Trunk A-road
A68 traffic and collisions
The A68 is a trunk A-road of 127.6 miles in England and Scotland, from Darlington to Midlothian. This page covers its traffic at 38 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 299m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 6,425 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 19,854 B6279 to roundabout at edge of town
- HGV share 5.8% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −0.9% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 195 13.8 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A68?
On an average day in 2025, 6,425 vehicles passed each point on the A68, counting both directions. The busiest section is B6279 to roundabout at edge of town (Darlington), with 19,854 a day; the quietest listed is A6088 to B6357, with 2,186.
Busiest sections, 2025
B6279 to roundabout at edge of town carries 3.1 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| B6279 to roundabout at edge of town Darlington · 3.4 mi · HGVs 2.5% | 19,854 |
| A1(M) to A6072 Darlington · 1.9 mi · HGVs 5.9% | 16,728 |
| A68 to A720 East Lothian, Midlothian · 1.0 mi · HGVs 7.4% | 15,865 |
| A6093 to A6124 Midlothian · 0.7 mi · HGVs 7.8% | 14,366 |
| B6414 to A6094 Midlothian · 2.1 mi · HGVs 5.2% | 12,972 |
| A699 Scottish Borders · 2.5 mi · HGVs 3.4% | 11,891 |
| B6367 to A6093 Midlothian · 1.5 mi · HGVs 5.6% | 11,035 |
| A6105 Scottish Borders · 3.0 mi · HGVs 3.5% | 10,135 |
| B6458 to B6367 Midlothian · 2.4 mi · HGVs 9.2% | 9,571 |
| B6457 to B6458 Midlothian · 1.3 mi · HGVs 8.5% | 8,982 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Darlington to Midlothian · 127.6 miles
A68 traffic and collisions by section
32 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 2 short link roads and spurs (0.4 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 32 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B6279 to roundabout at edge of townDarlington | 19,854 | 29 |
| 2 | A1(M) to A6072Darlington | 16,728 | 3 |
| 3 | A6072 to B6275Darlington | 6,729 | 5 |
| 4 | B6275 to Front StDarlington, Durham | 8,822 | fewer than 3 |
| 5 | Hummerbeck, County Durham to Roundabout where A689 and A68 meet (near Cloc Knot Belt Plantation)Durham | 6,919 | 12 |
| 6 | Roundabout where A689 and A68 meet (near Cloc Knot Belt Plantation) to Castleside, County DurhamDurham | 5,843 | 17 |
| 7 | A692 to A68 spurDurham, Northumberland | 4,976 | 13 |
| 8 | A68 spur to A695Northumberland | 7,608 | 7 |
| 9 | A695 to A69Northumberland | 8,666 | fewer than 3 |
| 10 | B6529 (A69) to B6318Northumberland | 3,996 | fewer than 3 |
| 11 | B6318 to A6079Northumberland | 3,179 | 5 |
| 12 | A6079 to A696(T)Northumberland | 2,463 | 20 |
| 13 | A696(T) to A6088Northumberland, Scottish Borders | 3,387 | 6 |
| 14 | A6088 to B6357Scottish Borders | 2,186 | 6 |
| 15 | B6357 to B6358 CanongateScottish Borders | 2,992 | fewer than 3 |
| 16 | B6358 Canongate to A698Scottish Borders | 7,442 | 4 |
| 17 | At A698Scottish Borders | 7,843 | 0 |
| 18 | A698 to A699Scottish Borders | 7,128 | 6 |
| 19 | A699Scottish Borders | 11,891 | 3 |
| 20 | A6105Scottish Borders | 10,135 | 6 |
| 21 | A6105 to A697Scottish Borders | 6,143 | 8 |
| 22 | At A697Scottish Borders | 7,348 | 4 |
| 23 | A697 to B6368Scottish Borders | 8,903 | 11 |
| 24 | At B6368Midlothian | 8,915 | 0 |
| 25 | B6368 to B6457Midlothian | 8,975 | fewer than 3 |
| 26 | B6457 to B6458Midlothian | 8,982 | 0 |
| 27 | B6458 to B6367Midlothian | 9,571 | 7 |
| 28 | B6367 to A6093Midlothian | 11,035 | 4 |
| 29 | A6093 to A6124Midlothian | 14,366 | fewer than 3 |
| 30 | B6414 to A6094Midlothian | 12,972 | 3 |
| 31 | A6094 to B6414Midlothian | 14,832 | fewer than 3 |
| 32 | A68 to A720East Lothian, Midlothian | 15,865 | 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 A68 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.
