Trunk A-road
A83 traffic and collisions
The A83 is a trunk A-road of 98.7 miles, in Argyll & Bute. This page covers its traffic at 10 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 111m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 3,084 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 5,690 Cossack St to A816
- HGV share 7.3% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −10.2% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 72 13.0 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A83?
On an average day in 2025, 3,084 vehicles passed each point on the A83, counting both directions. The busiest section is Cossack St to A816 (Argyll & Bute), with 5,690 a day; the quietest listed is A8015 to A83 Kennacraig, with 2,416.
Busiest sections, 2025
Cossack St to A816 carries 1.8 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| Cossack St to A816 Argyll & Bute · 0.6 mi · HGVs 3.3% | 5,690 |
| A814 to A815 Argyll & Bute · 11.1 mi · HGVs 9.5% | 4,322 |
| A82 to A814 Argyll & Bute · 1.7 mi · HGVs 9.3% | 4,226 |
| A815 to A819 Argyll & Bute · 10.9 mi · HGVs 6.1% | 3,794 |
| A819 to C-road Furnace Argyll & Bute · 8.0 mi · HGVs 9.3% | 3,058 |
| A816 to A8015 Argyll & Bute · 12.8 mi · HGVs 9.3% | 2,907 |
| A818 to Hall St, Campbeltown Argyll & Bute · 31.9 mi · HGVs 4.9% | 2,734 |
| C-road Furnace to Cossack St roundabout, Lochgilphead Argyll & Bute · 16.5 mi · HGVs 7.6% | 2,604 |
| A8015 to A83 Kennacraig Argyll & Bute · 4.8 mi · HGVs 9.9% | 2,416 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
In Argyll & Bute · 98.7 miles
A83 traffic and collisions by section
10 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A82 to A814Argyll & Bute | 4,226 | 4 |
| 2 | A814 to A815Argyll & Bute | 4,322 | 10 |
| 3 | A815 to A819Argyll & Bute | 3,794 | 10 |
| 4 | A819 to C-road FurnaceArgyll & Bute | 3,058 | fewer than 3 |
| 5 | C-road Furnace to Cossack St roundabout, LochgilpheadArgyll & Bute | 2,604 | 5 |
| 6 | Cossack St to A816Argyll & Bute | 5,690 | 0 |
| 7 | A816 to A8015Argyll & Bute | 2,907 | 15 |
| 8 | A8015 to A83 KennacraigArgyll & Bute | 2,416 | 4 |
| 9 | A83 (trunk) Kennacraig to B8001Argyll & Bute | 2,416 | 0 |
| 10 | A818 to Hall St, CampbeltownArgyll & Bute | 2,734 | 6 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A83 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.
A83 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 66.4% of the vehicle miles on the A83. HGVs account for 7.3%, rising to 9.9% on A8015 to A83 Kennacraig.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.8% |
| 2001 | 7.0% |
| 2002 | 6.0% |
| 2003 | 6.1% |
| 2004 | 6.9% |
| 2005 | 7.3% |
| 2006 | 6.9% |
| 2007 | 7.0% |
| 2008 | 7.7% |
| 2009 | 7.5% |
| 2010 | 7.7% |
| 2011 | 7.8% |
| 2012 | 7.9% |
| 2013 | 7.9% |
| 2014 | 8.0% |
| 2015 | 8.1% |
| 2016 | 8.1% |
| 2017 | 8.3% |
| 2018 | 8.4% |
| 2019 | 7.6% |
| 2020 | 9.0% |
| 2021 | 8.9% |
| 2022 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | 7.5% |
| 2024 | 7.3% |
| 2025 | 7.3% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A83 traffic trend
Traffic on the A83 came to 111 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 10.2% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 5.2% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 22.6% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 85m |
| 2001 | 86m |
| 2002 | 101m |
| 2003 | 107m |
| 2004 | 106m |
| 2005 | 108m |
| 2006 | 107m |
| 2007 | 105m |
| 2008 | 103m |
| 2009 | 105m |
| 2010 | 103m |
| 2011 | 104m |
| 2012 | 102m |
| 2013 | 104m |
| 2014 | 107m |
| 2015 | 110m |
| 2016 | 114m |
| 2017 | 119m |
| 2018 | 117m |
| 2019 | 124m |
| 2020 | 88m |
| 2021 | 102m |
| 2022 | 116m |
| 2023 | 114m |
| 2024 | 109m |
| 2025 | 111m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,340 |
| 2001 | 2,386 |
| 2002 | 2,787 |
| 2003 | 2,952 |
| 2004 | 2,942 |
| 2005 | 2,983 |
| 2006 | 2,954 |
| 2007 | 2,888 |
| 2008 | 2,859 |
| 2009 | 2,904 |
| 2010 | 2,843 |
| 2011 | 2,860 |
| 2012 | 2,823 |
| 2013 | 2,868 |
| 2014 | 2,944 |
| 2015 | 3,030 |
| 2016 | 3,139 |
| 2017 | 3,275 |
| 2018 | 3,232 |
| 2019 | 3,435 |
| 2020 | 2,433 |
| 2021 | 2,833 |
| 2022 | 3,212 |
| 2023 | 3,176 |
| 2024 | 3,028 |
| 2025 | 3,084 |
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, 5 of the 10 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A83 collisions
Police recorded 72 collisions with the A83 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 41 of them fatal or serious, including 7 fatal. That is 13.0 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.2 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 11.8% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Collisions |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2025 | 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 |
|---|---|
| A816 to A8015 Argyll & Bute · 15 collisions | 23.9 |
| A814 to A815 Argyll & Bute · 10 collisions | 12.1 |
| A815 to A819 Argyll & Bute · 10 collisions | 10.6 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 3 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A83 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 A83
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Argyll & Bute
Roadworks on the A83 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 75 sets of roadworks on the A83 in Scotland, 26 of them under way. 9 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A83t Through Glen Croe From Tourist Information Centre To B828 Junction
-
A83t At Stonefield From Oakdean To South Lodge
-
A83t South Of Tarbert From Glenakil Road To Kennacraig Ferry Terminal
-
A83t North Of Clachan From Achavraid To Strathholm At East End Of Clachan
-
A83t South Of Clachan From Tigh Na Strwan To Ballochroy
-
A83t Through Arrochar From Royal Bank Of Scotland To Track To Stronafyne
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 | 10 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 72 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.