Trunk A-road

A23 traffic and collisions

The A23 is a trunk A-road of 59.1 miles, from Lambeth to Brighton and Hove. This page covers its traffic at 82 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated: 15 September 2026
Data source: Department for Transport
Records analysed: 82 count points in 2025
Methodology: View methodology

Traffic in 2025 708m vehicle miles
Average daily traffic 32,830 vehicles a day, both directions
Busiest section 79,637 A273 to A27 spur
HGV share 3.4% of vehicle miles
Traffic since 2019 −3.0% same count points
Collisions, 2021 to 2025 2,723 80.1 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A23?

On an average day in 2025, 32,830 vehicles passed each point on the A23, counting both directions. The busiest section is A273 to A27 spur (West Sussex, Brighton and Hove), with 79,637 a day; the quietest listed is A23 St Peter's Place, with 3,020.

Busiest sections, 2025

A273 to A27 spur carries 2.4 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A23 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section	Vehicles a day
A273 to A27 spur West Sussex, Brighton and Hove · 1.7 mi · HGVs 3.1%	79,637
M23 to B2114 West Sussex · 0.9 mi · HGVs 4.3%	71,380
B2115 to A272 West Sussex · 2.0 mi · HGVs 4.1%	69,712
B2110N to B2115 West Sussex · 2.2 mi · HGVs 4.6%	67,199
B2114 to B2110 West Sussex · 1.4 mi · HGVs 4.7%	65,923
A23 split to A273 West Sussex · 0.7 mi · HGVs 3.9%	63,091
B2117 to A281 West Sussex · 1.6 mi · HGVs 3.8%	59,592
B2118 to B2117 West Sussex · 2.6 mi · HGVs 4.1%	54,217
A219 to A2220 West Sussex · 1.9 mi · HGVs 1.8%	32,145
M23 to M23/A23(T) Surrey · 1.4 mi · HGVs 4.4%	31,609

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

Route

Lambeth to Brighton and Hove · 59.1 miles

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

A23 traffic and collisions by section

62 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 18 short link roads and spurs (5.5 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 62 sections Tap a column heading to sort

