A-road

A18 traffic and collisions

The A18 is an A-road of 59.3 miles, from Lincolnshire to Doncaster. This page covers its traffic at 33 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated: 15 September 2026
Data source: Department for Transport
Records analysed: 33 count points in 2025
Methodology: View methodology

Traffic in 2025 255m vehicle miles
Average daily traffic 11,780 vehicles a day, both directions
Busiest section 30,478 B1398 to A1029
HGV share 4.5% of vehicle miles
Traffic since 2019 +2.0% same count points
Collisions, 2021 to 2025 425 35.1 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A18?

On an average day in 2025, 11,780 vehicles passed each point on the A18, counting both directions. The busiest section is B1398 to A1029 (North Lincolnshire), with 30,478 a day; the quietest listed is A614 to A1146, with 5,163.

Busiest sections, 2025

B1398 to A1029 carries 2.6 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A18 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section	Vehicles a day
B1398 to A1029 North Lincolnshire · 1.6 mi · HGVs 4.5%	30,478
At A638 Doncaster · 1.1 mi · HGVs 1.1%	30,425
A18 spur to M180 to B1398 North Lincolnshire · 1.3 mi · HGVs 7.0%	28,340
Hilton Avenue to M181 North Lincolnshire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 2.2%	26,424
A1029 to B1501 North Lincolnshire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 1.4%	21,897
Westminster Drive, Dunsville to Eden Field Rd, Edenthorpe Doncaster · 1.3 mi · HGVs 1.3%	21,266
A1084 to B1206 North Lincolnshire · 1.3 mi · HGVs 2.5%	20,539
Station Rd to Westminster Drive, Dunsville Doncaster · 1.9 mi · HGVs 1.6%	19,661
A630 to A638 Doncaster · 2.6 mi · HGVs 1.9%	18,566
B1501 to A159 North Lincolnshire · 1.2 mi · HGVs 1.6%	16,405

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Route

Lincolnshire to Doncaster · 59.3 miles

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

A18 traffic and collisions by section

29 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 1 short link roads and spurs (0.2 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 29 sections Tap a column heading to sort

Sections of the A18 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1	A16 to A46Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire	10.0	5,219	10.2%	−5.4%	24	26.1
2	A46 to A1173North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire	2.1	14,956	4.3%	+17.1%	11	20.9
3	A1173 to Council boundaryLincolnshire	5.7	5,939	6.4%	−5.6%	5	–
4	A18 spurNorth Lincolnshire	4.0	10,427	6.0%	–	13	18.1
5	A18 spur to B1206North Lincolnshire	2.9	6,191	4.3%	+3.0%	9	–
6	B1206 to A1084North Lincolnshire	0.9	8,297	3.9%	−6.9%	fewer than 3	–
7	A1084 to B1206North Lincolnshire	1.3	20,539	2.5%	+2.7%	20	43.5
8	B1206 to B1207North Lincolnshire	1.6	11,901	4.1%	+3.1%	3	–
9	B1207 to A18 spur to M180North Lincolnshire	0.4	11,901	4.1%	+3.1%	20	–
10	A18 spur to M180 to B1398North Lincolnshire	1.3	28,340	7.0%	+1.7%	18	28.2
11	B1398 to A1029North Lincolnshire	1.6	30,478	4.5%	−5.1%	20	23.3
12	A1029 to B1501North Lincolnshire	0.7	21,897	1.4%	+7.3%	11	40.6
13	B1501 to A159North Lincolnshire	1.2	16,405	1.6%	−3.4%	27	79.1
14	A159 to Scotter Road roundaboutNorth Lincolnshire	1.6	15,555	1.8%	+2.8%	23	46.1
15	Scotter Road roundabout to Hilton AvenueNorth Lincolnshire	0.2	29,038	2.2%	+13.0%	8	–
16	Hilton Avenue to M181North Lincolnshire	0.5	26,424	2.2%	+13.0%	16	70.6
17	M181 to A161North Lincolnshire	5.8	7,615	3.8%	–	26	161.3
18	A161 to M180 northern slip/A614 roundaboutNorth Lincolnshire, Doncaster	6.3	8,108	10.8%	+25.7%	16	20.7
19	M180 southern slip to M180/A614 roundaboutDoncaster	0.2	8,154	9.7%	−6.3%	fewer than 3	–
20	M180 to A614Doncaster	0.9	8,955	7.4%	+1.5%	3	–
21	A614 to A1146Doncaster	0.8	5,163	4.2%	−5.3%	0	–
22	A1146 to Station Rd, HatfieldDoncaster	0.6	11,439	1.8%	−13.9%	5	–
23	Station Rd to Westminster Drive, DunsvilleDoncaster	1.9	19,661	1.6%	+2.4%	22	35.5
24	Westminster Drive, Dunsville to Eden Field Rd, EdenthorpeDoncaster	1.3	21,266	1.3%	−2.8%	9	–
25	A630 to Eden Field RdDoncaster	0.9	15,164	1.0%	−15.3%	9	–
26	Roundabout A630 Wheatley Hall Road/A18 to Roundabout A630/A18/Herald RoadDoncaster	0.3	34,518	2.4%	–	12	–
27	A630 to A638Doncaster	2.6	18,566	1.9%	+1.2%	41	48.0
28	At A638Doncaster	1.1	30,425	1.1%	+4.8%	31	51.7
29	A638 to A630Doncaster	0.4	22,062	2.3%	+7.5%	12	–

