A-road
A338 traffic and collisions
The A338 is an A-road of 81.2 miles, from Oxfordshire to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. This page covers its traffic at 37 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 445m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 15,001 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 63,559 A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout to A3049 Richmond Park Road
- HGV share 2.6% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +1.6% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 366 17.8 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A338?
On an average day in 2025, 15,001 vehicles passed each point on the A338, counting both directions. The busiest section is A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout to A3049 Richmond Park Road (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), with 63,559 a day; the quietest listed is Fair Mile to Wilton Road, with 2,053.
Busiest sections, 2025
A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout to A3049 Richmond Park Road carries 4.2 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout to A3049 Richmond Park Road Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.6 mi · HGVs 1.0% | 63,559 |
| B3073 to A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.3 mi · HGVs 1.1% | 62,656 |
| A3049 Richmond Park Road to A35 St Pauls Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.0 mi · HGVs 0.8% | 55,573 |
| A338 St Pauls Roundabout to A347 Richmond Hill Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 0.5 mi · HGVs 0.9% | 53,811 |
| Junction where A338 and A31 Ringwood Road meeting (in Ashley, Dorset) to Junction with B3073 and A338 (Near Blackwater Cottages in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 5.3 mi · HGVs 1.9% | 52,646 |
| A347 Richmond Hill Roundabout to B3065 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.8 mi · HGVs 0.9% | 49,561 |
| B3078 to A31(T) Hampshire · 5.5 mi · HGVs 4.7% | 15,392 |
| Milton Rd, Salisbury to B3078 Wiltshire, Hampshire · 9.9 mi · HGVs 3.6% | 14,077 |
| A417 Mably Way to A417 Wallingford Street Oxfordshire · 0.9 mi · HGVs 0.9% | 13,574 |
| Oxford Lane to A417 Oxfordshire · 1.1 mi · HGVs 2.1% | 12,856 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Oxfordshire to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 81.2 miles
A338 traffic and collisions by section
30 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Show all 30 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A420 to A415Oxfordshire | 5,987 | 6 |
| 2 | At A415Oxfordshire | 13,961 | fewer than 3 |
| 3 | A415 to Oxford LaneOxfordshire | 10,102 | 13 |
| 4 | Oxford Lane to A417Oxfordshire | 12,856 | 4 |
| 5 | A417 Mably Way to A417 Wallingford StreetOxfordshire | 13,574 | 3 |
| 6 | A417 Wallingford Street to B4000Oxfordshire, West Berkshire | 2,828 | 11 |
| 7 | B4000 to M4West Berkshire | 10,031 | fewer than 3 |
| 8 | M4 to A4West Berkshire | 7,842 | fewer than 3 |
| 9 | A4 to C Road towards WexcombeWest Berkshire, Wiltshire | 2,556 | 15 |
| 10 | Fair Mile to Wilton RoadWiltshire | 2,053 | 0 |
| 11 | Wilton Road to A346Wiltshire | 2,765 | 4 |
| 12 | A346S to A346NWiltshire | 7,590 | 9 |
| 13 | A346 to A342Wiltshire | 6,412 | 7 |
| 14 | A342 to A3026Wiltshire | 7,866 | 12 |
| 15 | A3026 to A338 spurWiltshire, Hampshire | 11,496 | 18 |
| 16 | A338 spur to B3084Hampshire | 9,567 | 0 |
| 17 | B3084 to PortwayWiltshire | 5,976 | 16 |
| 18 | A30 to Roman RoadWiltshire | 8,797 | 11 |
| 19 | Exeter St. to A36Wiltshire | 31,648 | 7 |
| 20 | Exeter Street to A354Wiltshire | 35,820 | 7 |
| 21 | A354 to A3094Wiltshire | 35,820 | fewer than 3 |
| 22 | A354 to Milton Rd, SalisburyWiltshire | 14,229 | 6 |
| 23 | Milton Rd, Salisbury to B3078Wiltshire, Hampshire | 14,077 | 50 |
| 24 | B3078 to A31(T)Hampshire | 15,392 | 28 |
| 25 | Junction where A338 and A31 Ringwood Road meeting (in Ashley, Dorset) to Junction with B3073 and A338 (Near Blackwater Cottages in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 52,646 | 41 |
| 26 | B3073 to A3060 Cooper Dean RoundaboutBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 62,656 | 22 |
| 27 | A3060 Cooper Dean Roundabout to A3049 Richmond Park RoadBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 63,559 | 4 |
| 28 | A3049 Richmond Park Road to A35 St Pauls RoundaboutBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 55,573 | 10 |
| 29 | A338 St Pauls Roundabout to A347 Richmond Hill RoundaboutBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 53,811 | 14 |
| 30 | A347 Richmond Hill Roundabout to B3065Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 49,561 | 39 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A338 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.
