A-road
A143 traffic and collisions
The A143 is an A-road of 74.5 miles, from Essex to Norfolk. This page covers its traffic at 21 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 285m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 10,473 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 25,997 At A146
- HGV share 5.8% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +4.2% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 243 18.1 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A143?
On an average day in 2025, 10,473 vehicles passed each point on the A143, counting both directions. The busiest section is At A146 (Norfolk), with 25,997 a day; the quietest listed is Ann Sucklings Road (Haverhill) to A1302 Cullum Road, with 7,512.
Busiest sections, 2025
At A146 carries 2.5 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| At A146 Norfolk · 1.1 mi · HGVs 3.6% | 25,997 |
| A14 to A134 Suffolk · 0.7 mi · HGVs 9.7% | 23,834 |
| A1088 S Ixworth to A1088 N Ixworth Suffolk · 0.7 mi · HGVs 4.7% | 18,686 |
| A134 to A1088 Suffolk · 6.1 mi · HGVs 5.2% | 18,112 |
| A1088 N Ixworth to B1111 Stanton Suffolk · 2.3 mi · HGVs 7.1% | 13,118 |
| A1017 to A1307 Essex, Suffolk · 1.5 mi · HGVs 1.3% | 12,869 |
| Green Lane to A12 Norfolk · 1.5 mi · HGVs 2.9% | 12,455 |
| A1307 The Pightle to Ann Suckling Rd Suffolk · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.7% | 11,943 |
| A140 to B1134 Harleston south Suffolk, Norfolk · 6.7 mi · HGVs 8.9% | 11,451 |
| B1074 to Green Lane Norfolk · 3.8 mi · HGVs 3.1% | 10,279 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Essex to Norfolk · 74.5 miles
A143 traffic and collisions by section
17 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Show all 17 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1017 to A1307Essex, Suffolk | 12,869 | 9 |
| 2 | A1307 The Pightle to Ann Suckling RdSuffolk | 11,943 | 3 |
| 3 | Ann Sucklings Road (Haverhill) to A1302 Cullum RoadSuffolk | 7,512 | 59 |
| 4 | A1101 Out Northgate to A14 flyoverSuffolk | 19,712 | 8 |
| 5 | A14 to A134Suffolk | 23,834 | 5 |
| 6 | A134 to A1088Suffolk | 18,112 | 19 |
| 7 | A1088 S Ixworth to A1088 N IxworthSuffolk | 18,686 | 3 |
| 8 | A1088 N Ixworth to B1111 StantonSuffolk | 13,118 | 8 |
| 9 | B1111 Stanton to A140Suffolk | 8,148 | 26 |
| 10 | A140 to B1134 Harleston southSuffolk, Norfolk | 11,451 | 16 |
| 11 | B1134 Harleston to A144 BungayNorfolk, Suffolk | 8,939 | 15 |
| 12 | A144 Broad Street to A146Suffolk, Norfolk | 10,073 | 9 |
| 13 | At A146Norfolk | 25,997 | 4 |
| 14 | A146 to B1074Norfolk | 9,595 | 18 |
| 15 | B1074 to Green LaneNorfolk | 10,279 | 18 |
| 16 | Green Lane to A12Norfolk | 12,455 | 19 |
| 17 | A12(T) to B1370Norfolk | 4,521 | 3 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A143 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.
A143 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 75.9% of the vehicle miles on the A143. HGVs account for 5.8%, rising to 9.7% on A14 to A134.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.8% |
| 2001 | 7.4% |
| 2002 | 7.8% |
| 2003 | 7.9% |
| 2004 | 7.9% |
| 2005 | 7.5% |
| 2006 | 7.6% |
| 2007 | 8.1% |
| 2008 | 7.3% |
| 2009 | 6.8% |
| 2010 | 7.7% |
| 2011 | 7.4% |
| 2012 | 7.5% |
| 2013 | 7.5% |
| 2014 | 7.3% |
| 2015 | 7.5% |
| 2016 | 7.2% |
| 2017 | 7.2% |
| 2018 | 6.6% |
| 2019 | 6.3% |
| 2020 | 7.2% |
| 2021 | 7.0% |
| 2022 | 6.5% |
| 2023 | 6.2% |
| 2024 | 5.9% |
| 2025 | 5.8% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A143 traffic trend
Traffic on the A143 came to 285 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 4.2% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 14.4% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 19.6% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 233m |
| 2001 | 240m |
| 2002 | 253m |
| 2003 | 258m |
| 2004 | 259m |
| 2005 | 265m |
| 2006 | 267m |
| 2007 | 251m |
| 2008 | 250m |
| 2009 | 250m |
| 2010 | 247m |
| 2011 | 246m |
| 2012 | 241m |
| 2013 | 242m |
| 2014 | 245m |
| 2015 | 250m |
| 2016 | 255m |
| 2017 | 258m |
| 2018 | 270m |
| 2019 | 272m |
| 2020 | 216m |
| 2021 | 239m |
| 2022 | 265m |
| 2023 | 270m |
| 2024 | 281m |
| 2025 | 285m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 8,695 |
| 2001 | 8,963 |
| 2002 | 9,436 |
| 2003 | 9,631 |
| 2004 | 9,665 |
| 2005 | 9,893 |
| 2006 | 9,988 |
| 2007 | 9,371 |
| 2008 | 9,347 |
| 2009 | 9,347 |
| 2010 | 9,216 |
| 2011 | 9,190 |
| 2012 | 8,997 |
| 2013 | 9,040 |
| 2014 | 9,147 |
| 2015 | 9,336 |
| 2016 | 9,509 |
| 2017 | 9,617 |
| 2018 | 10,020 |
| 2019 | 10,025 |
| 2020 | 7,971 |
| 2021 | 8,796 |
| 2022 | 9,740 |
| 2023 | 9,925 |
| 2024 | 10,342 |
| 2025 | 10,473 |
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 (76.6% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 2 of the 21 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A143 collisions
Police recorded 243 collisions with the A143 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 91 of them fatal or serious, including 14 fatal. That is 18.1 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.7 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Up 15.9% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | 21 |
| 2022 | 29 | 13 |
| 2023 | 30 | 17 |
| 2024 | 31 | 28 |
| 2025 | 39 | 12 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Green Lane to A12 Norfolk · 19 collisions | 58.9 |
| Ann Sucklings Road (Haverhill) to A1302 Cullum Road Suffolk · 59 collisions | 33.5 |
| B1074 to Green Lane Norfolk · 18 collisions | 27.9 |
| A146 to B1074 Norfolk · 18 collisions | 17.3 |
| B1111 Stanton to A140 Suffolk · 26 collisions | 14.8 |
| A140 to B1134 Harleston south Suffolk, Norfolk · 16 collisions | 11.9 |
| B1134 Harleston to A144 Bungay Norfolk, Suffolk · 15 collisions | 11.6 |
| A134 to A1088 Suffolk · 19 collisions | 10.1 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 30 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A143 was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. 99.6% of the collisions could be placed on a section. How we count collisions
Council areas on the A143
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Essex
- Suffolk
- Norfolk
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 | 21 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 243 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.