More accidents on A48 despite promised action

A NOTORIOUSLY dangerous stretch of road has a “serious safety problem” which statistics prove is getting worse, despite promised action from the Welsh Government.

- ROB HARRIES

The A48 between Carmarthen and Pont Abraham in Carmarthenshire is just 15 miles long but has become known in west Wales as a crash hot-spot which, on average, sees a crash every other day.

The dual carriageway stretches from Pensarn roundabout, in Carmarthen, to Pont Abraham roundabout and includes several junctions and turnoffs and Cross Hands roundabout - a crash hotspot itself - along the route.

The road includes laybys, bus stops, turnoffs without slip-roads and points where you can legally cross the opposite side of the carriageway, despite the fact that the road has a 70mph speed limit - the same as the M4, which extends eastwards from Pont Abraham roundabout.

In 2018, there were six crashes in one day along the relatively-short carriageway, including five within one hour, leading one local councillor to label the road a “disgrace”.

In 2020, the Welsh Government commissioned a WelTAG (Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance) study into the safety of a section of the A48 in Carmarthenshire, while late last year it said it was “developing a road safety scheme on the A48 between Cross Hands and Carmarthen”.

However, statistics we obtained show that road safety on the A48 is actually getting worse.

Data released by Dyfed-Powys Police via a freedom of information (FOI) request shows there were 186 collisions in a 12-month period between the start of August 2024 and the end of July 2025.