Motorway
M65 traffic and collisions
The M65 is a motorway of 29.0 miles, in Lancashire. This page covers its traffic at 21 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 656m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 62,005 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 86,935 J4 to J5
- HGV share 5.4% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +0.8% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 323 10.4 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the M65?
On an average day in 2025, 62,005 vehicles passed each point on the M65, counting both directions. The busiest section is J4 to J5 (Blackburn with Darwen), with 86,935 a day; the quietest listed is J11 to J10, with 35,812.
Busiest sections, 2025
J4 to J5 carries 1.4 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| J4 to J5 Blackburn with Darwen · 1.9 mi · HGVs 5.4% | 86,935 |
| J8 to J9 Lancashire · 1.2 mi · HGVs 4.7% | 83,409 |
| M61 (9) to J3 Lancashire · 2.7 mi · HGVs 6.4% | 76,797 |
| J7 to J8 Lancashire · 2.8 mi · HGVs 5.2% | 72,191 |
| J9 to J10 Lancashire · 1.4 mi · HGVs 3.9% | 71,568 |
| J6 to J7 Lancashire · 1.5 mi · HGVs 6.3% | 66,577 |
| J11 to J12 Lancashire · 3.0 mi · HGVs 3.6% | 64,817 |
| J3 to J4 Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen · 3.5 mi · HGVs 6.1% | 62,281 |
| J5 to M65 split Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire · 2.2 mi · HGVs 7.6% | 60,714 |
| J12 to J13 Lancashire · 1.6 mi · HGVs 2.9% | 57,856 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
In Lancashire · 29.0 miles
M65 traffic and collisions by section
16 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 3 short link roads and spurs (1.5 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 16 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J1A to M6 (29)Lancashire | 43,402 | 11 |
| 2 | M6 (29) to M61 (9)Lancashire | 53,410 | 14 |
| 3 | M61 (9) to J3Lancashire | 76,797 | 29 |
| 4 | J3 to J4Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen | 62,281 | 50 |
| 5 | J4 to J5Blackburn with Darwen | 86,935 | 25 |
| 6 | J5 to M65 splitBlackburn with Darwen, Lancashire | 60,714 | 14 |
| 7 | M65 slip road to J6Lancashire | 46,887 | 3 |
| 8 | J6 to J7Lancashire | 66,577 | 19 |
| 9 | J7 to J8Lancashire | 72,191 | 27 |
| 10 | J8 to J9Lancashire | 83,409 | 24 |
| 11 | J9 to J10Lancashire | 71,568 | 13 |
| 12 | J11 to J10Lancashire | 35,812 | 4 |
| 13 | J10 to J11Lancashire | 53,071 | 5 |
| 14 | J11 to J12Lancashire | 64,817 | 46 |
| 15 | J12 to J13Lancashire | 57,856 | 8 |
| 16 | J13 to A6068Lancashire | 37,055 | 14 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the M65 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.
