads with a 60 or 70 mph limit (18% nationally). 56% were at or within 20 metres of a junction or roundabout, close to the national 54%.
| Road | Collisions | Fatal | Serious (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A666 | 169 | 3 | 53 |
| A6078 | 87 | 0 | 25 |
| A674 | 60 | 2 | 21 |
| M65 | 58 | 0 | 10 |
| A6077 | 48 | 0 | 16 |
| B6130 | 40 | 0 | 14 |
| A6119 | 36 | 0 | 7 |
| A6062 | 30 | 0 | 8 |
| A677 | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| B6232 | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| A678 | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| B6447 | 23 | 0 | 6 |
| B6231 | 19 | 0 | 4 |
| A679 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| B6236 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
30% of collisions in Blackburn with Darwen happened in darkness, close to the 28% across Great Britain. 86% happened on roads classed as urban, higher than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 58 | 4.0% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 506 | 34.6% | 44.0% |
| B road | 122 | 8.3% | 12.5% |
| C road | 1 | 0.1% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 776 | 53.0% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 129 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 1,136 | 77.6% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 51 | 3.5% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 52 | 3.6% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 40 | 2.7% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 55 | 3.8% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 633 | 44.2% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 242 | 16.9% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 250 | 17.4% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 8 | 0.6% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 7 | 0.5% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 262 | 18.3% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 31 | 2.2% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,029 | 70.3% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 347 | 23.7% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 17 | 1.2% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 52 | 3.6% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 18 | 1.2% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in Blackburn with Darwen | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 1,265 | 86.5% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 198 | 13.5% | 32.8% |
About these figures
Only collisions involving injury that were reported to the police are counted. The figures are not adjusted for traffic volume or population, so they should not be used to rank areas against each other. Serious and slight splits use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment. Full explanation.