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Road collisions in West Northamptonshire
Police recorded 3,625 road collisions involving injury in West Northamptonshire between 2021 and 2025, about 725 a year. 75 of them were fatal, and an estimated 584 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.
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When collisions happen
The busiest hour was 5pm to 6pm, and 32% of collisions happened between 3pm and 7pm (close to the 32% across Great Britain). Friday had the most collisions, and 25% happened at weekends.
Trend over time
Reported collisions went from 604 in 2021 to 774 in 2025, a rise of 28%. Counts are affected by traffic levels, population and changes in how police record injuries, so West Northamptonshire should not be ranked against other areas on these numbers alone.
Who is affected
Across West Northamptonshire, 4,713 people were injured or killed in these collisions. Pedestrians were 11% of casualties (14% across Great Britain), pedal cyclists 7% (12%) and motorcyclists 8% (12%). Car and taxi occupants made up 65%. 12 of the pedestrians were killed.
Children aged 0 to 15 were 8% of casualties, lower than the 9% national share. People aged 16 to 25 were 21% (21% nationally), and people over 65 were 9% (10% nationally).
| Road user | Casualties | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 495 | 10.5% | 14.5% |
| Pedal cyclists | 341 | 7.2% | 11.9% |
| Motorcyclists | 360 | 7.6% | 12.4% |
| Car and taxi occupants | 3,045 | 64.6% | 54.4% |
| Bus and minibus occupants | 60 | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| Van and goods vehicle occupants | 271 | 5.8% | 3.5% |
| Other road users | 141 | 3.0% | 1.6% |
Casualties by age
| Age | Casualties | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 59 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| 6 to 10 | 110 | 2.3% | 2.6% |
| 11 to 15 | 193 | 4.1% | 4.8% |
| 16 to 20 | 528 | 11.2% | 10.6% |
| 21 to 25 | 469 | 10.0% | 11.0% |
| 26 to 35 | 919 | 19.5% | 20.8% |
| 36 to 45 | 819 | 17.4% | 15.8% |
| 46 to 55 | 694 | 14.7% | 12.8% |
| 56 to 65 | 495 | 10.5% | 10.1% |
| 66 to 75 | 242 | 5.1% | 5.3% |
| Over 75 | 183 | 3.9% | 4.5% |
Vehicles involved
13.0% of collisions involved a pedestrian casualty (17.7% nationally), 9.4% a cyclist (15.0%) and 9.6% a motorcyclist (15.3%). 8.0% involved a goods vehicle (3.9% nationally) and 22.6% involved a driver aged 17 to 24 (21.1%). 151 collisions involved an e-scooter.
| Vehicle | Vehicles | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 5,098 | 73.4% | 69.7% |
| Vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) | 535 | 7.7% | 6.4% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 326 | 4.7% | 2.3% |
| Motorcycles | 373 | 5.4% | 9.3% |
| Pedal cycles | 349 | 5.0% | 8.7% |
| Buses and minibuses | 61 | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Other vehicles | 200 | 2.9% | 1.8% |
Collision hotspots in West Northamptonshire
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 | Towcester Road (A5076) | Roundabout | 19 | 0 | View on map |
| 2 | Broad Street (A508) | Crossroads | 16 | 1 | View on map |
| 3 | Park Avenue North (A5101) | Roundabout | 16 | 0 | View on map |
| 4 | Park Avenue (A4500) | Crossroads | 13 | 0 | View on map |
| 5 | A43 | Roundabout | 13 | 0 | View on map |
| 6 | St James' Road (A428) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 7 | Kingsthorpe Road (A508) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 8 | Lower Mounts (A4500) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 9 | St Peter's Way (A428) | Roundabout | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 10 | Harborough Road (A508) | Crossroads | 12 | 0 | View on map |
| 11 | Victoria Promenade (A428) | Crossroads | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 12 | Harlestone Road (A428) | Crossroads | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 13 | Lower Mounts (A4500) | T or staggered junction | 11 | 0 | View on map |