A68 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 73.4% of the vehicle miles on the A68. HGVs account for 5.8%, rising to 11.8% on B6318 to A6079.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.0% |
| 2001 | 6.8% |
| 2002 | 6.6% |
| 2003 | 6.6% |
| 2004 | 7.0% |
| 2005 | 6.8% |
| 2006 | 6.5% |
| 2007 | 6.4% |
| 2008 | 6.6% |
| 2009 | 6.3% |
| 2010 | 6.4% |
| 2011 | 6.3% |
| 2012 | 6.4% |
| 2013 | 6.3% |
| 2014 | 6.3% |
| 2015 | 6.4% |
| 2016 | 6.5% |
| 2017 | 6.5% |
| 2018 | 6.4% |
| 2019 | 6.2% |
| 2020 | 7.3% |
| 2021 | 7.2% |
| 2022 | 6.7% |
| 2023 | 6.1% |
| 2024 | 5.9% |
| 2025 | 5.8% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A68 traffic trend
Traffic on the A68 came to 299 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 0.9% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 1.0% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 8.3% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 267m |
| 2001 | 270m |
| 2002 | 283m |
| 2003 | 285m |
| 2004 | 278m |
| 2005 | 277m |
| 2006 | 289m |
| 2007 | 293m |
| 2008 | 282m |
| 2009 | 293m |
| 2010 | 289m |
| 2011 | 294m |
| 2012 | 290m |
| 2013 | 290m |
| 2014 | 296m |
| 2015 | 297m |
| 2016 | 304m |
| 2017 | 292m |
| 2018 | 293m |
| 2019 | 296m |
| 2020 | 221m |
| 2021 | 260m |
| 2022 | 279m |
| 2023 | 287m |
| 2024 | 291m |
| 2025 | 299m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,747 |
| 2001 | 5,825 |
| 2002 | 6,087 |
| 2003 | 6,143 |
| 2004 | 5,992 |
| 2005 | 5,958 |
| 2006 | 6,217 |
| 2007 | 6,310 |
| 2008 | 6,078 |
| 2009 | 6,154 |
| 2010 | 6,065 |
| 2011 | 6,158 |
| 2012 | 6,077 |
| 2013 | 6,073 |
| 2014 | 6,201 |
| 2015 | 6,323 |
| 2016 | 6,461 |
| 2017 | 6,310 |
| 2018 | 6,323 |
| 2019 | 6,368 |
| 2020 | 4,763 |
| 2021 | 5,587 |
| 2022 | 5,992 |
| 2023 | 6,179 |
| 2024 | 6,256 |
| 2025 | 6,425 |
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, 13 of the 38 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A68 collisions
Police recorded 195 collisions with the A68 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 101 of them fatal or serious, including 11 fatal. That is 13.8 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.3 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 | 20 | 25 |
| 2022 | 17 | 14 |
| 2023 | 17 | 23 |
| 2024 | 17 | 17 |
| 2025 | 23 | 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 |
|---|---|
| B6279 to roundabout at edge of town Darlington · 29 collisions | 117.7 |
| A6079 to A696(T) Northumberland · 20 collisions | 30.8 |
| A692 to A68 spur Durham, Northumberland · 13 collisions | 19.6 |
| Roundabout where A689 and A68 meet (near Cloc Knot Belt Plantation) to Castleside, County Durham Durham · 17 collisions | 17.1 |
| A697 to B6368 Scottish Borders · 11 collisions | 12.7 |
| Hummerbeck, County Durham to Roundabout where A689 and A68 meet (near Cloc Knot Belt Plantation) Durham · 12 collisions | 12.4 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 24 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A68 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 A68
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Darlington
- Durham
- Northumberland
- Scottish Borders
- Midlothian
- East Lothian
Roadworks on the A68 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 12 sets of roadworks on the A68 in Scotland, 2 of them under way. 3 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A68 Dalkeith Northern Bypass
-
A68t To C83 At Annfield Bridge To A68t Council Boundary At B6398 Soutra Farm, Oxton
-
A68 From Pathhead To Borders Boundary
-
A68t A68t At Entrance To Hillhead Farm To C52 At Hiltonshill Tollhouse, Melrose
-
A68t C52 At Hiltonshill Tollhouse To A68t At Southern Boundary Of St Boswells
-
A68t A68t At Northern Boundary Of St Boswells To A68t At Start Of Newtown St Boswells Bypass
Works in Scotland only, and only where the register records them against the road number. The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland
Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated
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 | 38 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 195 reported collisions | 15 September 2026 |
| Roadworks | Scottish Road Works Register open data Scottish Road Works Commissioner | Extract of 2026-09-16 | 22,074 sets of roadworks recorded in Scotland | 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”.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.