Sections of the A23 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1	A3036/A3200 roundabout to A3202Lambeth	0.3	13,425	4.6%	−20.6%	25	–
2	A3202 to A3203Lambeth	0.2	9,698	2.2%	−26.4%	5	–
3	A3203 to A3204Lambeth	0.6	14,361	2.4%	−10.0%	66	461.0
4	A3204 to Kennington Park RdLambeth	0.3	13,325	3.4%	−0.9%	29	–
5	Kennington Park Rd to Camberwell RdLambeth	0.1	11,485	2.3%	−28.6%	9	–
6	A202 to A203Lambeth	1.1	18,322	3.0%	+59.3%	160	403.8
7	At A203Lambeth	0.1	17,984	2.6%	−11.2%	19	–
8	A203 to A204/A2217Lambeth	0.2	20,072	1.7%	−30.9%	119	–
9	St Matthew's Rd to A2217Lambeth	0.1	18,845	2.1%	−28.8%	58	–
10	A204 to A205Lambeth	1.1	18,845	2.1%	−6.6%	165	391.6
11	A205 to A214/A216Lambeth	1.2	23,657	2.1%	−32.2%	224	360.9
12	A216 to A214Lambeth	0.1	20,388	2.0%	−29.0%	25	–
13	At A214Lambeth	0.3	31,991	1.9%	−18.8%	86	–
14	A214 to A235Lambeth, Croydon	2.1	23,226	2.3%	+11.6%	399	458.8
15	A235 to A236Croydon	0.7	27,893	1.9%	+4.5%	105	321.4
16	A232 to A23Croydon	1.3	27,467	4.5%	+12.5%	89	126.2
17	Epsom Rd to Croydon RdCroydon	0.1	34,231	3.6%	−5.0%	10	–
18	A232 Stafford Rd to A232 Epsom RdCroydon	0.1	31,344	2.8%	−3.1%	17	–
19	A232 to A23 Foxley LaneCroydon	1.8	28,458	5.3%	−0.7%	81	91.3
20	A23 Foxley Lane to A22Croydon	0.1	17,193	5.4%	−13.6%	10	–
21	Just before the NB A23 Slip Road to A23 Roundabout with Banstead RoadCroydon	1.7	26,783	3.2%	–	81	242.7
22	Roundabout A23/A237 to Just before the A23 NB Slip Road Joins the A23 Dual CWYCroydon	0.6	20,719	4.1%	–	6	–
23	Near flyover with Marlpit Lane B276 to Near intersection with Woodfield Hill (minor road)Croydon	0.7	29,796	4.2%	–	6	–
24	Near intersection with Woodfield Hill (minor road) to M23Croydon	0.1	33,458	4.6%	–	fewer than 3	–
25	M23 to M23/A23(T)Surrey	1.4	31,609	4.4%	−15.0%	42	49.4
26	M23/A23(T) to B2031Surrey	0.7	9,336	2.6%	−6.2%	4	–
27	B2031 to Station Road North, ReigateSurrey	0.6	15,957	1.2%	+1.4%	5	–
28	Station Road North to A242Surrey	1.0	18,276	1.1%	+1.5%	11	31.0
29	A242 to A25Surrey	0.9	14,187	2.0%	−14.1%	24	106.3
30	A25 London rd to A25 Redstone HillSurrey	0.2	19,497	1.6%	−5.8%	17	–
31	A25 Redstone Hill to A25 High StSurrey	0.2	19,579	1.8%	+0.5%	3	–
32	A25 High St to A2044Surrey	2.2	20,798	2.6%	+9.3%	59	72.3
33	A2044 to B2036Surrey	2.1	24,575	2.1%	+3.7%	40	45.3
34	B2036 to Woodroyd AvenueSurrey	1.2	17,283	2.7%	+1.4%	27	73.7
35	Woodroyd Avenue to A217Surrey	0.2	15,727	2.7%	+1.4%	19	–
36	A217 to A23 / M23 SLIPWest Sussex	0.4	37,272	2.7%	−6.7%	6	–
37	A23 / M23 SLIP to Fleming Way roundaboutWest Sussex	3.2	19,504	1.6%	−15.6%	33	28.6
38	Fleming Way roundabout to A219West Sussex	0.8	28,887	1.6%	−3.4%	23	56.1
39	A219 to A2220West Sussex	1.9	32,145	1.8%	−1.4%	68	63.5
40	A2220 to A2004West Sussex	0.6	18,853	1.7%	−2.8%	23	115.1
41	A2004 to M23West Sussex	1.1	21,184	1.3%	−5.3%	25	61.4
42	M23 to A264West Sussex	0.4	14,276	4.3%	−1.6%	6	–
43	M23 to B2114West Sussex	0.9	71,380	4.3%	−1.6%	4	–
44	B2114 to B2110West Sussex	1.4	65,923	4.7%	−13.1%	17	10.1
45	B2110N to B2115West Sussex	2.2	67,199	4.6%	−4.6%	23	9.0
46	B2115 to A272West Sussex	2.0	69,712	4.1%	+1.3%	13	5.6
47	At A272West Sussex	0.4	66,226	4.1%	+1.3%	fewer than 3	–
48	A272 to Hickstead Lane roundaboutWest Sussex	0.3	78,130	4.0%	+5.0%	6	–
49	Hickstead Lane roundabout to A23West Sussex	0.9	5,862	6.0%	−3.9%	fewer than 3	–
50	A23 to Hickstead Lane roundaboutWest Sussex	0.3	3,266	4.6%	−4.1%	fewer than 3	–
51	Hickstead Lane roundabout to A2300 off-slip northboundWest Sussex	0.4	65,184	3.9%	+5.1%	3	–
52	B2118 to B2117West Sussex	2.6	54,217	4.1%	−3.3%	17	7.0
53	B2117 to A281West Sussex	1.6	59,592	3.8%	+3.4%	13	7.9
54	A281 to A23 splitWest Sussex	0.4	62,088	3.5%	−1.0%	9	–
55	A23 split to A273West Sussex	0.7	63,091	3.9%	+6.4%	6	–
56	A273 to A27 spurWest Sussex, Brighton and Hove	1.7	79,637	3.1%	+1.3%	25	10.8
57	A27 spur to Church HillBrighton and Hove	0.2	20,660	1.5%	−5.1%	10	–
58	Church Hill to Stanford AvenueBrighton and Hove	2.2	22,007	1.1%	−1.6%	60	70.2
59	A23 to A270Brighton and Hove	0.2	11,773	1.5%	−8.0%	24	–
60	A270 to A23 St Peter's PlaceBrighton and Hove	0.3	7,864	2.1%	+13.3%	43	–
61	A23 St Peter's PlaceBrighton and Hove	0.5	3,020	0.4%	–	14	518.1
62	Count point 93056Brighton and Hove	0.3	7,380	2.1%	–	64	–

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A23 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.

