Motorway
M74 traffic and collisions
The M74 is a motorway of 42.5 miles, from Glasgow City to South Lanarkshire. This page covers its traffic at 40 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 855m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 55,118 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 106,547 A8 to A730/B763
- HGV share 13.6% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +5.3% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 167 4.0 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the M74?
On an average day in 2025, 55,118 vehicles passed each point on the M74, counting both directions. The busiest section is A8 to A730/B763 (Glasgow City), with 106,547 a day; the quietest listed is J11 to J12, with 30,580.
Busiest sections, 2025
A8 to A730/B763 carries 1.9 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A8 to A730/B763 Glasgow City · 1.0 mi · HGVs 5.7% | 106,547 |
| J4 to J5 South Lanarkshire · 2.9 mi · HGVs 8.5% | 105,989 |
| A763 to A74 Glasgow City · 1.8 mi · HGVs 7.6% | 105,852 |
| At J6 North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire · 2.1 mi · HGVs 8.5% | 102,810 |
| At A730/B763 Glasgow City · 0.6 mi · HGVs 6.6% | 98,240 |
| A730/B763 to A724 South Lanarkshire · 1.1 mi · HGVs 6.1% | 90,307 |
| At A724 South Lanarkshire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 11.3% | 89,236 |
| Seaward Street to A8 Glasgow City · 0.8 mi · HGVs 13.5% | 82,662 |
| At A74 Glasgow City · 0.6 mi · HGVs 6.3% | 82,428 |
| J6 to J7 South Lanarkshire · 2.8 mi · HGVs 14.5% | 69,649 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Glasgow City to South Lanarkshire · 42.5 miles
M74 traffic and collisions by section
21 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 17 short link roads and spurs (4.8 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 21 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seaward Street to A8Glasgow City | 82,662 | 0 |
| 2 | A8 to A730/B763Glasgow City | 106,547 | 7 |
| 3 | At A730/B763Glasgow City | 98,240 | 0 |
| 4 | A724 to A730/B763Glasgow City | 111,671 | fewer than 3 |
| 5 | A730/B763 to A724South Lanarkshire | 90,307 | 4 |
| 6 | At A724South Lanarkshire | 89,236 | 0 |
| 7 | A74 to A724South Lanarkshire | 101,152 | 3 |
| 8 | A724 to A74Glasgow City | 66,815 | 0 |
| 9 | At A74Glasgow City | 82,428 | fewer than 3 |
| 10 | A74 to A763Glasgow City | 100,278 | fewer than 3 |
| 11 | A763 to A74Glasgow City | 105,852 | 8 |
| 12 | J3 to J4Glasgow City, North Lanarkshire | 84,280 | 6 |
| 13 | J4 to J5South Lanarkshire | 105,989 | 14 |
| 14 | At J6North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire | 102,810 | 20 |
| 15 | J6 to J7South Lanarkshire | 69,649 | 17 |
| 16 | J7 to J8South Lanarkshire | 48,720 | 18 |
| 17 | J8 to J9South Lanarkshire | 43,007 | 10 |
| 18 | J9 to J10South Lanarkshire | 33,544 | 9 |
| 19 | J10 to J11South Lanarkshire | 34,466 | 13 |
| 20 | J11 to J12South Lanarkshire | 30,580 | 3 |
| 21 | J12 to J13South Lanarkshire | 35,098 | 14 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the M74 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.
