Motorway

A1(M) traffic and collisions

The A1(M) is a motorway of 156.5 miles, from Hertfordshire to Gateshead. This page covers its traffic at 86 DfT count points since 2002 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated: 15 September 2026
Data source: Department for Transport
Records analysed: 86 count points in 2025
Methodology: View methodology

Traffic in 2025 4.0bn vehicle miles
Average daily traffic 69,300 vehicles a day, both directions
Busiest section 109,039 A64 to A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane
HGV share 13.2% of vehicle miles
Traffic since 2019 +0.5% same count points
Collisions, 2021 to 2025 762 4.0 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A1(M)?

On an average day in 2025, 69,300 vehicles passed each point on the A1(M), counting both directions. The busiest section is A64 to A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane (North Yorkshire, Leeds), with 109,039 a day; the quietest listed is J57 to J58, with 44,487.

Busiest sections, 2025

A64 to A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane carries 1.6 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A1(M) with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section	Vehicles a day
A64 to A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane North Yorkshire, Leeds · 0.6 mi · HGVs 14.5%	109,039
A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane to A659 Leeds · 3.6 mi · HGVs 14.5%	109,039
A1(M) to A64 Leeds, North Yorkshire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 14.9%	97,538
J8 to J9 Hertfordshire · 2.6 mi · HGVs 5.1%	93,845
J64 to J65 Gateshead · 1.0 mi · HGVs 6.8%	92,444
J63 to J64 Durham, Gateshead · 1.4 mi · HGVs 7.1%	91,500
A630 to A635 Doncaster · 3.5 mi · HGVs 17.3%	91,038
J3 to J4 Hertfordshire · 2.1 mi · HGVs 5.2%	90,181
M1 to Adj Hicklam Hotel Leeds · 5.1 mi · HGVs 14.8%	87,457
M18 to A630 Doncaster · 1.9 mi · HGVs 17.4%	86,982

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2002 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Route

Hertfordshire to Gateshead · 156.5 miles in 3 stretches

Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A1(M) traffic and collisions by section

52 sections between junctions, in route order (3 separate stretches). Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 21 short link roads and spurs (5.6 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 52 sections Tap a column heading to sort

