Trunk A-road

A8 traffic and collisions

The A8 is a trunk A-road of 48.9 miles, from City of Edinburgh to Inverclyde. This page covers its traffic at 65 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated: 15 September 2026
Data source: Department for Transport
Records analysed: 65 count points in 2025
Methodology: View methodology

Traffic in 2025 315m vehicle miles
Average daily traffic 17,634 vehicles a day, both directions
Busiest section 47,105 Airport road to M8
HGV share 3.0% of vehicle miles
Traffic since 2019 −11.0% same count points
Collisions, 2021 to 2025 410 27.2 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A8?

On an average day in 2025, 17,634 vehicles passed each point on the A8, counting both directions. The busiest section is Airport road to M8 (City of Edinburgh), with 47,105 a day; the quietest listed is A726, with 3,341.

Busiest sections, 2025

Airport road to M8 carries 2.7 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A8 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section	Vehicles a day
Airport road to M8 City of Edinburgh · 2.2 mi · HGVs 2.6%	47,105
Roundabout joining A8 and James Watt Way (minor road) - near James Watt Dock to Roundabout connecting A8 and A770 Dalrymple Street Inverclyde · 1.2 mi · HGVs 2.2%	36,347
M8 to A8 principal Renfrewshire, Inverclyde · 2.9 mi · HGVs 3.1%	27,818
Fyfe Shore (Roundabout joining A8 and A761 Clune Brae) to Roundabout joining A8 and James Watt Way (minor road) - near James Watt Dock Inverclyde · 2.8 mi · HGVs 1.9%	26,644
A720 to Airport road City of Edinburgh · 1.3 mi · HGVs 2.9%	25,479
A8 near Finlaystone Point, Inverclyde (North of Brackenhead Plantation) to Fyfe Shore (Roundabout joining A8 and A761 Clune Brae) Inverclyde · 2.1 mi · HGVs 3.5%	23,752
B701 to A902 City of Edinburgh · 0.8 mi · HGVs 1.6%	23,699
M8 start to B799/B802 North Lanarkshire · 1.4 mi · HGVs 8.6%	23,558
A725 to A752 North Lanarkshire · 1.8 mi · HGVs 6.4%	18,471
A70 to B701 City of Edinburgh · 3.0 mi · HGVs 1.2%	17,681

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Route

City of Edinburgh to Inverclyde · 48.9 miles in 2 stretches

Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A8 traffic and collisions by section

46 sections between junctions, in route order (2 separate stretches). Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 17 short link roads and spurs (2.3 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 46 sections Tap a column heading to sort

