The Snake Pass › Crash history
Snake Pass accidents: five years of crash data
From 2021 to 2025 the police recorded 77 collisions in which someone was hurt on the A57 Snake Pass, between the Royal Oak Inn in Glossop and the Ladybower Inn: about 15 a year, roughly one every three to four weeks.
Year by year
| Year | Collisions | Fatal | Serious | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 8 |
| 2024 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| 2025 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
Where on the pass
| Stretch | Collisions | Fatal or serious | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| The first mile up from the Royal Oak Inn, Glossop | 20 | 10 | 9 |
| The climb to the summit (512 m / 1,680 ft) | 13 | 6 | 10 |
| Over the tops to the Old Snake Inn | 16 | 9 | 10 |
| Down the Woodlands Valley past Alport to Ladybower | 10 | 4 | 5 |
| Ladybower: the Ashopton Viaduct and the lights | 18 | 10 | 13 |
Miles are counted from the Royal Oak Inn: the summit is at 3.3 miles, the Old Snake Inn at 5.9, Ladybower at 11.1 and the Ladybower Inn at 13.
When and in what conditions
- Weekends: 44 of the 77 (57%) happened on a Saturday or Sunday.
- Time of day: 51 in the afternoon, 12 in the morning, 8 in the evening, 6 at night.
- Time of year: 48 between April and September; busiest in May, September, March.
- Road and light: 59 on a dry road and 16 on a wet one; 63 in daylight.
- Alone: 38 of the 77 involved only one vehicle.
Motorcycles
47 of the 77 injury collisions (61%) involved a motorcycle, and 29 of those were fatal or serious. The Snake Pass is one of the best-known biking roads in the north of England, and most of its crashes happen on exactly the days it is best to ride: dry, bright weekends from spring to autumn.
What it means if you ride or drive it
The figures say the pass bites on good days more than bad ones. Ride and drive it at a pace that leaves room for the bend you cannot see round, for a sheep, a cyclist or a car coming the other way on your side of the road. The first mile out of Glossop and the run down to Ladybower carry the most traffic and the most crashes; the tops are where you are furthest from help. Check today's conditions before you go.
Questions people ask
How many accidents happen on the Snake Pass?
Between 2021 and 2025 the police recorded 77 collisions in which someone was hurt on the A57 Snake Pass between the Royal Oak Inn, Glossop, and the Ladybower Inn: about 15 a year. 3 were fatal and 36 serious.
Is the Snake Pass dangerous?
It is a demanding road rather than a dangerous one for those who ride or drive it with care, but crashes on it are often bad: 51% of the injury collisions recorded there in 2021-2025 were fatal or serious. Most happened on dry days in daylight, so bad weather is not the main story.
Where do most crashes happen on the Snake Pass?
The first mile up from the Royal Oak Inn, Glossop: 20 of the 77. See the table of stretches below, or every collision on the map.
When do most crashes happen on the Snake Pass?
At weekends (44 of 77), in the afternoon (51 of 77), and from spring to autumn, busiest in May, September, March.
How many Snake Pass crashes involve motorcycles?
47 of the 77 injury collisions (61%) involved a motorcycle, and 29 of those were fatal or serious.
About the data
Source: Department for Transport, road casualty statistics (STATS19), 2021–2025, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. It counts only collisions in which someone was hurt and which the police recorded: crashes with no injury, and many minor ones, are not in it, and neither are the medical and mountain rescue calls that also bring the emergency services up the pass. Collisions are included when the police position is within 40 m of the road between the Royal Oak Inn and the Ladybower Inn; positions are accurate to about 10 m. Each year is added when the Department for Transport publishes it, usually in the autumn. This page gives the month and year, not the date, of each collision; the full list is on the map and as a data file.