Sections of the A1(M) in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1	A1 to M25Hertfordshire · stretch 1	0.3	49,183	3.9%	−6.2%	0	–
2	J1 to J2Hertfordshire · stretch 1	4.0	73,025	5.3%	+0.1%	26	5.3
3	J2 to J3Hertfordshire · stretch 1	0.9	59,066	6.0%	−3.7%	3	–
4	J3 to J4Hertfordshire · stretch 1	2.1	90,181	5.2%	−6.2%	33	9.2
5	J4 to J5Hertfordshire · stretch 1	1.5	84,148	4.9%	+6.0%	10	4.8
6	J5 to J6Hertfordshire · stretch 1	2.1	73,375	4.9%	−18.8%	23	7.9
7	A1000 Hertford Road to A1000/B197Hertfordshire · stretch 1	0.6	81,289	4.6%	+3.4%	8	–
8	A1000/B197 to J7Hertfordshire · stretch 1	3.9	83,782	5.1%	−11.5%	41	7.1
9	J7 to J8Hertfordshire · stretch 1	3.1	71,265	5.7%	−5.7%	31	7.9
10	J8 to J9Hertfordshire · stretch 1	2.6	93,845	5.1%	+5.6%	26	6.2
11	J9 to J10Hertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire · stretch 1	3.5	48,381	6.9%	−4.4%	22	7.2
12	A507 to A1Central Bedfordshire · stretch 1	0.2	35,262	7.4%	−0.5%	3	–
13	A1 Brooklands to A1M merge Vinegar HillCambridgeshire · stretch 2	1.4	63,915	13.3%	+90.1%	7	–
14	A1M merge Vinegar Hill to A15Cambridgeshire · stretch 2	9.3	75,975	13.6%	−4.6%	37	2.9
15	A15 to A605/A1139Cambridgeshire · stretch 2	2.5	84,283	12.3%	+5.9%	18	5.1
16	A1139 to A1 Orton SouthgateCambridgeshire · stretch 2	0.2	34,347	19.4%	−6.5%	fewer than 3	–
17	A614 Bawtry Road/A1 Doncaster Bypass to J2Nottinghamshire, Doncaster · stretch 3	7.4	55,811	17.9%	+4.1%	23	3.1
18	M18 to A630Doncaster · stretch 3	1.9	86,982	17.4%	+6.3%	22	7.6
19	A630 to A635Doncaster · stretch 3	3.5	91,038	17.3%	+5.1%	37	6.7
20	A635 to A1Doncaster · stretch 3	2.5	79,360	17.8%	−2.1%	8	–
21	A1 to A635Doncaster · stretch 3	0.4	77,019	17.6%	−1.9%	5	–
22	A1(T) to M62Wakefield · stretch 3	2.7	67,876	17.7%	−3.8%	10	3.0
23	M62 to A63(T)Wakefield, North Yorkshire · stretch 3	3.8	64,221	17.5%	−10.9%	10	2.2
24	At A63(T)North Yorkshire · stretch 3	2.1	58,732	15.4%	−10.7%	4	–
25	M1 to Adj Hicklam HotelLeeds · stretch 3	5.1	87,457	14.8%	−8.6%	43	5.3
26	A1(M) to A64Leeds, North Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.6	97,538	14.9%	−4.4%	fewer than 3	–
27	A64 to A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common LaneNorth Yorkshire, Leeds · stretch 3	0.6	109,039	14.5%	−0.2%	5	–
28	A1 non-DBFO 150 m N of Spen Common Lane to A659Leeds · stretch 3	3.6	109,039	14.5%	−0.2%	23	3.5
29	A659 to A1Leeds · stretch 3	1.9	86,149	20.9%	−1.8%	8	–
30	A1 to A59Leeds, North Yorkshire · stretch 3	6.6	82,100	20.2%	–	33	3.3
31	J47 to J48North Yorkshire · stretch 3	5.1	85,818	17.1%	−4.9%	25	3.1
32	J48 to A1M Spur to A168North Yorkshire · stretch 3	4.8	82,350	17.3%	−8.4%	22	3.0
33	A1M Spur to A168 to J49North Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.6	50,755	11.2%	−3.5%	5	–
34	A1M Junction 49 to A61North Yorkshire · stretch 3	2.2	59,112	16.4%	+2.6%	3	–
35	A61 to A1M Junction 49North Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.7	52,567	17.3%	+3.4%	fewer than 3	–
36	A61 to A1 spur to A684North Yorkshire · stretch 3	9.8	54,826	17.5%	+7.0%	16	1.7
37	At Off rampsNorth Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.7	49,077	16.0%	−14.8%	6	–
38	J51 to J52North Yorkshire · stretch 3	5.2	68,276	14.2%	+17.5%	15	2.5
39	At J52North Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.6	53,900	16.3%	+6.2%	fewer than 3	–
40	J52 to J53North Yorkshire · stretch 3	3.9	61,570	14.9%	+18.8%	11	2.5
41	At J53North Yorkshire · stretch 3	0.4	55,476	13.3%	−0.3%	fewer than 3	–
42	J53 to J56North Yorkshire · stretch 3	1.6	69,459	10.9%	+13.9%	3	–
43	J56 to J57North Yorkshire · stretch 3	2.5	67,138	11.7%	+12.9%	7	–
44	J57 to J58North Yorkshire, Darlington · stretch 3	4.7	44,487	15.2%	+7.5%	10	2.8
45	J58 to J59Darlington, Durham · stretch 3	2.3	57,127	11.4%	+21.3%	11	5.2
46	J59 to J60Durham, Darlington · stretch 3	5.3	53,973	11.7%	+16.1%	16	3.3
47	J60 to J61Durham · stretch 3	6.3	64,569	9.8%	+9.9%	10	1.4
48	J61 to J62Durham · stretch 3	4.6	74,602	9.5%	+9.5%	17	3.1
49	J62 to J63Durham · stretch 3	5.9	69,398	9.2%	−6.0%	22	3.1
50	J63 to J64Durham, Gateshead · stretch 3	1.4	91,500	7.1%	−12.0%	9	–
51	J64 to J65Gateshead · stretch 3	1.0	92,444	6.8%	−3.2%	12	6.6
52	J65 to A1/A1231 SpurGateshead · stretch 3	0.4	64,710	6.9%	−10.3%	3	–

