A-road

A97 traffic and collisions

The A97 is an A-road of 57.6 miles, in Aberdeenshire. This page covers its traffic at 16 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
16 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 30m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 1,435 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 5,324 A96 to A920
  • HGV share 6.9% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 −3.6% same count points

How busy is the A97?

On an average day in 2025, 1,435 vehicles passed each point on the A97, counting both directions. The busiest section is A96 to A920 (Aberdeenshire), with 5,324 a day; the quietest listed is B9119 to A944, with 470.

Busiest sections, 2025

A96 to A920 carries 3.7 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A97 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
A96 to A920 Aberdeenshire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.9% 5,324
B9001 to B9023 Huntly Road Aberdeenshire, Moray · 5.3 mi · HGVs 10.1% 2,931
B9002 to A96 Aberdeenshire · 5.3 mi · HGVs 6.1% 2,059
A96 to B9001 Aberdeenshire · 5.2 mi · HGVs 5.4% 1,843
A941 to B9002 Aberdeenshire · 3.3 mi · HGVs 6.7% 1,515
B9025 to A98 Aberdeenshire · 6.3 mi · HGVs 5.7% 1,478
B9023 Huntly Road to B9025 Aberdeenshire · 2.9 mi · HGVs 5.2% 1,473
A98 to A953 Aberdeenshire · 0.5 mi · HGVs 0.6% 1,296
A944 to A941 Aberdeenshire · 5.6 mi · HGVs 8.6% 1,225
A93 to B9119 Aberdeenshire · 2.3 mi · HGVs 5.3% 910

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

In Aberdeenshire · 57.6 miles

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

A97 traffic and collisions by section

14 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
Sections of the A97 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1A93 to B9119Aberdeenshire2.39105.3%+20.2%
2B9119 to A944Aberdeenshire9.64704.9%−1.7%
3At A944Aberdeenshire9.67658.4%−1.7%
4A944 to A941Aberdeenshire5.61,2258.6%−3.0%
5A941 to B9002Aberdeenshire3.31,5156.7%−4.8%
6B9002 to A96Aberdeenshire5.32,0596.1%−6.7%
7A96 to A920Aberdeenshire0.65,3241.9%−5.2%
8A920 to A96Aberdeenshire0.88741.9%−5.1%
9A96 to B9001Aberdeenshire5.21,8435.4%−4.7%
10B9001 to B9023 Huntly RoadAberdeenshire, Moray5.32,93110.1%−2.7%
11B9023 Huntly Road to B9025Aberdeenshire2.91,4735.2%−5.0%
12B9025 to A98Aberdeenshire6.31,4785.7%−4.8%
13At A97Aberdeenshire0.38,9469.2%−4.0%
14A98 to A953Aberdeenshire0.51,2960.6%−5.6%

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A97 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.

A97 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 64.9% of the vehicle miles on the A97. HGVs account for 6.9%, rising to 10.1% on B9001 to B9023 Huntly Road.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A97, by year
Year HGV share
2000 6.5%
2001 6.2%
2002 6.5%
2003 6.5%
2004 6.4%
2005 7.1%
2006 7.1%
2007 7.3%
2008 7.4%
2009 7.2%
2010 7.6%
2011 7.2%
2012 6.8%
2013 6.3%
2014 6.5%
2015 6.6%
2016 6.7%
2017 6.8%
2018 6.9%
2019 7.0%
2020 8.1%
2021 7.9%
2022 7.5%
2023 7.2%
2024 7.0%
2025 6.9%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

A97 traffic trend

Traffic on the A97 came to 30.2 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 3.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 1.3% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 14.2% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A97 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 26m
2001 26m
2002 28m
2003 29m
2004 28m
2005 26m
2006 27m
2007 26m
2008 26m
2009 26m
2010 27m
2011 27m
2012 27m
2013 27m
2014 28m
2015 29m
2016 30m
2017 30m
2018 30m
2019 31m
2020 24m
2021 27m
2022 29m
2023 29m
2024 30m
2025 30m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A97, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 1,222
2001 1,256
2002 1,319
2003 1,392
2004 1,353
2005 1,264
2006 1,274
2007 1,263
2008 1,254
2009 1,247
2010 1,301
2011 1,280
2012 1,298
2013 1,302
2014 1,340
2015 1,377
2016 1,415
2017 1,433
2018 1,443
2019 1,488
2020 1,148
2021 1,268
2022 1,369
2023 1,393
2024 1,418
2025 1,435

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, 0 of the 16 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A97 collisions

Police recorded fewer than 3 collisions with the A97 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 12 of them fatal or serious.

Reported collisions by year

Police-reported collisions on the A97 by year
Year Collisions Fatal or serious
2021 3 fewer than 3
2022 7 5
2023 3 fewer than 3
2024 3 fewer than 3
2025 fewer than 3 fewer than 3

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

A further 3 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A97 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 A97

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

  • Aberdeenshire
  • Moray

Roadworks on the A97 in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 8 sets of roadworks on the A97 in Scotland, 4 of them under way. 2 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

  • A97 Birk Hill Access Road To C43m At Rippachie, Glendeskry

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 Aberdeenshire Council

  • A97 Birk Hill Access Road To C43m At Rippachie, Glendeskry

    Road closed Under way, until 17 Sept 2026 Aberdeenshire Council

  • A97 C2l At Mill Of Brydock North East To Eagles Gate Lodge, Alvah

    Temporary traffic lights Under way, until 20 Sept 2026 BT

  • A97 Eagles Gate Lodge North East To Sandyhill Road Banff

    Temporary traffic lights Under way, until 20 Sept 2026 BT

  • A97 Brawlandknowes Access Road To A96t At George V Avenue Roundabout Huntly

    Temporary traffic lights 30 Nov 2026 to 24 Dec 2026 Transport Scotland - NE Unit Op Company

  • A97 Craigmancie Access Road To Moray Boundary At Auchingoul, Bridge Of Marnoch

    Temporary traffic lights 16 Sept 2026 to 20 Sept 2026 BT

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

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 16 count points in 2025 15 September 2026
Reported collisions Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2021 to 2025 18 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.