Trunk A-road
A85 traffic and collisions
The A85 is a trunk A-road of 95.8 miles, from Perth & Kinross to Dundee City. This page covers its traffic at 27 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 184m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 5,250 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 16,083 Riverside Drive roundabout to A991
- HGV share 5.2% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +16.5% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 136 15.6 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A85?
On an average day in 2025, 5,250 vehicles passed each point on the A85, counting both directions. The busiest section is Riverside Drive roundabout to A991 (Dundee City), with 16,083 a day; the quietest listed is B827 Bridge Street to A84, with 1,821.
Busiest sections, 2025
Riverside Drive roundabout to A991 carries 3.1 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| Riverside Drive roundabout to A991 Dundee City · 2.5 mi · HGVs 2.9% | 16,083 |
| A90 to Riverside Drive roundabout Dundee City · 1.8 mi · HGVs 3.6% | 14,148 |
| A90/M90 roundabout to road to Fairmount Terrace,Perth Perth & Kinross · 0.6 mi · HGVs 5.1% | 12,537 |
| Roundabout with A85 and A912 Dunkeld Road to Junction with A85 (South West of Tulloch, Perth and Kinross) Perth & Kinross · 1.1 mi · HGVs 2.0% | 8,728 |
| A828 to A85 split Argyll & Bute · 4.3 mi · HGVs 3.2% | 8,498 |
| A9 slip roads to A822 Perth & Kinross · 13.0 mi · HGVs 4.6% | 7,695 |
| At A822 Perth & Kinross · 2.3 mi · HGVs 3.0% | 5,792 |
| A819 to A828 Argyll & Bute · 18.2 mi · HGVs 6.9% | 4,715 |
| A84 to A827 Stirling · 5.0 mi · HGVs 10.4% | 4,207 |
| A827 to A82 Stirling · 11.1 mi · HGVs 7.5% | 3,702 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Perth & Kinross to Dundee City · 95.8 miles in 2 stretches
A85 traffic and collisions by section
21 sections between junctions, in route order (2 separate stretches). Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 4 short link roads and spurs (1.1 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 21 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A90/M90 roundabout to road to Fairmount Terrace,PerthPerth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 12,537 | 0 |
| 2 | road to Fairmount Terrace to A93Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 12,412 | 0 |
| 3 | At A93Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 12,070 | 0 |
| 4 | A93 to A989Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 16,860 | 4 |
| 5 | A989 to A912Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 19,833 | 4 |
| 6 | Roundabout with A85 and A912 Dunkeld Road to Junction with A85 (South West of Tulloch, Perth and Kinross)Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 8,728 | 4 |
| 7 | Junction with A85 (South West of Tulloch, Perth and Kinross) to Junction with A9 and A85Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 14,675 | 0 |
| 8 | Junction with A9 and A85 to Junction with A85 (South West of Tulloch, Perth and Kinross)Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 14,639 | 4 |
| 9 | A9 slip roads to A822Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 7,695 | 17 |
| 10 | At A822Perth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 5,792 | fewer than 3 |
| 11 | A822 to B827 Bridge StreetPerth & Kinross · stretch 1 | 3,293 | 7 |
| 12 | B827 Bridge Street to A84Perth & Kinross, Stirling · stretch 1 | 1,821 | 15 |
| 13 | A84 to A827Stirling · stretch 1 | 4,207 | 8 |
| 14 | A827 to A82Stirling · stretch 1 | 3,702 | 3 |
| 15 | A82 to A819Stirling, Argyll & Bute · stretch 1 | 2,906 | 10 |
| 16 | A819 to A828Argyll & Bute · stretch 1 | 4,715 | 18 |
| 17 | A828 to A85 splitArgyll & Bute · stretch 1 | 8,498 | 16 |
| 18 | A85 split to A85 mergeArgyll & Bute · stretch 1 | 8,435 | fewer than 3 |
| 19 | A85 merge to A816Argyll & Bute · stretch 1 | 15,283 | 4 |
| 20 | A90 to Riverside Drive roundaboutDundee City · stretch 2 | 14,148 | 4 |
| 21 | Riverside Drive roundabout to A991Dundee City · stretch 2 | 16,083 | 7 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A85 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.