Sections of the A8 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1	A700 to A70City of Edinburgh · stretch 1	0.4	2,168	0.3%	−85.1%	60	–
2	A70 to B701City of Edinburgh · stretch 1	3.0	17,681	1.2%	−20.6%	57	60.8
3	B701 to A902City of Edinburgh · stretch 1	0.8	23,699	1.6%	−6.3%	20	59.6
4	A902 to A720City of Edinburgh · stretch 1	0.4	45,159	2.4%	−5.6%	fewer than 3	–
5	A720 to Airport roadCity of Edinburgh · stretch 1	1.3	25,479	2.9%	−50.5%	3	–
6	Airport road to M8City of Edinburgh · stretch 1	2.2	47,105	2.6%	−7.5%	15	10.7
7	M8 to A73North Lanarkshire · stretch 2	0.2	15,428	6.7%	−68.3%	0	–
8	M8 start to B799/B802North Lanarkshire · stretch 2	1.4	23,558	8.6%	+4.8%	4	–
9	B799/B802 to A725North Lanarkshire · stretch 2	1.1	13,821	5.5%	+5.0%	4	–
10	A725 to B799/B802North Lanarkshire · stretch 2	1.6	15,588	4.2%	−8.7%	3	–
11	A725 to A752North Lanarkshire · stretch 2	1.8	18,471	6.4%	+8.2%	0	–
12	A752 to Council boundaryNorth Lanarkshire · stretch 2	1.1	16,637	4.9%	+2.9%	4	–
13	M73 Junction 2 to Roundabout with A8 Glasgow and Edinburgh Road and A89 and Rhindhouse Road (minor road)Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.8	17,119	6.1%	+61.7%	fewer than 3	–
14	Roundabout with A8 Glasgow and Edinburgh Road and A89 and Rhindhouse Road (minor road) to Junction A89 Main Street, A8 Glasgow and Edinburgh Road and Ravenswood RoadGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.4	16,719	2.5%	+57.9%	0	–
15	A89 to B765 Stepps RoadGlasgow City · stretch 2	2.1	6,147	3.1%	−5.3%	16	70.1
16	B765 Stepps Road to A80Glasgow City · stretch 2	1.7	7,762	2.6%	−5.5%	26	111.5
17	A80 to A803 Castle StGlasgow City · stretch 2	1.4	15,119	1.9%	−5.2%	26	69.5
18	A803 Castle St to A803 Springburn RdGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.2	14,904	2.3%	−6.1%	fewer than 3	–
19	A89 to A803Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.6	14,987	2.6%	−4.8%	13	81.8
20	A8 Bridgegate to A89/A749Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.2	11,956	1.7%	−5.4%	15	–
21	A8 Saltmarket to A814Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.2	13,483	2.6%	−5.1%	0	–
22	A814 to A730Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.2	5,528	1.4%	−9.6%	fewer than 3	–
23	A730 to A8Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	9,799	1.3%	−5.7%	0	–
24	South Portland Street to Bridge Street/Eglinton StreetGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	6,582	2.3%	−5.2%	fewer than 3	–
25	Bridge Street to Commerce StreetGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	9,980	2.9%	−6.5%	fewer than 3	–
26	Commerce Street to Tradeston StreetGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	5,540	2.8%	−5.0%	fewer than 3	–
27	Tradeston Street to Paterson StreetGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	11,030	2.5%	−5.9%	fewer than 3	–
28	Paterson Street to Camoustie StreetGlasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	4,759	2.8%	−5.7%	0	–
29	A8 Morrison St to M8Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.1	15,095	2.2%	−5.6%	fewer than 3	–
30	M8 to A761Glasgow City · stretch 2	1.1	10,315	1.7%	−6.3%	20	99.7
31	A761 to B768Glasgow City · stretch 2	0.4	10,354	2.7%	−4.4%	3	–
32	B768 to A739Glasgow City · stretch 2	1.1	17,308	3.3%	−5.3%	10	29.7
33	Roundabout with A739 and A8 to Roundabout connecting A8 and M8 (just north of M8 Junction 26)Glasgow City, Renfrewshire · stretch 2	1.5	15,985	3.8%	+4.7%	12	29.2
34	A877 High St to A736 Hillington RdRenfrewshire · stretch 2	0.7	15,195	1.1%	−6.1%	fewer than 3	–
35	A877 to B791 Sandy RoadRenfrewshire · stretch 2	0.3	9,362	2.2%	−5.5%	0	–
36	B791 Sandy Road to A741Renfrewshire · stretch 2	0.2	8,140	1.9%	−6.1%	3	–
37	A741 to Kirklandneuk RdRenfrewshire · stretch 2	0.7	15,575	0.7%	+9.5%	4	–
38	Kirklandneuk Rd to A726Renfrewshire · stretch 2	2.2	11,245	1.4%	−9.9%	6	–
39	A726Renfrewshire · stretch 2	1.0	3,341	1.9%	–	fewer than 3	–
40	Count point 92120Renfrewshire · stretch 2	0.4	7,044	2.7%	–	0	–
41	A8PRenfrewshire · stretch 2	3.9	7,577	1.0%	–	9	–
42	A8P to M8Renfrewshire · stretch 2	0.3	3,010	1.2%	−6.4%	0	–
43	M8 to A8 principalRenfrewshire, Inverclyde · stretch 2	2.9	27,818	3.1%	−6.5%	10	7.0
44	A8 near Finlaystone Point, Inverclyde (North of Brackenhead Plantation) to Fyfe Shore (Roundabout joining A8 and A761 Clune Brae)Inverclyde · stretch 2	2.1	23,752	3.5%	−10.0%	6	–
45	Fyfe Shore (Roundabout joining A8 and A761 Clune Brae) to Roundabout joining A8 and James Watt Way (minor road) - near James Watt DockInverclyde · stretch 2	2.8	26,644	1.9%	−21.4%	16	10.3
46	Roundabout joining A8 and James Watt Way (minor road) - near James Watt Dock to Roundabout connecting A8 and A770 Dalrymple StreetInverclyde · stretch 2	1.2	36,347	2.2%	−6.2%	5	–

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A8 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.