M65 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 76.4% of the vehicle miles on the M65. HGVs account for 5.4%, rising to 7.6% on J5 to M65 split.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.7% |
| 2001 | 8.6% |
| 2002 | 8.8% |
| 2003 | 8.8% |
| 2004 | 8.7% |
| 2005 | 9.4% |
| 2006 | 9.7% |
| 2007 | 7.9% |
| 2008 | 8.0% |
| 2009 | 7.8% |
| 2010 | 8.0% |
| 2011 | 6.9% |
| 2012 | 7.1% |
| 2013 | 6.7% |
| 2014 | 5.8% |
| 2015 | 6.2% |
| 2016 | 6.3% |
| 2017 | 6.3% |
| 2018 | 6.1% |
| 2019 | 5.7% |
| 2020 | 7.1% |
| 2021 | 6.8% |
| 2022 | 6.2% |
| 2023 | 5.6% |
| 2024 | 5.5% |
| 2025 | 5.4% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
M65 traffic trend
Traffic on the M65 came to 656 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 0.8% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 7.1% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 31.5% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 476m |
| 2001 | 482m |
| 2002 | 486m |
| 2003 | 488m |
| 2004 | 516m |
| 2005 | 532m |
| 2006 | 547m |
| 2007 | 558m |
| 2008 | 545m |
| 2009 | 537m |
| 2010 | 529m |
| 2011 | 545m |
| 2012 | 534m |
| 2013 | 563m |
| 2014 | 589m |
| 2015 | 590m |
| 2016 | 599m |
| 2017 | 595m |
| 2018 | 605m |
| 2019 | 651m |
| 2020 | 477m |
| 2021 | 568m |
| 2022 | 615m |
| 2023 | 640m |
| 2024 | 637m |
| 2025 | 656m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 47,594 |
| 2001 | 48,233 |
| 2002 | 48,218 |
| 2003 | 48,407 |
| 2004 | 51,265 |
| 2005 | 52,804 |
| 2006 | 54,725 |
| 2007 | 55,784 |
| 2008 | 54,488 |
| 2009 | 53,717 |
| 2010 | 52,889 |
| 2011 | 54,493 |
| 2012 | 53,367 |
| 2013 | 56,246 |
| 2014 | 58,894 |
| 2015 | 58,954 |
| 2016 | 59,871 |
| 2017 | 56,218 |
| 2018 | 57,119 |
| 2019 | 61,540 |
| 2020 | 45,073 |
| 2021 | 53,638 |
| 2022 | 58,119 |
| 2023 | 60,497 |
| 2024 | 60,222 |
| 2025 | 62,005 |
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, 11 of the 21 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
M65 collisions
Police recorded 323 collisions with the M65 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 67 of them fatal or serious, including 9 fatal. That is 10.4 per 100 million vehicle miles, higher than the 4.9 for all motorways in Great Britain. On average there were 2.2 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Up 15.9% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | 15 |
| 2022 | 44 | 9 |
| 2023 | 44 | 16 |
| 2024 | 56 | 18 |
| 2025 | 64 | 9 |
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 |
|---|---|
| J1A to M6 (29) Lancashire · 11 collisions | 24.0 |
| J8 to J9 Lancashire · 24 collisions | 14.0 |
| J11 to J12 Lancashire · 46 collisions | 12.6 |
| J3 to J4 Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen · 50 collisions | 12.2 |
| J13 to A6068 Lancashire · 14 collisions | 11.9 |
| M6 (29) to M61 (9) Lancashire · 14 collisions | 10.6 |
| J6 to J7 Lancashire · 19 collisions | 10.0 |
| J4 to J5 Blackburn with Darwen · 25 collisions | 9.5 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 22 collisions were recorded at junctions where the M65 was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. 94.7% of the collisions could be placed on a section. How we count collisions
Council areas on the M65
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Lancashire
- Blackburn with Darwen
Planned closures on the M65 in England
National Highways has 60 planned closures on the M65 between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, 59 of them starting in that period. 39 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 55 start between 7pm and 6am.
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Lane or slip M65 Eastbound Jct 5 exit slip road lane closure
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Lane or slip M65 Westbound Jct 5 exit slip road lane closure
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Carriageway M65 westbound jct 6 exit slip road closure
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Carriageway M65 westbound jct 7 entry slip road closure
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Carriageway M65 Westbound Carriageway Closure Jct 1 exit and entry slips
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Lane or slip M65 Eastbound Lane 2 closure (MP 0/9 to 3/6)
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Lane or slip M65 Eastbound Lane 2 closure (MP 0/9 to 3/6)
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Lane or slip M65 Eastbound Lane 2 closure (MP 0/9 to 3/7)
52 more planned closures in this period are not shown.
Planned closures only: National Highways can cancel or change them, and closures caused by incidents are not shown. Council roads in England are not covered. Roadworks and closures across the UK
Source:National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 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 | 21 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 323 reported collisions | 15 September 2026 |
| Planned closures | Transport Data Feeds (DATEX II) National Highways | 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 | 2,304 planned closure schemes | 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.
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