A-road
A71 traffic and collisions
The A71 is an A-road of 69.5 miles, from City of Edinburgh to North Ayrshire. This page covers its traffic at 32 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 283m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 11,148 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 30,944 B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder Crescent
- HGV share 4.7% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −8.3% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 235 17.2 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A71?
On an average day in 2025, 11,148 vehicles passed each point on the A71, counting both directions. The busiest section is B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder Crescent (City of Edinburgh), with 30,944 a day; the quietest listed is B745 to A719, with 3,073.
Busiest sections, 2025
B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder Crescent carries 2.8 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder Crescent City of Edinburgh · 1.0 mi · HGVs 2.1% | 30,944 |
| B7038 Campbell Street to B7064 East Ayrshire · 1.4 mi · HGVs 5.5% | 29,478 |
| B7064 to A78 East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire · 4.8 mi · HGVs 4.2% | 26,452 |
| A70 to B701 Broomhouse Road City of Edinburgh · 2.5 mi · HGVs 2.2% | 21,463 |
| A77 to B7038 Campbell Street East Ayrshire · 1.1 mi · HGVs 6.0% | 19,291 |
| B7011 Brownlee Road to A72 North Lanarkshire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 4.5% | 18,917 |
| road to B7081 Annick Rd to A737 North Ayrshire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 1.8% | 17,609 |
| A899 to Brucefield Park North West Lothian · 2.1 mi · HGVs 2.7% | 16,485 |
| A720 to B7015 City of Edinburgh, West Lothian · 4.8 mi · HGVs 4.7% | 15,557 |
| B7015 to A899 West Lothian · 3.7 mi · HGVs 3.5% | 14,868 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
City of Edinburgh to North Ayrshire · 69.5 miles
A71 traffic and collisions by section
28 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Show all 28 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A70 to B701 Broomhouse RoadCity of Edinburgh | 21,463 | 43 |
| 2 | B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder CrescentCity of Edinburgh | 30,944 | 13 |
| 3 | Calder Crescent to A720City of Edinburgh | 29,706 | 3 |
| 4 | A720 to B7015City of Edinburgh, West Lothian | 15,557 | 23 |
| 5 | B7015 to A899West Lothian | 14,868 | 12 |
| 6 | A899 to Brucefield Park NorthWest Lothian | 16,485 | fewer than 3 |
| 7 | Brucefield Park North to Polbeth RdWest Lothian | 13,208 | 5 |
| 8 | Polbeth Rd to A704West Lothian | 10,752 | 14 |
| 9 | A704 to A706West Lothian | 6,782 | 4 |
| 10 | A706 to B717 Burnbrae RoadWest Lothian, North Lanarkshire | 4,202 | 4 |
| 11 | B717 to A73North Lanarkshire | 7,956 | 12 |
| 12 | A73 to A721North Lanarkshire | 7,088 | 3 |
| 13 | A721 to B754 Castle Hill RdNorth Lanarkshire | 13,585 | fewer than 3 |
| 14 | B754 Castle Hill Rd to B7011 Brownlee RoadNorth Lanarkshire | 9,851 | fewer than 3 |
| 15 | B7011 Brownlee Road to A72North Lanarkshire | 18,917 | 0 |
| 16 | At A72South Lanarkshire | 21,629 | fewer than 3 |
| 17 | A72 to M74South Lanarkshire | 6,888 | 6 |
| 18 | M74 to B7078South Lanarkshire | 16,222 | 0 |
| 19 | B7078 to A726South Lanarkshire | 8,748 | 13 |
| 20 | A726 to B743South Lanarkshire | 6,568 | 3 |
| 21 | B743 Muirkirk Road to B745South Lanarkshire | 4,174 | 3 |
| 22 | B745 to A719South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire | 3,073 | 24 |
| 23 | A76/A77 to A77East Ayrshire | 9,743 | 11 |
| 24 | A77 to B7038 Campbell StreetEast Ayrshire | 19,291 | 10 |
| 25 | B7038 Campbell Street to B7064East Ayrshire | 29,478 | 4 |
| 26 | B7064 to A78East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire | 26,452 | 13 |
| 27 | A78 to road to B7081 Annick RdNorth Ayrshire | 16,612 | 3 |
| 28 | road to B7081 Annick Rd to A737North Ayrshire | 17,609 | 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 A71 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.