A85 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 74.3% of the vehicle miles on the A85. HGVs account for 5.2%, rising to 10.4% on A84 to A827.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.1% |
| 2001 | 5.1% |
| 2002 | 5.3% |
| 2003 | 5.2% |
| 2004 | 5.1% |
| 2005 | 5.6% |
| 2006 | 5.5% |
| 2007 | 5.5% |
| 2008 | 5.2% |
| 2009 | 4.9% |
| 2010 | 5.0% |
| 2011 | 4.9% |
| 2012 | 4.8% |
| 2013 | 4.8% |
| 2014 | 4.8% |
| 2015 | 4.8% |
| 2016 | 4.9% |
| 2017 | 4.9% |
| 2018 | 5.0% |
| 2019 | 5.0% |
| 2020 | 5.7% |
| 2021 | 5.6% |
| 2022 | 5.3% |
| 2023 | 5.1% |
| 2024 | 5.1% |
| 2025 | 5.2% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A85 traffic trend
Traffic on the A85 came to 184 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 16.5% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 6.5% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 5.5% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 162m |
| 2001 | 156m |
| 2002 | 173m |
| 2003 | 186m |
| 2004 | 178m |
| 2005 | 176m |
| 2006 | 177m |
| 2007 | 177m |
| 2008 | 172m |
| 2009 | 174m |
| 2010 | 171m |
| 2011 | 170m |
| 2012 | 168m |
| 2013 | 169m |
| 2014 | 173m |
| 2015 | 178m |
| 2016 | 183m |
| 2017 | 177m |
| 2018 | 163m |
| 2019 | 159m |
| 2020 | 127m |
| 2021 | 154m |
| 2022 | 176m |
| 2023 | 176m |
| 2024 | 181m |
| 2025 | 184m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4,634 |
| 2001 | 4,459 |
| 2002 | 4,947 |
| 2003 | 5,335 |
| 2004 | 5,112 |
| 2005 | 5,042 |
| 2006 | 5,059 |
| 2007 | 5,062 |
| 2008 | 4,939 |
| 2009 | 4,983 |
| 2010 | 4,909 |
| 2011 | 4,882 |
| 2012 | 4,816 |
| 2013 | 4,848 |
| 2014 | 4,960 |
| 2015 | 5,100 |
| 2016 | 5,248 |
| 2017 | 5,066 |
| 2018 | 4,665 |
| 2019 | 4,536 |
| 2020 | 3,622 |
| 2021 | 4,390 |
| 2022 | 5,032 |
| 2023 | 5,022 |
| 2024 | 5,170 |
| 2025 | 5,250 |
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, 9 of the 27 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A85 collisions
Police recorded 136 collisions with the A85 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 77 of them fatal or serious. That is 15.6 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
Up 31.6% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | 9 |
| 2022 | 12 | 17 |
| 2023 | 15 | 16 |
| 2024 | 13 | 19 |
| 2025 | 9 | 16 |
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 |
|---|---|
| B827 Bridge Street to A84 Perth & Kinross, Stirling · 15 collisions | 37.3 |
| A828 to A85 split Argyll & Bute · 16 collisions | 25.1 |
| A82 to A819 Stirling, Argyll & Bute · 10 collisions | 16.2 |
| A819 to A828 Argyll & Bute · 18 collisions | 11.9 |
| A9 slip roads to A822 Perth & Kinross · 17 collisions | 9.8 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 7 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A85 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 A85
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Perth & Kinross
- Stirling
- Argyll & Bute
- Dundee City
Roadworks on the A85 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 47 sets of roadworks on the A85 in Scotland, 9 of them under way. 12 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A85t From Juction With Access To Lochearnhead Scout Station To The Council Boundary
-
A85t From Cycle Track From Craggan Road To A85t To Access To Lochearnhead Scout Station, Glenogle
-
A85t From Cycle Track From Craggan Road To A85t To Access To Lochearnhead Scout Station, Glenogle
-
A85t Through Connel From Dunfuinary To U22 Achavaich Road
-
A85t Through Dunbeg From Fish Farm Access Road To Pennyfuir Cottage
-
A85t West Of Connel From U22 Achavaich Road To Fish Farm Access Road
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 | 27 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 136 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.