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A1(M) as the first road, placed on the nearest section by their recorded position; rates (per 100 million vehicle miles) are shown for sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more.

A1(M) traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 68.3% of the vehicle miles on the A1(M). HGVs account for 13.2%, rising to 20.9% on A659 to A1.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Share of vehicle miles on the A1(M) by vehicle type
Category	Share
Cars and taxis	68.3%
Vans (LGVs)	18.1%
HGVs	13.2%
Motorcycles	0.2%
Buses and coaches	0.2%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2002 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A1(M), by year
Year	HGV share
2002	17.3%
2003	15.9%
2004	16.2%
2005	14.8%
2006	17.1%
2007	17.2%
2008	18.3%
2009	17.0%
2010	17.0%
2011	17.8%
2012	18.3%
2013	15.1%
2014	15.3%
2015	14.1%
2016	13.5%
2017	13.6%
2018	13.7%
2019	13.9%
2020	17.4%
2021	16.7%
2022	14.2%
2023	13.8%
2024	13.6%
2025	13.2%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2002 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A1(M) traffic trend

Traffic on the A1(M) came to 3.96 billion vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 0.5% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 6.0% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Vehicle miles on the A1(M) each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year	Vehicle miles
2002	183m
2003	204m
2004	192m
2005	209m
2006	438m
2007	571m
2008	588m
2009	572m
2010	598m
2011	629m
2012	592m
2013	1.8bn
2014	1.9bn
2015	3.5bn
2016	3.5bn
2017	3.6bn
2018	3.7bn
2019	3.9bn
2020	2.9bn
2021	3.5bn
2022	3.9bn
2023	3.9bn
2024	3.9bn
2025	4.0bn

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2002 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A1(M), weighted by link length, by year
Year	Vehicles a day
2002	53,839
2003	59,939
2004	56,618
2005	61,501
2006	56,561
2007	59,725
2008	61,522
2009	59,827
2010	62,795
2011	66,033
2012	62,180
2013	59,215
2014	60,717
2015	66,898
2016	68,772
2017	69,225
2018	67,752
2019	68,971
2020	51,452
2021	61,343
2022	67,898
2023	68,383
2024	68,451
2025	69,300

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2002 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

The chart counts the whole road as it was each year, so new or renumbered stretches move it. The percentage changes compare only count points present in both years. In 2025, 49 of the 86 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A1(M) collisions

Police recorded 762 collisions with the A1(M) as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 198 of them fatal or serious. That is 4.0 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 4.9 for all motorways in Great Britain. On average there were 1.0 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

Down 37.2% from 2021 to 2025.

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Sections with the highest collision rates

Per 100 million vehicle miles, 2021 to 2025. Sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more collisions.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A1(M), 2021 to 2025
Section	Per 100m vehicle miles
J3 to J4 Hertfordshire · 33 collisions	9.2
J7 to J8 Hertfordshire · 31 collisions	7.9
J5 to J6 Hertfordshire · 23 collisions	7.9
M18 to A630 Doncaster · 22 collisions	7.6
J9 to J10 Hertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire · 22 collisions	7.2
A1000/B197 to J7 Hertfordshire · 41 collisions	7.1
A630 to A635 Doncaster · 37 collisions	6.7
J64 to J65 Gateshead · 12 collisions	6.6

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A further 67 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A1(M) was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. How we count collisions

Council areas on the A1(M)

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

Hertfordshire
Central Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Nottinghamshire
Doncaster
Wakefield
North Yorkshire
Leeds
Darlington
Durham
Gateshead
Sunderland

Planned closures on the A1(M) in England

National Highways has 82 planned closures on the A1(M) between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, 80 of them starting in that period. 30 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 70 start between 7pm and 6am.

