Motorway

M876 traffic and collisions

The M876 is a motorway of 7.9 miles, in Falkirk. This page covers its traffic at 9 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
9 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 99m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 34,263 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 43,186 J1 to J2
  • HGV share 10.0% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 +0.7% same count points
  • Collisions, 2021 to 2025 16 4 fatal or serious

How busy is the M876?

On an average day in 2025, 34,263 vehicles passed each point on the M876, counting both directions. The busiest section is J1 to J2 (Falkirk), with 43,186 a day; the quietest listed is M9 to J3, with 27,121.

Busiest sections, 2025

J1 to J2 carries 1.3 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the M876 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
J1 to J2 Falkirk · 1.1 mi · HGVs 9.3% 43,186
A9/A88 Junction to M9 Junction Falkirk · 1.4 mi · HGVs 8.2% 42,269
Junction at M80/M876 to Slip Road for M876 meets A8004 Falkirk · 1.5 mi · HGVs 8.5% 41,984
M876/A88 Junction to M876/A9 Junction Falkirk · 0.7 mi · HGVs 9.8% 39,450
M9 to J3 Falkirk · 1.7 mi · HGVs 16.9% 27,121

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

In Falkirk · 7.9 miles

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

M876 traffic and collisions by section

6 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 3 short link roads and spurs (1.1 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Sections Tap a column heading to sort
Sections of the M876 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1Junction at M80/M876 to Slip Road for M876 meets A8004Falkirk1.541,9848.5%−10.4%5
2Slip Road for M876 meets A8004 to M876 crosses the A883Falkirk0.445,1328.8%+5.1%fewer than 3
3J1 to J2Falkirk1.143,1869.3%+13.4%3
4M876/A88 Junction to M876/A9 JunctionFalkirk0.739,4509.8%−2.6%fewer than 3
5A9/A88 Junction to M9 JunctionFalkirk1.442,2698.2%−0.8%fewer than 3
6M9 to J3Falkirk1.727,12116.9%+4.5%4

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the M876 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.

M876 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 67.7% of the vehicle miles on the M876. HGVs account for 10.0%, rising to 16.9% on M9 to J3.

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 M876, by year
Year HGV share
2000 14.5%
2001 14.4%
2002 15.5%
2003 15.8%
2004 14.8%
2005 15.3%
2006 15.3%
2007 14.5%
2008 14.4%
2009 13.5%
2010 13.5%
2011 13.1%
2012 13.1%
2013 13.2%
2014 12.7%
2015 11.8%
2016 11.0%
2017 11.4%
2018 11.6%
2019 11.4%
2020 14.4%
2021 12.7%
2022 11.6%
2023 9.7%
2024 9.8%
2025 10.0%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

M876 traffic trend

Traffic on the M876 came to 98.8 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 0.7% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 9.1% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 50.0% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the M876 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 77m
2001 82m
2002 78m
2003 76m
2004 79m
2005 75m
2006 77m
2007 81m
2008 80m
2009 79m
2010 75m
2011 76m
2012 77m
2013 75m
2014 84m
2015 94m
2016 98m
2017 98m
2018 97m
2019 98m
2020 73m
2021 84m
2022 92m
2023 104m
2024 101m
2025 99m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the M876, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 27,108
2001 28,696
2002 27,211
2003 26,841
2004 27,581
2005 26,222
2006 27,075
2007 28,332
2008 27,921
2009 27,557
2010 26,161
2011 26,793
2012 27,019
2013 25,003
2014 28,063
2015 31,508
2016 33,830
2017 33,859
2018 33,699
2019 34,017
2020 25,131
2021 29,169
2022 31,919
2023 35,981
2024 35,136
2025 34,263

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 9 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

M876 collisions

Police recorded 16 collisions with the M876 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 4 of them fatal or serious.

Reported collisions by year

Police-reported collisions on the M876 by year
Year Collisions Fatal or serious
2021 5 fewer than 3
2022 fewer than 3 0
2023 4 fewer than 3
2024 4 fewer than 3
2025 fewer than 3 0

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

A further 7 collisions were recorded at junctions where the M876 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 M876

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

  • Falkirk

Roadworks on the M876 in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 11 sets of roadworks on the M876 in Scotland, 1 of them under way. 10 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

  • M876 Westbound Junction 1 On-Slip From Junction 2, Bonnybridge

    Hard shoulder closed Under way, until 24 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

  • M876 Eastbound Junction 1 Off And On Slip From Junction With M80, Denny

    Slip road closed 1 Feb 2027 to 27 Feb 2027 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

  • M876 Westbound Through Junction 1 From Junction 2, Bonnybridge

    Lane closed 1 Feb 2027 to 27 Feb 2027 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

  • M876 Eastbound From Junction With M80 To Junction 1, Falkirk

    Slip road closed 1 Feb 2027 to 27 Feb 2027 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

  • M876 Westbound Through Junction 1 From Junction 2, Bonnybridge

    Road closed 1 Feb 2027 to 27 Feb 2027 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

  • M876 Eastbound From Junction 1 To Junction 2, Falkirk

    Road closed 1 Feb 2027 to 27 Feb 2027 Transport Scotland - SE Unit Op Company

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