Motorway
M9 traffic and collisions
The M9 is a motorway of 31.5 miles, from City of Edinburgh to Stirling. This page covers its traffic at 16 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 478m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 41,568 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 75,150 J1A to J1
- HGV share 7.6% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −6.6% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 58 2.6 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the M9?
On an average day in 2025, 41,568 vehicles passed each point on the M9, counting both directions. The busiest section is J1A to J1 (City of Edinburgh), with 75,150 a day; the quietest listed is A91/A872 to M80, with 21,752.
Busiest sections, 2025
J1A to J1 carries 1.8 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| J1A to J1 City of Edinburgh · 1.2 mi · HGVs 7.4% | 75,150 |
| J7 to J8 Falkirk · 1.1 mi · HGVs 7.3% | 70,233 |
| J6 to J7 Falkirk · 2.8 mi · HGVs 8.6% | 56,378 |
| J5 to J4 Falkirk · 1.6 mi · HGVs 6.4% | 46,598 |
| A905 to J6 Falkirk · 0.9 mi · HGVs 7.2% | 44,316 |
| M80 to J10 Stirling · 3.7 mi · HGVs 10.5% | 43,561 |
| J3 to A801 West Lothian, Falkirk · 4.8 mi · HGVs 6.1% | 42,345 |
| J2 to J3 West Lothian · 2.2 mi · HGVs 7.2% | 42,081 |
| A9/A905 to A905 Falkirk · 0.7 mi · HGVs 7.7% | 40,274 |
| M9 merge to J2 City of Edinburgh, West Lothian · 4.1 mi · HGVs 6.5% | 38,114 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
City of Edinburgh to Stirling · 31.5 miles
M9 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 | J1A to J1City of Edinburgh | 75,150 | 5 |
| 2 | M9 merge to J2City of Edinburgh, West Lothian | 38,114 | 5 |
| 3 | J2 to J3West Lothian | 42,081 | 5 |
| 4 | J3 to A801West Lothian, Falkirk | 42,345 | 6 |
| 5 | J5 to J4Falkirk | 46,598 | 3 |
| 6 | A9/A905 to A905Falkirk | 40,274 | 0 |
| 7 | A905 to J6Falkirk | 44,316 | fewer than 3 |
| 8 | J6 to J7Falkirk | 56,378 | 9 |
| 9 | J7 to J8Falkirk | 70,233 | 4 |
| 10 | M876 to A91/A872Falkirk, Stirling | 22,496 | 4 |
| 11 | A91/A872 to M80Stirling | 21,752 | 4 |
| 12 | M80 to J10Stirling | 43,561 | 7 |
| 13 | J10 to J11Stirling | 37,266 | 4 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the M9 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.
M9 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 73.2% of the vehicle miles on the M9. HGVs account for 7.6%, rising to 10.5% on M80 to J10.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.9% |
| 2001 | 9.4% |
| 2002 | 9.5% |
| 2003 | 9.6% |
| 2004 | 9.8% |
| 2005 | 9.5% |
| 2006 | 9.8% |
| 2007 | 9.9% |
| 2008 | 9.8% |
| 2009 | 9.2% |
| 2010 | 9.2% |
| 2011 | 8.9% |
| 2012 | 8.9% |
| 2013 | 9.0% |
| 2014 | 8.7% |
| 2015 | 8.4% |
| 2016 | 7.8% |
| 2017 | 7.6% |
| 2018 | 7.6% |
| 2019 | 7.6% |
| 2020 | 9.6% |
| 2021 | 9.2% |
| 2022 | 8.3% |
| 2023 | 8.0% |
| 2024 | 7.7% |
| 2025 | 7.6% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
M9 traffic trend
Traffic on the M9 came to 478 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 6.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 6.3% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 41.5% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 345m |
| 2001 | 363m |
| 2002 | 373m |
| 2003 | 391m |
| 2004 | 417m |
| 2005 | 421m |
| 2006 | 438m |
| 2007 | 434m |
| 2008 | 432m |
| 2009 | 427m |
| 2010 | 415m |
| 2011 | 439m |
| 2012 | 434m |
| 2013 | 444m |
| 2014 | 458m |
| 2015 | 487m |
| 2016 | 533m |
| 2017 | 484m |
| 2018 | 505m |
| 2019 | 511m |
| 2020 | 354m |
| 2021 | 393m |
| 2022 | 429m |
| 2023 | 446m |
| 2024 | 452m |
| 2025 | 478m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 28,877 |
| 2001 | 30,429 |
| 2002 | 31,261 |
| 2003 | 32,788 |
| 2004 | 34,913 |
| 2005 | 35,258 |
| 2006 | 36,733 |
| 2007 | 36,331 |
| 2008 | 36,221 |
| 2009 | 35,775 |
| 2010 | 34,777 |
| 2011 | 35,072 |
| 2012 | 34,694 |
| 2013 | 35,459 |
| 2014 | 36,606 |
| 2015 | 38,903 |
| 2016 | 42,554 |
| 2017 | 42,087 |
| 2018 | 43,930 |
| 2019 | 44,482 |
| 2020 | 30,804 |
| 2021 | 34,201 |
| 2022 | 37,314 |
| 2023 | 38,750 |
| 2024 | 39,331 |
| 2025 | 41,568 |
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 16 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
M9 collisions
Police recorded 58 collisions with the M9 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 28 of them fatal or serious, including 3 fatal. That is 2.6 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 4.9 for all motorways in Great Britain. On average there were 0.4 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Up 11.1% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 | 8 | 6 |
| 2024 | 5 | 10 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 6 collisions were recorded at junctions where the M9 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 M9
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- City of Edinburgh
- West Lothian
- Falkirk
- Stirling
Roadworks on the M9 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 41 sets of roadworks on the M9 in Scotland, 4 of them under way. 39 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
M9 Eastbound Through Junction 1 From Junction 1a, Newbridge
-
M9 Westbound From Junction 4 To Junction 5, Grangemouth
-
M9 Southbound From Junction 9 To Council Boundary, Plean
-
M9 Northbound From Junction 10 To Junction 11 (plus 8 more), Bridge Of Allan
-
M9 Westbound From Junction 4 To Junction 5, Grangemouth
-
M9 Westbound From Boundary To Junction 1b, Winchburgh
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 | 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 | 58 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.