A23 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 76.7% of the vehicle miles on the A23. HGVs account for 3.4%, rising to 6.0% on Hickstead Lane roundabout to A23.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Share of vehicle miles on the A23 by vehicle type
Category	Share
Cars and taxis	76.7%
Vans (LGVs)	17.1%
HGVs	3.4%
Motorcycles	1.6%
Buses and coaches	1.3%

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 A23, by year
Year	HGV share
2000	4.2%
2001	3.9%
2002	3.9%
2003	3.9%
2004	4.3%
2005	4.0%
2006	4.0%
2007	4.1%
2008	4.1%
2009	3.7%
2010	3.8%
2011	3.8%
2012	4.0%
2013	4.1%
2014	4.0%
2015	4.2%
2016	4.2%
2017	4.1%
2018	3.7%
2019	3.7%
2020	4.4%
2021	4.1%
2022	4.1%
2023	3.9%
2024	3.5%
2025	3.4%

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

A23 traffic trend

Traffic on the A23 came to 708 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 3.0% on 2019, before the pandemic, and about the same as in 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is down 6.4% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A23 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year	Vehicle miles
2000	756m
2001	780m
2002	776m
2003	777m
2004	781m
2005	781m
2006	769m
2007	750m
2008	709m
2009	702m
2010	690m
2011	700m
2012	681m
2013	668m
2014	672m
2015	696m
2016	716m
2017	723m
2018	744m
2019	719m
2020	551m
2021	624m
2022	679m
2023	686m
2024	702m
2025	708m

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

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A23, weighted by link length, by year
Year	Vehicles a day
2000	36,851
2001	38,025
2002	37,830
2003	37,886
2004	38,095
2005	38,094
2006	37,365
2007	36,502
2008	34,499
2009	34,171
2010	33,580
2011	34,069
2012	33,039
2013	32,396
2014	32,595
2015	33,439
2016	34,389
2017	35,044
2018	34,883
2019	34,139
2020	26,178
2021	29,508
2022	32,132
2023	32,465
2024	32,524
2025	32,830

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. In 2025, 32 of the 82 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A23 collisions

Police recorded 2,723 collisions with the A23 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 549 of them fatal or serious, including 19 fatal. That is 80.1 per 100 million vehicle miles, higher than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 9.2 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

Down 8.6% 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 A23, 2021 to 2025
Section	Per 100m vehicle miles
A23 St Peter's Place Brighton and Hove · 14 collisions	518.1
A3203 to A3204 Lambeth · 66 collisions	461.0
A214 to A235 Lambeth, Croydon · 399 collisions	458.8
A202 to A203 Lambeth · 160 collisions	403.8
A204 to A205 Lambeth · 165 collisions	391.6
A205 to A214/A216 Lambeth · 224 collisions	360.9
A235 to A236 Croydon · 105 collisions	321.4
Just before the NB A23 Slip Road to A23 Roundabout with Banstead Road Croydon · 81 collisions	242.7

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

A further 311 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A23 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 A23

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

Lambeth
Croydon
Surrey
West Sussex
Brighton and Hove

Planned closures on the A23 in England

National Highways has 22 planned closures on the A23 between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, all of them starting in that period. 17 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 22 start between 7pm and 6am.

Lane or slip A23 southbound lane closures (15/8 to 11/8)

16 Sept 20:00 to 22 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A23 southbound entry slip closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 22 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A23 southbound exit slip closure

16 Sept 20:00 to 22 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A23 southbound entry slip closure

17 Sept 20:00 to 19 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway A23 northbound Dale Hill exit slip road closure

21 Sept 20:00 to 29 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Lane or slip A23 Pease pottage ring management

21 Sept 21:00 to 26 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance
Carriageway M23 Southbound Jct 7 to Jct 8 lane closure

21 Sept 22:00 to 25 Sept 05:30 Road maintenance Also affects M23
Carriageway A23 northbound Dale Hill exit slip road closure

22 Sept 20:00 to 28 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance

14 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

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	82 count points in 2025	15 September 2026
Reported collisions	Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2021 to 2025	2,723 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

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.

Police-reported collisions on the A23 by year: fatal or serious, and slight
Year	Slight	Fatal or serious
2021	450	97
2022	440	136
2023	504	126
2024	382	88
2025	398	102

How busy is the A23?

Route

A23 traffic and collisions by section

A23 traffic by vehicle type

A23 traffic trend

A23 collisions

Council areas on the A23

Roads that meet the A23

Planned closures on the A23 in England

Data sources and methodology

Related statistics