Trunk A-road
A48 traffic and collisions
The A48 is a trunk A-road of 123.5 miles in England and Wales, from Gloucestershire to Carmarthenshire. This page covers its traffic at 51 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 836m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 18,553 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 81,977 A4232 to A4161
- HGV share 3.7% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +3.7% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 569 14.9 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A48?
On an average day in 2025, 18,553 vehicles passed each point on the A48, counting both directions. The busiest section is A4232 to A4161 (Cardiff), with 81,977 a day; the quietest listed is Highfield Rd to roundabout just north of Mead Lane, by Lydney, with 4,710.
Busiest sections, 2025
A4232 to A4161 carries 4.4 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A4232 to A4161 Cardiff · 1.7 mi · HGVs 4.0% | 81,977 |
| A48M jn29a to A4232 Cardiff · 1.2 mi · HGVs 3.8% | 75,787 |
| A469 / A470 to A4119 Cardiff · 1.6 mi · HGVs 0.9% | 51,480 |
| A4161 to A469 / A470 Cardiff · 3.2 mi · HGVs 1.6% | 48,542 |
| M4 j49 to A476 Carmarthenshire · 3.9 mi · HGVs 5.5% | 41,489 |
| A4810 to A4042 Newport · 0.6 mi · HGVs 5.5% | 39,758 |
| B4310 to A484 Carmarthenshire · 6.1 mi · HGVs 5.1% | 37,964 |
| M4jn28 / A467 to A4042 Maes Glas Newport · 0.7 mi · HGVs 6.7% | 33,302 |
| A476 to B4310 Carmarthenshire · 5.5 mi · HGVs 6.3% | 32,130 |
| A474 to M4 western spur Neath Port Talbot · 0.8 mi · HGVs 2.3% | 31,385 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Gloucestershire to Carmarthenshire · 123.5 miles
A48 traffic and collisions by section
46 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Show all 46 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A40 to A4151Gloucestershire | 12,960 | 37 |
| 2 | A4151 to Highfield RoadGloucestershire | 6,391 | 19 |
| 3 | Highfield Rd to roundabout just north of Mead Lane, by LydneyGloucestershire | 4,710 | 4 |
| 4 | Roundabout just north of Mead Lane, by Lydney to EnglandGloucestershire | 10,701 | 32 |
| 5 | England to A466Monmouthshire | 19,566 | 20 |
| 6 | A466 to M4 jn24Monmouthshire, Newport | 6,675 | 30 |
| 7 | M4 Junction 24 to A455Newport | 18,766 | 5 |
| 8 | A455 to A4810Newport | 26,865 | 10 |
| 9 | A4810 to A4042Newport | 39,758 | 27 |
| 10 | A48 to A4042 spurNewport | 29,022 | 12 |
| 11 | M4jn28 / A467 to A4042 Maes GlasNewport | 33,302 | 8 |
| 12 | Celtic Way to A48MNewport, Cardiff | 16,388 | 23 |
| 13 | A48M jn29a to A4232Cardiff | 75,787 | 6 |
| 14 | A4232 to A4161Cardiff | 81,977 | 24 |
| 15 | A4161 to A469 / A470Cardiff | 48,542 | 18 |
| 16 | A469 / A470 to A4119Cardiff | 51,480 | 20 |
| 17 | A4119 to A4161Cardiff | 19,707 | 15 |
| 18 | A4161 to A4232 / A4050Cardiff | 19,477 | 26 |
| 19 | A4232 / A4050 to A4226The Vale of Glamorgan | 16,584 | 17 |
| 20 | A4226 to A4222 Primrose HillThe Vale of Glamorgan | 13,775 | 13 |
| 21 | A4222 Primrose Hill to A4222 Gibbet's HillThe Vale of Glamorgan | 9,126 | fewer than 3 |
| 22 | A4222 Gibbet's Hill to A473 HeronstonThe Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend | 11,716 | 8 |
| 23 | A473 to B4622Bridgend | 22,403 | 5 |
| 24 | B4622 to A473 LalestonBridgend | 16,271 | 3 |
| 25 | A473 Laleston to A4106Bridgend | 26,170 | 4 |
| 26 | A4106 to A4229Bridgend | 12,266 | 4 |
| 27 | A4229 to M4 jn38Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot | 6,999 | 5 |
| 28 | M4 Junction 38 to A4241Neath Port Talbot | 15,860 | 5 |
| 29 | A4241 to M4 Junction 39Neath Port Talbot | 7,854 | fewer than 3 |
| 30 | A4107 to M4 J39Neath Port Talbot | 7,708 | 7 |
| 31 | M4 J39 to A4241Neath Port Talbot | 12,692 | 3 |
| 32 | A4241 to M4 J41Neath Port Talbot | 22,039 | fewer than 3 |
| 33 | M4 J41 to B4286Neath Port Talbot | 7,543 | 7 |
| 34 | B4286 to A474Neath Port Talbot | 30,624 | fewer than 3 |
| 35 | A474 to M4 western spurNeath Port Talbot | 31,385 | 5 |
| 36 | M4 jn44 to A4217Swansea | 19,102 | fewer than 3 |
| 37 | A4217 to A4067Swansea | 9,943 | 3 |
| 38 | A4067 to M4 jn46Swansea | 7,776 | 12 |
| 39 | M4 jn46 to M4 jn47Swansea | 7,204 | 3 |
| 40 | M4jn47 to A4240Swansea | 22,571 | fewer than 3 |
| 41 | A4240 to A48 mergeSwansea | 7,071 | 5 |
| 42 | A48 merge to A4138Swansea | 7,302 | fewer than 3 |
| 43 | A4138 to M4 j49Carmarthenshire | 5,714 | 9 |
| 44 | M4 j49 to A476Carmarthenshire | 41,489 | 30 |
| 45 | A476 to B4310Carmarthenshire | 32,130 | 40 |
| 46 | B4310 to A484Carmarthenshire | 37,964 | 27 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A48 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.