A8 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 79.1% of the vehicle miles on the A8. HGVs account for 3.0%, rising to 8.6% on M8 start to B799/B802.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Share of vehicle miles on the A8 by vehicle type
Category	Share
Cars and taxis	79.1%
Vans (LGVs)	16.3%
HGVs	3.0%
Buses and coaches	1.4%
Motorcycles	0.3%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A8, by year
Year	HGV share
2000	6.0%
2001	6.1%
2002	5.9%
2003	6.2%
2004	6.2%
2005	6.2%
2006	6.1%
2007	6.3%
2008	6.0%
2009	5.7%
2010	5.7%
2011	5.7%
2012	5.4%
2013	5.4%
2014	5.3%
2015	5.2%
2016	5.3%
2017	5.4%
2018	3.6%
2019	3.5%
2020	3.9%
2021	3.7%
2022	3.4%
2023	3.2%
2024	3.1%
2025	3.0%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A8 traffic trend

Traffic on the A8 came to 315 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 11.0% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 23.6% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is down 21.4% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A8 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year	Vehicle miles
2000	420m
2001	430m
2002	425m
2003	433m
2004	440m
2005	445m
2006	452m
2007	452m
2008	456m
2009	452m
2010	442m
2011	435m
2012	434m
2013	433m
2014	449m
2015	451m
2016	463m
2017	465m
2018	343m
2019	352m
2020	262m
2021	285m
2022	299m
2023	304m
2024	305m
2025	315m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A8, weighted by link length, by year
Year	Vehicles a day
2000	25,764
2001	26,329
2002	26,048
2003	26,507
2004	26,975
2005	26,551
2006	26,984
2007	26,775
2008	27,052
2009	26,783
2010	26,216
2011	25,769
2012	25,471
2013	25,422
2014	26,353
2015	26,483
2016	27,163
2017	27,282
2018	19,302
2019	19,468
2020	14,360
2021	15,628
2022	16,478
2023	16,749
2024	16,790
2025	17,634

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

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 (89.2% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 5 of the 65 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A8 collisions

Police recorded 410 collisions with the A8 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 152 of them fatal or serious, including 6 fatal. That is 27.2 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than 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 26.7% from 2021 to 2025.

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

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.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A8, 2021 to 2025
Section	Per 100m vehicle miles
B765 Stepps Road to A80 Glasgow City · 26 collisions	111.5
M8 to A761 Glasgow City · 20 collisions	99.7
A89 to A803 Glasgow City · 13 collisions	81.8
A89 to B765 Stepps Road Glasgow City · 16 collisions	70.1
A80 to A803 Castle St Glasgow City · 26 collisions	69.5
A70 to B701 City of Edinburgh · 57 collisions	60.8
B701 to A902 City of Edinburgh · 20 collisions	59.6
B768 to A739 Glasgow City · 10 collisions	29.7

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A further 67 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A8 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 A8

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

City of Edinburgh
North Lanarkshire
Glasgow City
Renfrewshire
Inverclyde

Roadworks on the A8 in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 8 sets of roadworks on the A8 in Scotland, 0 of them under way. 8 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

A8t Junction B789 Langbank To Port Glasgow Boundary

Road closed 11 Nov 2026 to 13 Nov 2026 Network Rail
A8 Slip Road Eastbound From A752, Bargeddie

Lane closed On 22 Sept 2026 North Lanarkshire Council
A8 Shawhead Westbound Slip Roads, Coatbridge

Slip road closed 28 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - M8, M73, M74 DBFO
A8 Shawhead Westbound Slip Roads, Coatbridge

Slip road closed 28 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - M8, M73, M74 DBFO
A8 Slip Road Westbound From A752, Bargeddie

Slip road closed 28 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - M8, M73, M74 DBFO
A8 Slip Road Westbound From A752, Bargeddie

Slip road closed 28 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - M8, M73, M74 DBFO

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 16 Sept 2026

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
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	65 count points in 2025	15 September 2026
Reported collisions	Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2021 to 2025	410 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”.

How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How busy is the A8?

Route

A8 traffic and collisions by section

A8 traffic by vehicle type

A8 traffic trend

A8 collisions

Council areas on the A8

Roads that meet the A8

Roadworks on the A8 in Scotland

Data sources and methodology

Related statistics