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A18 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.

A18 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 78.9% of the vehicle miles on the A18. HGVs account for 4.5%, rising to 10.8% on A161 to M180 northern slip/A614 roundabout.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Share of vehicle miles on the A18 by vehicle type
Category	Share
Cars and taxis	78.9%
Vans (LGVs)	15.6%
HGVs	4.5%
Motorcycles	0.7%
Buses and coaches	0.3%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A18, by year
Year	HGV share
2000	6.5%
2001	6.0%
2002	5.5%
2003	5.9%
2004	6.1%
2005	5.6%
2006	5.6%
2007	5.8%
2008	5.6%
2009	5.0%
2010	5.2%
2011	5.0%
2012	5.1%
2013	5.2%
2014	5.2%
2015	5.1%
2016	5.1%
2017	4.9%
2018	5.0%
2019	4.8%
2020	5.6%
2021	5.4%
2022	5.0%
2023	4.7%
2024	4.6%
2025	4.5%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A18 traffic trend

Traffic on the A18 came to 255 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 2.0% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 2.8% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 15.6% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A18 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year	Vehicle miles
2000	216m
2001	217m
2002	225m
2003	231m
2004	236m
2005	238m
2006	241m
2007	242m
2008	240m
2009	243m
2010	240m
2011	240m
2012	238m
2013	237m
2014	243m
2015	247m
2016	245m
2017	247m
2018	250m
2019	250m
2020	194m
2021	216m
2022	239m
2023	247m
2024	253m
2025	255m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A18, weighted by link length, by year
Year	Vehicles a day
2000	10,047
2001	10,089
2002	10,467
2003	10,745
2004	10,948
2005	11,066
2006	11,169
2007	11,208
2008	11,114
2009	11,266
2010	11,086
2011	11,123
2012	11,016
2013	10,976
2014	11,245
2015	11,420
2016	11,346
2017	11,383
2018	11,426
2019	11,490
2020	8,921
2021	9,913
2022	10,979
2023	11,305
2024	11,590
2025	11,780

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 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 (83.0% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 3 of the 33 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A18 collisions

Police recorded 425 collisions with the A18 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 120 of them fatal or serious, including 11 fatal. That is 35.1 per 100 million vehicle miles, higher than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 1.4 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

Down 11.9% 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 A18, 2021 to 2025
Section	Per 100m vehicle miles
M181 to A161 North Lincolnshire · 26 collisions	161.3
B1501 to A159 North Lincolnshire · 27 collisions	79.1
Hilton Avenue to M181 North Lincolnshire · 16 collisions	70.6
At A638 Doncaster · 31 collisions	51.7
A630 to A638 Doncaster · 41 collisions	48.0
A159 to Scotter Road roundabout North Lincolnshire · 23 collisions	46.1
A1084 to B1206 North Lincolnshire · 20 collisions	43.5
A1029 to B1501 North Lincolnshire · 11 collisions	40.6

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

A further 73 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A18 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 A18

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

Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
Doncaster

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	2000 to 2025	33 count points in 2025	15 September 2026
Reported collisions	Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2021 to 2025	425 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”.

How we calculate these figures All data sources

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

How busy is the A18?

Route

A18 traffic and collisions by section

A18 traffic by vehicle type

A18 traffic trend

A18 collisions

Council areas on the A18

Roads that meet the A18

Data sources and methodology

Related statistics