M74 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 66.6% of the vehicle miles on the M74. HGVs account for 13.6%, rising to 25.7% on J10 to J11.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.6% |
| 2001 | 23.0% |
| 2002 | 21.8% |
| 2003 | 21.4% |
| 2004 | 22.0% |
| 2005 | 21.8% |
| 2006 | 21.8% |
| 2007 | 22.7% |
| 2008 | 21.3% |
| 2009 | 19.6% |
| 2010 | 20.3% |
| 2011 | 20.1% |
| 2012 | 19.0% |
| 2013 | 18.9% |
| 2014 | 18.1% |
| 2015 | 18.1% |
| 2016 | 18.1% |
| 2017 | 18.7% |
| 2018 | 18.5% |
| 2019 | 14.1% |
| 2020 | 17.8% |
| 2021 | 16.4% |
| 2022 | 14.9% |
| 2023 | 13.4% |
| 2024 | 13.3% |
| 2025 | 13.6% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
M74 traffic trend
Traffic on the M74 came to 855 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 5.3% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 27.3% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 65.4% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 827m |
| 2001 | 848m |
| 2002 | 892m |
| 2003 | 932m |
| 2004 | 957m |
| 2005 | 970m |
| 2006 | 978m |
| 2007 | 997m |
| 2008 | 1.0bn |
| 2009 | 1.0bn |
| 2010 | 1.0bn |
| 2011 | 1.0bn |
| 2012 | 1.2bn |
| 2013 | 1.2bn |
| 2014 | 1.2bn |
| 2015 | 1.3bn |
| 2016 | 1.3bn |
| 2017 | 1.4bn |
| 2018 | 1.4bn |
| 2019 | 811m |
| 2020 | 599m |
| 2021 | 752m |
| 2022 | 826m |
| 2023 | 862m |
| 2024 | 865m |
| 2025 | 855m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 29,271 |
| 2001 | 30,026 |
| 2002 | 31,577 |
| 2003 | 33,004 |
| 2004 | 33,881 |
| 2005 | 34,323 |
| 2006 | 34,615 |
| 2007 | 34,982 |
| 2008 | 36,098 |
| 2009 | 36,178 |
| 2010 | 34,781 |
| 2011 | 34,687 |
| 2012 | 34,443 |
| 2013 | 35,319 |
| 2014 | 36,306 |
| 2015 | 36,891 |
| 2016 | 38,204 |
| 2017 | 40,570 |
| 2018 | 41,937 |
| 2019 | 52,283 |
| 2020 | 38,593 |
| 2021 | 48,467 |
| 2022 | 53,237 |
| 2023 | 55,549 |
| 2024 | 55,757 |
| 2025 | 55,118 |
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, 27 of the 40 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
M74 collisions
Police recorded 167 collisions with the M74 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 58 of them fatal or serious, including 6 fatal. That is 4.0 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 4.9 for all motorways in Great Britain. On average there were 0.8 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 3.1% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | 12 |
| 2022 | 17 | 11 |
| 2023 | 25 | 9 |
| 2024 | 27 | 15 |
| 2025 | 20 | 11 |
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 |
|---|---|
| J7 to J8 South Lanarkshire · 18 collisions | 6.0 |
| At J6 North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire · 20 collisions | 5.4 |
| J6 to J7 South Lanarkshire · 17 collisions | 5.1 |
| J10 to J11 South Lanarkshire · 13 collisions | 4.4 |
| J8 to J9 South Lanarkshire · 10 collisions | 3.6 |
| J12 to J13 South Lanarkshire · 14 collisions | 3.2 |
| J4 to J5 South Lanarkshire · 14 collisions | 2.7 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 10 collisions were recorded at junctions where the M74 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 M74
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Glasgow City
- South Lanarkshire
- North Lanarkshire
Roadworks on the M74 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 224 sets of roadworks on the M74 in Scotland, 19 of them under way. 224 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
M74 Southbound From Junction 8 To Junction 9, Lanarkshire District
-
M74 Northbound From Junction 10 To Junction 8, Lanarkshire District
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M74 Northbound Junction 17 On-Slip To Junction 16 Off-Slip, Lockerbie
-
M74 Southbound From County Boundary To Junction 15, Moffat
-
M74 Southbound From Junction 15 On-Slip To Junction 16 Off-Slip, Beattock
-
M74 Eastbound Junction 1a On Slip From Polmadie Road, Glasgow
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 | 40 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 167 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.