A48 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 79.5% of the vehicle miles on the A48. HGVs account for 3.7%, rising to 7.0% on M4 Junction 24 to A455.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.9% |
| 2001 | 4.6% |
| 2002 | 4.7% |
| 2003 | 4.4% |
| 2004 | 4.3% |
| 2005 | 4.7% |
| 2006 | 5.0% |
| 2007 | 4.8% |
| 2008 | 4.6% |
| 2009 | 4.2% |
| 2010 | 4.3% |
| 2011 | 4.3% |
| 2012 | 4.2% |
| 2013 | 4.1% |
| 2014 | 4.0% |
| 2015 | 3.9% |
| 2016 | 3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.9% |
| 2018 | 3.8% |
| 2019 | 3.9% |
| 2020 | 4.6% |
| 2021 | 4.3% |
| 2022 | 4.0% |
| 2023 | 3.8% |
| 2024 | 3.8% |
| 2025 | 3.7% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A48 traffic trend
Traffic on the A48 came to 836 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 3.7% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 8.8% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 19.2% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 723m |
| 2001 | 710m |
| 2002 | 756m |
| 2003 | 750m |
| 2004 | 779m |
| 2005 | 777m |
| 2006 | 782m |
| 2007 | 799m |
| 2008 | 792m |
| 2009 | 778m |
| 2010 | 763m |
| 2011 | 762m |
| 2012 | 746m |
| 2013 | 745m |
| 2014 | 773m |
| 2015 | 800m |
| 2016 | 784m |
| 2017 | 784m |
| 2018 | 803m |
| 2019 | 790m |
| 2020 | 592m |
| 2021 | 670m |
| 2022 | 742m |
| 2023 | 776m |
| 2024 | 801m |
| 2025 | 836m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 16,281 |
| 2001 | 15,992 |
| 2002 | 16,736 |
| 2003 | 16,598 |
| 2004 | 17,245 |
| 2005 | 17,364 |
| 2006 | 17,474 |
| 2007 | 17,859 |
| 2008 | 17,696 |
| 2009 | 17,379 |
| 2010 | 17,052 |
| 2011 | 17,032 |
| 2012 | 16,660 |
| 2013 | 16,654 |
| 2014 | 17,320 |
| 2015 | 17,928 |
| 2016 | 17,912 |
| 2017 | 17,909 |
| 2018 | 17,914 |
| 2019 | 17,701 |
| 2020 | 13,257 |
| 2021 | 14,982 |
| 2022 | 16,592 |
| 2023 | 17,346 |
| 2024 | 17,923 |
| 2025 | 18,553 |
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 (76.0% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 4 of the 51 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A48 collisions
Police recorded 569 collisions with the A48 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 178 of them fatal or serious. That is 14.9 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
About the same in 2025 as in 2021.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | 33 |
| 2022 | 68 | 29 |
| 2023 | 68 | 39 |
| 2024 | 77 | 31 |
| 2025 | 83 | 45 |
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 |
|---|---|
| A4161 to A4232 / A4050 Cardiff · 26 collisions | 146.3 |
| A4232 / A4050 to A4226 The Vale of Glamorgan · 17 collisions | 96.8 |
| A4810 to A4042 Newport · 27 collisions | 66.9 |
| A469 / A470 to A4119 Cardiff · 20 collisions | 66.5 |
| England to A466 Monmouthshire · 20 collisions | 52.5 |
| A4119 to A4161 Cardiff · 15 collisions | 47.9 |
| A48 to A4042 spur Newport · 12 collisions | 45.3 |
| Celtic Way to A48M Newport, Cardiff · 23 collisions | 44.9 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 94 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A48 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 A48
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Gloucestershire
- Monmouthshire
- Newport
- Cardiff
- The Vale of Glamorgan
- Bridgend
- Neath Port Talbot
- Swansea
- Carmarthenshire
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 | 51 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 569 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.