A338 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 81.0% of the vehicle miles on the A338. HGVs account for 2.6%, rising to 8.3% on A346 to A342.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.1% |
| 2001 | 4.0% |
| 2002 | 3.8% |
| 2003 | 3.5% |
| 2004 | 3.8% |
| 2005 | 3.6% |
| 2006 | 3.6% |
| 2007 | 3.5% |
| 2008 | 3.5% |
| 2009 | 3.0% |
| 2010 | 3.4% |
| 2011 | 3.5% |
| 2012 | 3.3% |
| 2013 | 3.2% |
| 2014 | 3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.2% |
| 2016 | 3.1% |
| 2017 | 3.0% |
| 2018 | 2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.8% |
| 2020 | 3.3% |
| 2021 | 3.0% |
| 2022 | 2.9% |
| 2023 | 2.8% |
| 2024 | 2.7% |
| 2025 | 2.6% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A338 traffic trend
Traffic on the A338 came to 445 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 1.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 1.2% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 3.6% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 411m |
| 2001 | 410m |
| 2002 | 417m |
| 2003 | 428m |
| 2004 | 414m |
| 2005 | 422m |
| 2006 | 436m |
| 2007 | 446m |
| 2008 | 426m |
| 2009 | 431m |
| 2010 | 414m |
| 2011 | 402m |
| 2012 | 403m |
| 2013 | 401m |
| 2014 | 406m |
| 2015 | 417m |
| 2016 | 444m |
| 2017 | 447m |
| 2018 | 450m |
| 2019 | 432m |
| 2020 | 325m |
| 2021 | 368m |
| 2022 | 389m |
| 2023 | 419m |
| 2024 | 431m |
| 2025 | 445m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 13,736 |
| 2001 | 13,701 |
| 2002 | 13,940 |
| 2003 | 14,291 |
| 2004 | 13,836 |
| 2005 | 14,099 |
| 2006 | 14,602 |
| 2007 | 14,928 |
| 2008 | 14,279 |
| 2009 | 14,448 |
| 2010 | 13,870 |
| 2011 | 13,479 |
| 2012 | 13,489 |
| 2013 | 13,430 |
| 2014 | 13,597 |
| 2015 | 13,928 |
| 2016 | 14,828 |
| 2017 | 14,948 |
| 2018 | 15,005 |
| 2019 | 14,567 |
| 2020 | 10,976 |
| 2021 | 12,408 |
| 2022 | 13,233 |
| 2023 | 14,271 |
| 2024 | 14,584 |
| 2025 | 15,001 |
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 (84.2% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 11 of the 37 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A338 collisions
Police recorded 366 collisions with the A338 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 84 of them fatal or serious, including 5 fatal. That is 17.8 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.9 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Up 12.7% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57 | 14 |
| 2022 | 62 | 17 |
| 2023 | 66 | 16 |
| 2024 | 38 | 16 |
| 2025 | 58 | 22 |
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 |
|---|---|
| A347 Richmond Hill Roundabout to B3065 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 39 collisions | 101.8 |
| A4 to C Road towards Wexcombe West Berkshire, Wiltshire · 15 collisions | 49.2 |
| A342 to A3026 Wiltshire · 12 collisions | 48.3 |
| A417 Wallingford Street to B4000 Oxfordshire, West Berkshire · 11 collisions | 31.5 |
| A338 St Pauls Roundabout to A347 Richmond Hill Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 14 collisions | 29.0 |
| A30 to Roman Road Wiltshire · 11 collisions | 28.5 |
| A3026 to A338 spur Wiltshire, Hampshire · 18 collisions | 28.0 |
| B3084 to Portway Wiltshire · 16 collisions | 22.5 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 51 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A338 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 A338
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Oxfordshire
- West Berkshire
- Wiltshire
- Hampshire
- Dorset
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
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 | 37 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 366 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.