Lane or slip A1M Jct 56 to Jct 57 Barton Northbound Hard Shoulder Closure

16 Sept, 09:00 to 13:00 Authority operation
Lane or slip A1M Jct 57 to Jct 58 Cleasby Northbound Hard Shoulder Closure

16 Sept, 12:00 to 15:00 Authority operation
Carriageway A1M Jct 62 northbound exit slip road closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 30 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A1M Jct 62 southbound entry slip road closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 29 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A1M Jct 62 northbound exit slip road closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 24 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A1M Jct 62 southbound entry slip road closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 30 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Lane or slip A1M Jct 63 to Jct 62 Southbound Lane 1 Closure (2)

16 Sept 20:00 to 29 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Construction work
Lane or slip A1M Jct 63 to Jct 62 Southbound Lane 1 Closure (2)

16 Sept 20:00 to 26 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Construction work

74 more planned closures in this period are not shown.

Planned closures only: National Highways can cancel or change them, and closures caused by incidents are not shown. Council roads in England are not covered. Roadworks and closures across the UK

Source:National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 Updated 16 Sept 2026

Roadworks on the A1(M) in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 34 sets of roadworks on the A1(M) in Scotland, 8 of them under way. 25 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

A1t B6438 North Of Reston To U129-6 At Renton Bush

Lane closed Under way, until 17 Oct 2026 Gofibre Holdings Limited
A1(T) - Amse 10147/41 - Overhailes Underpass To Traprain Underbridge, East Linton

Road closed Under way, until 13 Sept 2026 SP Energy Networks
A1(T) - Amse 10147/40 - Traprain Underbridge To Overhailes Underpass, East Linton

Road closed Under way, until 13 Sept 2026 SP Energy Networks
A1(T) - Amse 10163/07 - Bankton Nb Offslip To Nb Onslip, Tranent

Lane closed Under way, until 1 Oct 2026 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company
A1(T) - Amse 10160/20 - Gladsmuir Nb Onslip To Bankton Nb Offslip, Macmerry

Lane closed Under way, until 16 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company
A1(T) - Amse 10160/21 - Bankton Sb Onslip To Gladsmuir Sb Offslip, Macmerry

Lane closed Under way, until 16 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

Works in Scotland only, and only where the register records them against the road number. The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland

Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated 16 Sept 2026

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures	Source	Period	Records	Updated
Traffic counts and vehicle mix	Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2002 to 2025	86 count points in 2025	15 September 2026
Reported collisions	Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2021 to 2025	762 reported collisions	15 September 2026
Planned closures	Transport Data Feeds (DATEX II) National Highways	2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30	2,304 planned closure schemes	16 September 2026
Roadworks	Scottish Road Works Register open data Scottish Road Works Commissioner	Extract of 2026-09-16	22,074 sets of roadworks recorded in Scotland	16 September 2026

Annual average daily flow (AADF) is the average number of vehicles passing a point on a typical day of the year, both directions combined.
Vehicle miles are AADF multiplied by link length and 365, summed over every count point link on the road.
Sections join count point links between junctions, using the link lines in DfT’s major road database.
STATS19 covers personal injury collisions reported to the police. Damage-only collisions are not included, and not every injury collision is reported.
Serious and slight figures are DfT’s adjusted estimates, which allow for police forces moving to injury-based reporting.
Counts of one or two collisions below Great Britain level are shown as “fewer than 3”.

How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How busy is the A1(M)?

Route

A1(M) traffic and collisions by section

A1(M) traffic by vehicle type

A1(M) traffic trend

A1(M) collisions

Council areas on the A1(M)

Roads that meet the A1(M)

Planned closures on the A1(M) in England

Roadworks on the A1(M) in Scotland

Data sources and methodology

Related statistics