A-road
A442 traffic and collisions
The A442 is an A-road of 49.2 miles, from Worcestershire to Shropshire. This page covers its traffic at 24 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 258m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 14,371 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 57,040 Near Halesfield Works to A464
- HGV share 5.2% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −6.6% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 148 12.5 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A442?
On an average day in 2025, 14,371 vehicles passed each point on the A442, counting both directions. The busiest section is Near Halesfield Works to A464 (Telford and Wrekin), with 57,040 a day; the quietest listed is A450 to A449, with 5,708.
Busiest sections, 2025
Near Halesfield Works to A464 carries 4.0 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| Near Halesfield Works to A464 Telford and Wrekin · 2.1 mi · HGVs 4.4% | 57,040 |
| A464 to A5 Telford and Wrekin · 0.9 mi · HGVs 5.3% | 35,699 |
| A5 Roundabout (near M54 Junction 5) to A442/A518 Intersection Telford and Wrekin · 3.5 mi · HGVs 4.5% | 32,264 |
| A4169 bridge to A4169 mid-junction Telford and Wrekin · 0.7 mi · HGVs 6.0% | 29,174 |
| A451 to A449 Worcestershire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 2.6% | 22,261 |
| Halesfield 10/Sutton Hill roundabout to A4169 bridge Telford and Wrekin · 0.7 mi · HGVs 6.1% | 16,627 |
| B4176 to Halesfield 10/Sutton Hill roundabout Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin · 1.1 mi · HGVs 5.6% | 16,155 |
| A458 to B4363 Shropshire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 3.2% | 15,310 |
| A4535 to B4190 Worcestershire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 3.1% | 13,408 |
| A518 roundabout to B5063 Telford and Wrekin · 3.1 mi · HGVs 5.2% | 13,247 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Worcestershire to Shropshire · 49.2 miles
A442 traffic and collisions by section
20 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 20 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A38 to Doverdale LaneWorcestershire | 13,101 | 3 |
| 2 | Doverdale Lane, Droitwich to A450Worcestershire | 6,316 | 12 |
| 3 | A450 to A449Worcestershire | 5,708 | 3 |
| 4 | A449 to A451Worcestershire | 32,426 | 5 |
| 5 | A451 to A449Worcestershire | 22,261 | 7 |
| 6 | A456 to A4535Worcestershire | 22,343 | fewer than 3 |
| 7 | A4535 to B4190Worcestershire | 13,408 | 4 |
| 8 | B4190 to Honeybrook LaneWorcestershire | 10,564 | 3 |
| 9 | Honeybrook Lane, Kidderminster to A458Worcestershire, Shropshire | 9,314 | 34 |
| 10 | A458 to B4363Shropshire | 15,310 | 3 |
| 11 | B4363 to B4379/B4176Shropshire | 10,758 | 8 |
| 12 | B4176 to Halesfield 10/Sutton Hill roundaboutShropshire, Telford and Wrekin | 16,155 | 7 |
| 13 | Halesfield 10/Sutton Hill roundabout to A4169 bridgeTelford and Wrekin | 16,627 | fewer than 3 |
| 14 | A4169 bridge to A4169 mid-junctionTelford and Wrekin | 29,174 | fewer than 3 |
| 15 | A442 mid-junction to A442 slipsTelford and Wrekin | 12,130 | fewer than 3 |
| 16 | Near Halesfield Works to A464Telford and Wrekin | 57,040 | 7 |
| 17 | A464 to A5Telford and Wrekin | 35,699 | 4 |
| 18 | A5 Roundabout (near M54 Junction 5) to A442/A518 IntersectionTelford and Wrekin | 32,264 | 15 |
| 19 | A518 roundabout to B5063Telford and Wrekin | 13,247 | 7 |
| 20 | A5223 to A53Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire | 8,457 | 21 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A442 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.
A442 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 77.9% of the vehicle miles on the A442. HGVs account for 5.2%, rising to 6.5% on A38 to Doverdale Lane.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.9% |
| 2001 | 6.1% |
| 2002 | 5.8% |
| 2003 | 5.5% |
| 2004 | 5.3% |
| 2005 | 5.2% |
| 2006 | 5.3% |
| 2007 | 5.6% |
| 2008 | 5.2% |
| 2009 | 4.7% |
| 2010 | 4.8% |
| 2011 | 4.9% |
| 2012 | 5.0% |
| 2013 | 4.8% |
| 2014 | 5.0% |
| 2015 | 5.0% |
| 2016 | 4.8% |
| 2017 | 5.1% |
| 2018 | 5.2% |
| 2019 | 5.3% |
| 2020 | 6.3% |
| 2021 | 6.1% |
| 2022 | 6.2% |
| 2023 | 5.7% |
| 2024 | 5.3% |
| 2025 | 5.2% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A442 traffic trend
Traffic on the A442 came to 258 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 6.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 1.5% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is about the same as in 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 226m |
| 2001 | 228m |
| 2002 | 230m |
| 2003 | 235m |
| 2004 | 233m |
| 2005 | 232m |
| 2006 | 234m |
| 2007 | 229m |
| 2008 | 229m |
| 2009 | 223m |
| 2010 | 219m |
| 2011 | 221m |
| 2012 | 214m |
| 2013 | 214m |
| 2014 | 221m |
| 2015 | 223m |
| 2016 | 227m |
| 2017 | 234m |
| 2018 | 241m |
| 2019 | 252m |
| 2020 | 189m |
| 2021 | 213m |
| 2022 | 228m |
| 2023 | 236m |
| 2024 | 252m |
| 2025 | 258m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 11,726 |
| 2001 | 11,824 |
| 2002 | 11,888 |
| 2003 | 12,160 |
| 2004 | 13,496 |
| 2005 | 13,475 |
| 2006 | 13,264 |
| 2007 | 12,971 |
| 2008 | 13,000 |
| 2009 | 12,617 |
| 2010 | 12,376 |
| 2011 | 12,519 |
| 2012 | 12,076 |
| 2013 | 12,097 |
| 2014 | 12,490 |
| 2015 | 12,633 |
| 2016 | 12,836 |
| 2017 | 13,112 |
| 2018 | 13,471 |
| 2019 | 14,048 |
| 2020 | 10,643 |
| 2021 | 11,955 |
| 2022 | 12,792 |
| 2023 | 13,241 |
| 2024 | 14,029 |
| 2025 | 14,371 |
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 (54.1% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 5 of the 24 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A442 collisions
Police recorded 148 collisions with the A442 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 60 of them fatal or serious, including 11 fatal. That is 12.5 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.6 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 17.9% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | 8 |
| 2022 | 22 | 13 |
| 2023 | 14 | 10 |
| 2024 | 19 | 19 |
| 2025 | 13 | 10 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Honeybrook Lane, Kidderminster to A458 Worcestershire, Shropshire · 34 collisions | 38.0 |
| A5223 to A53 Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire · 21 collisions | 35.6 |
| Doverdale Lane, Droitwich to A450 Worcestershire · 12 collisions | 19.7 |
| A5 Roundabout (near M54 Junction 5) to A442/A518 Intersection Telford and Wrekin · 15 collisions | 18.3 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 15 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A442 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 A442
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Worcestershire
- Shropshire
- Telford and Wrekin
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 | 24 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 148 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.