A71 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 74.3% of the vehicle miles on the A71. HGVs account for 4.7%, rising to 9.6% on A706 to B717 Burnbrae Road.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.6% |
| 2001 | 6.1% |
| 2002 | 6.2% |
| 2003 | 6.3% |
| 2004 | 6.5% |
| 2005 | 6.4% |
| 2006 | 6.5% |
| 2007 | 6.9% |
| 2008 | 6.8% |
| 2009 | 6.1% |
| 2010 | 6.3% |
| 2011 | 6.2% |
| 2012 | 5.5% |
| 2013 | 5.4% |
| 2014 | 5.4% |
| 2015 | 5.4% |
| 2016 | 5.5% |
| 2017 | 5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.5% |
| 2019 | 5.5% |
| 2020 | 5.7% |
| 2021 | 5.5% |
| 2022 | 5.1% |
| 2023 | 4.8% |
| 2024 | 4.8% |
| 2025 | 4.7% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A71 traffic trend
Traffic on the A71 came to 283 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 8.3% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 8.6% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is down 2.8% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 274m |
| 2001 | 272m |
| 2002 | 275m |
| 2003 | 282m |
| 2004 | 286m |
| 2005 | 291m |
| 2006 | 286m |
| 2007 | 291m |
| 2008 | 288m |
| 2009 | 290m |
| 2010 | 285m |
| 2011 | 289m |
| 2012 | 285m |
| 2013 | 285m |
| 2014 | 292m |
| 2015 | 298m |
| 2016 | 302m |
| 2017 | 301m |
| 2018 | 309m |
| 2019 | 308m |
| 2020 | 231m |
| 2021 | 255m |
| 2022 | 271m |
| 2023 | 275m |
| 2024 | 280m |
| 2025 | 283m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 11,166 |
| 2001 | 11,071 |
| 2002 | 11,195 |
| 2003 | 11,476 |
| 2004 | 11,631 |
| 2005 | 11,805 |
| 2006 | 11,608 |
| 2007 | 11,815 |
| 2008 | 11,674 |
| 2009 | 11,782 |
| 2010 | 11,559 |
| 2011 | 11,734 |
| 2012 | 11,566 |
| 2013 | 11,569 |
| 2014 | 11,867 |
| 2015 | 12,110 |
| 2016 | 12,249 |
| 2017 | 12,218 |
| 2018 | 12,249 |
| 2019 | 12,156 |
| 2020 | 9,105 |
| 2021 | 10,040 |
| 2022 | 10,678 |
| 2023 | 10,829 |
| 2024 | 11,036 |
| 2025 | 11,148 |
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, 3 of the 32 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A71 collisions
Police recorded 235 collisions with the A71 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 90 of them fatal or serious, including 9 fatal. That is 17.2 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.7 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 11.4% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | 15 |
| 2022 | 35 | 19 |
| 2023 | 33 | 22 |
| 2024 | 24 | 19 |
| 2025 | 24 | 15 |
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 |
|---|---|
| B745 to A719 South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire · 24 collisions | 47.4 |
| A70 to B701 Broomhouse Road City of Edinburgh · 43 collisions | 45.4 |
| Polbeth Rd to A704 West Lothian · 14 collisions | 38.8 |
| A77 to B7038 Campbell Street East Ayrshire · 10 collisions | 26.6 |
| B717 to A73 North Lanarkshire · 12 collisions | 24.6 |
| B701 Broomhouse Road to Calder Crescent City of Edinburgh · 13 collisions | 23.5 |
| A720 to B7015 City of Edinburgh, West Lothian · 23 collisions | 18.3 |
| B7078 to A726 South Lanarkshire · 13 collisions | 15.4 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 32 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A71 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 A71
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- City of Edinburgh
- West Lothian
- North Lanarkshire
- South Lanarkshire
- East Ayrshire
- North Ayrshire
Roadworks on the A71 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 32 sets of roadworks on the A71 in Scotland, 7 of them under way. 13 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A71 - Crofthead Interchange To Williamston Interchange, Dedridge
-
A71 Corsehill Mount Roundabout To B7081 Dreghorn Roundabout Link Road
-
A71 From Corsehill Mount Roundabout To East Ayrshire Boundary, Irvine
-
A71 From Warrix Interchange To Milgarholm Roundabout, Irvine
-
A71 From Warrix Interchange To Corsehill Mount Roundabout, Dreghorn
-
A71 From North Ayrshire Boundary To Moorfield Roundabout, Crosshouse
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 | 32 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 235 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.