| 14 | Wellingborough Road (A4500) | Roundabout | 10 | 1 | View on map |
| 15 | Danes Camp Way (A5076) | Roundabout | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 16 | Wellingborough Road (A4500) | T or staggered junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 17 | Harborough Road (A508) | T or staggered junction | 10 | 0 | View on map |
| 18 | St Peter's Way (A428) | Crossroads | 9 | 1 | View on map |
| 19 | Victoria Promenade (A428) | Not at a junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 20 | Barrack Road (A508) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 21 | Kettering Road (A5123) | T or staggered junction | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 22 | Horse Market (A508) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 23 | Wellingborough Road (A4500) | Crossroads | 9 | 0 | View on map |
| 24 | Black Lion Hill (A428) | Crossroads | 8 | 1 | View on map |
| 25 | A43 | T or staggered junction | 8 | 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellingborough Road | 128 | 2 | 24 |
| Nene Valley Way | 101 | 0 | 10 |
| Harborough Road | 89 | 1 | 17 |
| Kettering Road | 86 | 1 | 13 |
| London Road | 70 | 0 | 9 |
| Towcester Road | 65 | 0 | 13 |
| Northampton Road | 56 | 1 | 5 |
| Weedon Road | 55 | 1 | 10 |
| Harlestone Road | 51 | 1 | 10 |
| Lumbertubs Way | 49 | 2 | 3 |
| High Street | 40 | 0 | 8 |
| St Peter's Way | 36 | 1 | 4 |
| Bedford Road | 35 | 0 | 5 |
| Kingsthorpe Road | 33 | 0 | 8 |
| Danes Camp Way | 32 | 0 | 1 |
Numbered roads with the most collisions
53% of collisions happened on roads with a 30 mph limit or lower (69% nationally), and 30% 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.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A508 | 283 | 5 | 41 |
| A4500 | 257 | 4 | 44 |
| A43 | 237 | 4 | 29 |
| A428 | 211 | 5 | 28 |
| A45 | 200 | 6 | 34 |
| M1 | 197 | 10 | 29 |
| A5 | 159 | 15 | 30 |
| A5123 | 155 | 1 | 25 |
| A5076 | 114 | 3 | 10 |
| A5095 | 97 | 2 | 16 |
| A361 | 64 | 3 | 11 |
| A14 | 48 | 3 | 13 |
| A5199 | 47 | 0 | 5 |
| B4525 | 40 | 0 | 10 |
| A422 | 36 | 1 | 8 |
Only numbered roads are listed here. Named streets are in the table above.
Conditions
31% of collisions in West Northamptonshire happened in darkness, higher than the 28% across Great Britain. 51% happened on roads classed as urban, lower than the national 67%.
Type of road
| Type of road | Collisions | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 207 | 5.7% | 3.0% |
| A(M) road | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| A road | 2,001 | 55.2% | 44.0% |
| B road | 104 | 2.9% | 12.5% |
| C road | 645 | 17.8% | 4.4% |
| Unclassified road | 668 | 18.4% | 35.9% |
Speed limit
| Speed limit | Collisions | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 83 | 2.3% | 17.1% |
| 30 mph | 1,848 | 51.0% | 52.0% |
| 40 mph | 333 | 9.2% | 8.7% |
| 50 mph | 266 | 7.3% | 4.4% |
| 60 mph | 719 | 19.8% | 12.2% |
| 70 mph | 376 | 10.4% | 5.5% |
Junctions
| Junctions | Collisions | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not at a junction | 1,584 | 44.2% | 45.9% |
| T or staggered junction | 1,024 | 28.6% | 28.5% |
| Crossroads | 403 | 11.3% | 9.5% |
| Junction with more than four arms | 13 | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| Private drive or entrance | 184 | 5.1% | 2.2% |
| Other junction | 41 | 1.1% | 6.1% |
| Roundabout | 333 | 9.3% | 6.2% |
Light conditions
| Light conditions | Collisions | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 2,514 | 69.4% | 71.7% |
| Darkness, street lights lit | 711 | 19.6% | 20.6% |
| Darkness, street lights unlit | 24 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Darkness, no street lighting | 350 | 9.7% | 5.3% |
| Darkness, lighting unknown | 26 | 0.7% | 1.7% |
Urban or rural
| Urban or rural | Collisions | Share in West Northamptonshire | Share across GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 1,858 | 51.3% | 67.2% |
| Rural | 1,767 | 48.7% | 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.