Is this live traffic?
No. The website shows historical annual estimates. Use a navigation or live-traffic service for current conditions.
What does the daily number mean?
It is the Department for Transport's estimate of vehicles passing an official location in both directions on an average day of the year.
What do the map colours mean?
The map opens with every available numbered road coloured in five levels: dark green is very low, light green is low, amber is typical, orange is high and deep red is very high traffic compared with similar roads. Busier roads are also thicker. A road's colour summarises all current official locations carrying that road number; click it to open the estimate nearest to where you clicked. The colours are comparisons, not congestion warnings.
Does a figure describe the whole road?
No. It describes the DfT count point or road link shown on the map. Conditions can differ elsewhere on a long road.
Why is the nearest point on another road?
Not every minor road is sampled. If your selected road has no point, the service shows the nearest available official location and its distance.
Is Estimated less accurate than Counted?
Usually it carries more uncertainty. DfT advises using estimated link-level figures with caution. The exact method and most recent counted year are shown where available.
How is the traffic level calculated?
We compare the daily estimate with current official locations of the same broad road type. The map shows five equal statistical bands so unusually quiet and unusually busy roads stand out clearly; nearby result cards group them into the simpler labels Lower, Typical and Higher traffic.
Are pedal cycles included in all motor vehicles?
No. DfT reports pedal cycles separately. All motor vehicles includes motorised classes only.
Why can a postcode appear in the wrong council?
Postcode lookup uses a single approximate centre. Postcodes that straddle boundaries can be assigned according to that centre.
Does the service cover Northern Ireland?
No. The initial release covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland uses a separate official dataset.
Do you store my location?
No. Precise browser location is used in the page to calculate nearby points and is not sent to this website's server. Basemap and postcode providers receive ordinary requests needed to provide their services.