Trunk A-road
A87 traffic and collisions
The A87 is a trunk A-road of 99.9 miles, in Highland. This page covers its traffic at 13 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 121m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 3,324 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 6,167 A851 to B8083
- HGV share 5.0% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +13.8% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 81 14.4 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A87?
On an average day in 2025, 3,324 vehicles passed each point on the A87, counting both directions. The busiest section is A851 to B8083 (Highland), with 6,167 a day; the quietest listed is A887 to A82, with 1,508.
Busiest sections, 2025
A851 to B8083 carries 1.9 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A851 to B8083 Highland · 1.6 mi · HGVs 2.8% | 6,167 |
| Stoney Rd, Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin roundabout Highland · 1.6 mi · HGVs 4.5% | 5,446 |
| A890 to Stoney Rd, Kyle of Lochalsh Highland · 5.4 mi · HGVs 4.7% | 4,634 |
| C-road Shiel Bridge to A890 Highland · 10.5 mi · HGVs 9.8% | 4,347 |
| B883 to A855 Highland · 1.9 mi · HGVs 3.5% | 3,892 |
| Kyleakin roundabout to A851 Highland · 5.6 mi · HGVs 5.1% | 3,845 |
| B8083 to A863 Highland · 16.3 mi · HGVs 3.5% | 3,831 |
| A855 to A850 Highland · 3.9 mi · HGVs 3.5% | 3,733 |
| A863 to B883 Highland · 7.1 mi · HGVs 6.2% | 3,369 |
| A87 to C-road Shiel Bridge Highland · 20.4 mi · HGVs 4.8% | 3,151 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
In Highland · 99.9 miles
A87 traffic and collisions by section
13 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 | A887 to A82Highland | 1,508 | 6 |
| 2 | A87 to C-road Shiel BridgeHighland | 3,151 | 11 |
| 3 | C-road Shiel Bridge to A890Highland | 4,347 | 3 |
| 4 | A890 to Stoney Rd, Kyle of LochalshHighland | 4,634 | 5 |
| 5 | Stoney Rd, Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin roundaboutHighland | 5,446 | 0 |
| 6 | Kyleakin roundabout to A851Highland | 3,845 | 5 |
| 7 | A851 to B8083Highland | 6,167 | fewer than 3 |
| 8 | B8083 to A863Highland | 3,831 | 15 |
| 9 | A863 to B883Highland | 3,369 | 7 |
| 10 | B883 to A855Highland | 3,892 | 0 |
| 11 | A855 to A850Highland | 3,733 | 4 |
| 12 | A850 to A855Highland | 2,384 | fewer than 3 |
| 13 | A855 to ferryHighland | 1,584 | 0 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A87 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.
A87 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 73.1% of the vehicle miles on the A87. HGVs account for 5.0%, rising to 9.8% on C-road Shiel Bridge to A890.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.1% |
| 2001 | 3.9% |
| 2002 | 4.4% |
| 2003 | 4.8% |
| 2004 | 5.2% |
| 2005 | 5.4% |
| 2006 | 5.6% |
| 2007 | 5.6% |
| 2008 | 5.6% |
| 2009 | 5.5% |
| 2010 | 5.7% |
| 2011 | 5.8% |
| 2012 | 5.9% |
| 2013 | 6.0% |
| 2014 | 6.1% |
| 2015 | 5.8% |
| 2016 | 5.8% |
| 2017 | 5.8% |
| 2018 | 6.1% |
| 2019 | 5.9% |
| 2020 | 6.4% |
| 2021 | 5.5% |
| 2022 | 4.9% |
| 2023 | 4.9% |
| 2024 | 4.9% |
| 2025 | 5.0% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A87 traffic trend
Traffic on the A87 came to 121 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 13.8% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 37.1% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 37.3% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 88m |
| 2001 | 90m |
| 2002 | 95m |
| 2003 | 87m |
| 2004 | 82m |
| 2005 | 82m |
| 2006 | 84m |
| 2007 | 84m |
| 2008 | 83m |
| 2009 | 84m |
| 2010 | 81m |
| 2011 | 82m |
| 2012 | 80m |
| 2013 | 81m |
| 2014 | 81m |
| 2015 | 88m |
| 2016 | 92m |
| 2017 | 96m |
| 2018 | 102m |
| 2019 | 107m |
| 2020 | 80m |
| 2021 | 99m |
| 2022 | 107m |
| 2023 | 114m |
| 2024 | 119m |
| 2025 | 121m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,421 |
| 2001 | 2,459 |
| 2002 | 2,603 |
| 2003 | 2,395 |
| 2004 | 2,254 |
| 2005 | 2,241 |
| 2006 | 2,290 |
| 2007 | 2,293 |
| 2008 | 2,275 |
| 2009 | 2,312 |
| 2010 | 2,218 |
| 2011 | 2,239 |
| 2012 | 2,191 |
| 2013 | 2,208 |
| 2014 | 2,223 |
| 2015 | 2,424 |
| 2016 | 2,517 |
| 2017 | 2,642 |
| 2018 | 2,783 |
| 2019 | 2,920 |
| 2020 | 2,201 |
| 2021 | 2,725 |
| 2022 | 2,945 |
| 2023 | 3,121 |
| 2024 | 3,268 |
| 2025 | 3,324 |
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, 4 of the 13 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A87 collisions
Police recorded 81 collisions with the A87 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 45 of them fatal or serious, including 8 fatal. That is 14.4 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
Up 21.4% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | 9 |
| 2022 | 3 | 7 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 13 |
| 2025 | 10 | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|
| B8083 to A863 Highland · 15 collisions | 13.8 |
| A87 to C-road Shiel Bridge Highland · 11 collisions | 10.3 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 3 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A87 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 A87
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Highland
Roadworks on the A87 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 51 sets of roadworks on the A87 in Scotland, 9 of them under way. 13 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A87t A851 Junction - B8083 Junction, Broadford
-
A87t B883 Junction - Viewfield Road, Portree
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A87t A863 Junction - B883 Junction, Portree
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A87t A82 Junction - A887 Junction, Invergarry
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A87t A82 Junction - A887 Junction, Invergarry
-
A87t A82 Junction - A887 Junction, Invergarry
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 | 13 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 81 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.