Trunk A-road
A456 traffic and collisions
The A456 is a trunk A-road of 40.4 miles, from Birmingham to Shropshire. This page covers its traffic at 31 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 243m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 16,476 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 41,446 A458 to A4123
- HGV share 3.5% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +5.8% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 335 29.4 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A456?
On an average day in 2025, 16,476 vehicles passed each point on the A456, counting both directions. The busiest section is A458 to A4123 (Sandwell), with 41,446 a day; the quietest listed is A4117 to A443, with 3,213.
Busiest sections, 2025
A458 to A4123 carries 2.5 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A458 to A4123 Sandwell · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.9% | 41,446 |
| At A458 Birmingham · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.9% | 39,889 |
| A4540 to A4040 Birmingham · 2.1 mi · HGVs 1.7% | 38,577 |
| M5 to A459 Dudley · 1.5 mi · HGVs 4.5% | 33,919 |
| A4123 to A458 Sandwell · 0.7 mi · HGVs 1.8% | 31,031 |
| A451 to A442 Worcestershire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 2.1% | 30,722 |
| A491 to A450 Worcestershire · 1.1 mi · HGVs 4.4% | 30,345 |
| A459 to Monument Lane Dudley, Worcestershire · 3.6 mi · HGVs 3.0% | 28,974 |
| A458 to M5 Birmingham · 1.2 mi · HGVs 1.4% | 28,038 |
| B4549 to B4190 Worcestershire · 0.9 mi · HGVs 1.9% | 18,224 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Birmingham to Shropshire · 40.4 miles
A456 traffic and collisions by section
27 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Show all 27 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A4540 to A4040Birmingham | 38,577 | 82 |
| 2 | A4040 to A4030/A4040Birmingham | 39,787 | 7 |
| 3 | A4030/A4040 to A456Birmingham | 43,112 | 8 |
| 4 | A458 to A4123Sandwell | 41,446 | 16 |
| 5 | A4123 to A458Sandwell | 31,031 | 26 |
| 6 | At A458Birmingham | 39,889 | 4 |
| 7 | A458 to M5Birmingham | 28,038 | 7 |
| 8 | M5 to A459Dudley | 33,919 | 14 |
| 9 | A459 to Monument LaneDudley, Worcestershire | 28,974 | 30 |
| 10 | Monument Lane to A491Worcestershire | 30,833 | 3 |
| 11 | At A491Worcestershire | 36,605 | 5 |
| 12 | A491 to A450Worcestershire | 30,345 | 6 |
| 13 | A450 to Husum Way, KidderminsterWorcestershire | 13,663 | 26 |
| 14 | A449(T) to Husum WayWorcestershire | 15,166 | 6 |
| 15 | A451 to A449Worcestershire | 15,359 | 6 |
| 16 | A451 Blackwell St to A451 The RingwayWorcestershire | 31,313 | fewer than 3 |
| 17 | A451 to A442Worcestershire | 30,722 | 13 |
| 18 | A442 to A4535Worcestershire | 16,442 | 9 |
| 19 | A4535 to B4549Worcestershire | 13,595 | 5 |
| 20 | B4549 to B4190Worcestershire | 18,224 | 6 |
| 21 | B4190 Kidderminster Rd to B4195 Stourport RdWorcestershire | 16,824 | 9 |
| 22 | B4195 Stourport Rd to B4190 Long BankWorcestershire | 14,554 | 9 |
| 23 | B4190 to A4117Worcestershire | 9,403 | 16 |
| 24 | A4117 to A443Worcestershire | 3,213 | 7 |
| 25 | A443 to A4112Worcestershire, Shropshire | 6,197 | 6 |
| 26 | A4112 to Aynall LaneShropshire, Herefordshire | 6,372 | 5 |
| 27 | Aynall Lane to A49Herefordshire, Shropshire | 4,070 | fewer than 3 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A456 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.
A456 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 81.4% of the vehicle miles on the A456. HGVs account for 3.5%, rising to 8.2% on Aynall Lane to A49.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.0% |
| 2001 | 3.9% |
| 2002 | 4.0% |
| 2003 | 4.1% |
| 2004 | 4.2% |
| 2005 | 3.9% |
| 2006 | 3.9% |
| 2007 | 3.8% |
| 2008 | 3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.6% |
| 2010 | 3.7% |
| 2011 | 3.9% |
| 2012 | 3.6% |
| 2013 | 3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.6% |
| 2015 | 3.7% |
| 2016 | 3.8% |
| 2017 | 3.8% |
| 2018 | 3.9% |
| 2019 | 3.5% |
| 2020 | 4.2% |
| 2021 | 4.0% |
| 2022 | 3.8% |
| 2023 | 3.7% |
| 2024 | 3.6% |
| 2025 | 3.5% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A456 traffic trend
Traffic on the A456 came to 243 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 5.8% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 2.1% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is down 2.4% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 246m |
| 2001 | 246m |
| 2002 | 250m |
| 2003 | 248m |
| 2004 | 249m |
| 2005 | 246m |
| 2006 | 248m |
| 2007 | 250m |
| 2008 | 245m |
| 2009 | 243m |
| 2010 | 235m |
| 2011 | 233m |
| 2012 | 225m |
| 2013 | 223m |
| 2014 | 225m |
| 2015 | 230m |
| 2016 | 232m |
| 2017 | 226m |
| 2018 | 228m |
| 2019 | 222m |
| 2020 | 171m |
| 2021 | 201m |
| 2022 | 222m |
| 2023 | 234m |
| 2024 | 239m |
| 2025 | 243m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 16,747 |
| 2001 | 16,734 |
| 2002 | 17,025 |
| 2003 | 16,907 |
| 2004 | 16,944 |
| 2005 | 16,759 |
| 2006 | 16,870 |
| 2007 | 17,006 |
| 2008 | 16,966 |
| 2009 | 16,852 |
| 2010 | 16,269 |
| 2011 | 16,085 |
| 2012 | 15,530 |
| 2013 | 15,405 |
| 2014 | 15,534 |
| 2015 | 15,916 |
| 2016 | 16,039 |
| 2017 | 15,712 |
| 2018 | 15,734 |
| 2019 | 15,285 |
| 2020 | 11,782 |
| 2021 | 13,611 |
| 2022 | 15,054 |
| 2023 | 15,873 |
| 2024 | 16,173 |
| 2025 | 16,476 |
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. In 2025, 4 of the 31 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A456 collisions
Police recorded 335 collisions with the A456 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 87 of them fatal or serious, including 9 fatal. That is 29.4 per 100 million vehicle miles, close to the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 1.7 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 15.9% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | 19 |
| 2022 | 55 | 19 |
| 2023 | 60 | 15 |
| 2024 | 46 | 13 |
| 2025 | 37 | 21 |
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 |
|---|---|
| A4123 to A458 Sandwell · 26 collisions | 63.4 |
| A4540 to A4040 Birmingham · 82 collisions | 59.2 |
| A451 to A442 Worcestershire · 13 collisions | 50.2 |
| B4190 to A4117 Worcestershire · 16 collisions | 46.2 |
| A458 to A4123 Sandwell · 16 collisions | 37.2 |
| A450 to Husum Way, Kidderminster Worcestershire · 26 collisions | 31.9 |
| A459 to Monument Lane Dudley, Worcestershire · 30 collisions | 16.8 |
| M5 to A459 Dudley · 14 collisions | 16.2 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 48 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A456 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 A456
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Birmingham
- Sandwell
- Dudley
- Worcestershire
- Shropshire
- Herefordshire
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 | 31 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 335 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.