Trunk A-road
A1081 traffic and collisions
The A1081 is a trunk A-road of 19.5 miles, from Barnet to Luton. This page covers its traffic at 28 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 135m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 18,982 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 53,025 M1 junction 10a to A505
- HGV share 3.7% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −1.3% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 174 28.0 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A1081?
On an average day in 2025, 18,982 vehicles passed each point on the A1081, counting both directions. The busiest section is M1 junction 10a to A505 (Central Bedfordshire, Luton), with 53,025 a day; the quietest listed is Sunset View to M25, with 7,959.
Busiest sections, 2025
M1 junction 10a to A505 carries 2.8 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| M1 junction 10a to A505 Central Bedfordshire, Luton · 1.1 mi · HGVs 2.9% | 53,025 |
| M25 Junction 22 to A414 Hertfordshire · 1.7 mi · HGVs 3.8% | 23,041 |
| B487 to B653 Hertfordshire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 0.9% | 17,682 |
| A505 to Airport Luton · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.1% | 17,453 |
| B653 to The Common Hertfordshire · 1.8 mi · HGVs 0.8% | 15,922 |
| The Common, Harpenden to M1 junction 10a southern roundabout Hertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire · 2.3 mi · HGVs 1.1% | 15,075 |
| Beesonend Lane, Harpenden to Sandridgebury Lane, St Albans Hertfordshire · 1.9 mi · HGVs 1.2% | 14,835 |
| A414 to A5183 Hertfordshire · 2.2 mi · HGVs 1.0% | 14,450 |
| Beesonend Lane to B487 Hertfordshire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 1.2% | 12,952 |
| Sandridgebury Lane to B651 Stonecross Hertfordshire · 0.9 mi · HGVs 0.8% | 9,046 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Barnet to Luton · 19.5 miles
A1081 traffic and collisions by section
16 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 9 short link roads and spurs (2.1 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 16 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1000 to Sunset ViewBarnet | 9,117 | 5 |
| 2 | Sunset View to M25Barnet, Hertfordshire | 7,959 | 12 |
| 3 | M25 Junction 22 to A414Hertfordshire | 23,041 | 13 |
| 4 | A414 to A5183Hertfordshire | 14,450 | 25 |
| 5 | A5183 to A4147Hertfordshire | 8,020 | 13 |
| 6 | A4147 to B651Hertfordshire | 13,170 | 9 |
| 7 | Sandridgebury Lane to B651 StonecrossHertfordshire | 9,046 | 12 |
| 8 | Beesonend Lane, Harpenden to Sandridgebury Lane, St AlbansHertfordshire | 14,835 | fewer than 3 |
| 9 | Beesonend Lane to B487Hertfordshire | 12,952 | 6 |
| 10 | B487 to B653Hertfordshire | 17,682 | 12 |
| 11 | B653 to The CommonHertfordshire | 15,922 | 21 |
| 12 | The Common, Harpenden to M1 junction 10a southern roundaboutHertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire | 15,075 | 4 |
| 13 | M1 junction 10a southern roundabout to on slip heading away from M1Central Bedfordshire | 5,303 | 0 |
| 14 | M1 junction 10a to A505Central Bedfordshire, Luton | 53,025 | 5 |
| 15 | At A505Central Bedfordshire | 24,666 | 6 |
| 16 | A505 to AirportLuton | 17,453 | 6 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A1081 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.
A1081 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 81.9% of the vehicle miles on the A1081. HGVs account for 3.7%.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.0% |
| 2001 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | 3.4% |
| 2003 | 3.6% |
| 2004 | 3.6% |
| 2005 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | 2.7% |
| 2007 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | 2.4% |
| 2009 | 2.3% |
| 2010 | 2.5% |
| 2011 | 2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.4% |
| 2013 | 2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.4% |
| 2015 | 2.4% |
| 2016 | 2.5% |
| 2017 | 2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.1% |
| 2021 | 3.0% |
| 2022 | 2.5% |
| 2023 | 2.4% |
| 2024 | 3.8% |
| 2025 | 3.7% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A1081 traffic trend
Traffic on the A1081 came to 135 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 1.3% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 3.9% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is down 3.3% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 104m |
| 2001 | 106m |
| 2002 | 112m |
| 2003 | 115m |
| 2004 | 113m |
| 2005 | 116m |
| 2006 | 119m |
| 2007 | 119m |
| 2008 | 121m |
| 2009 | 122m |
| 2010 | 113m |
| 2011 | 114m |
| 2012 | 109m |
| 2013 | 110m |
| 2014 | 113m |
| 2015 | 121m |
| 2016 | 125m |
| 2017 | 130m |
| 2018 | 134m |
| 2019 | 134m |
| 2020 | 97m |
| 2021 | 107m |
| 2022 | 122m |
| 2023 | 128m |
| 2024 | 129m |
| 2025 | 135m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 17,238 |
| 2001 | 17,862 |
| 2002 | 18,261 |
| 2003 | 17,739 |
| 2004 | 17,475 |
| 2005 | 17,941 |
| 2006 | 18,400 |
| 2007 | 18,431 |
| 2008 | 18,769 |
| 2009 | 18,534 |
| 2010 | 17,932 |
| 2011 | 17,783 |
| 2012 | 16,889 |
| 2013 | 17,125 |
| 2014 | 17,244 |
| 2015 | 17,233 |
| 2016 | 17,791 |
| 2017 | 18,469 |
| 2018 | 18,799 |
| 2019 | 18,860 |
| 2020 | 13,930 |
| 2021 | 15,198 |
| 2022 | 17,312 |
| 2023 | 18,217 |
| 2024 | 18,294 |
| 2025 | 18,982 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
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, 6 of the 28 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A1081 collisions
Police recorded 174 collisions with the A1081 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 39 of them fatal or serious. That is 28.0 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 1.8 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 21.9% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | 7 |
| 2022 | 40 | 13 |
| 2023 | 28 | 5 |
| 2024 | 25 | 6 |
| 2025 | 17 | 8 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
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.
| Section | Per 100m vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| Sandridgebury Lane to B651 Stonecross Hertfordshire · 12 collisions | 83.4 |
| B487 to B653 Hertfordshire · 12 collisions | 55.3 |
| A414 to A5183 Hertfordshire · 25 collisions | 45.2 |
| B653 to The Common Hertfordshire · 21 collisions | 42.0 |
| Sunset View to M25 Barnet, Hertfordshire · 12 collisions | 40.9 |
| M25 Junction 22 to A414 Hertfordshire · 13 collisions | 19.6 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 45 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A1081 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 A1081
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Barnet
- Hertfordshire
- Central Bedfordshire
- Luton
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic counts and vehicle mix | Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2000 to 2025 | 28 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 174 reported collisions | 15 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”.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.