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M4 traffic at 21:00 on Sunday 18 October: road closed northbound until 06:00 Sat 5 Dec · 1 live incident · 1 closure tonight.
From National Highways' closure report, in their words. Times can change - check before you set off.
Tap a pin for full incident detail. Live positions from National Highways.
🟢 Clear · 🟡 Delays nearby · 🔴 Severe/Crash · Status labels: 💥 CRASH · ❌ CLOSED · 🐌 SLOW · 🚧 WORKS · ⚠️ HAZARD
A red or orange junction border marks a STATS19 collision blackspot. Tap any junction for its own page — live incidents and full collision history. Tap the funnel to filter the list above.
The M4 carries up to 156,491 vehicles a day at its busiest stretch (near J4), including 6,249 HGVs — the 6th busiest motorway in Britain. Official Department for Transport counts, 2025.
| Road | Busiest stretch | Vehicles/day | HGVs/day | HGV share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | near J14 | 212,636 | 14,853 | 7% |
| M6 | J20–J21 | 187,521 | 23,492 | 12.5% |
| M56 | J3–J4 | 179,634 | 7,547 | 4.2% |
| M1 | near J9 | 162,446 | 19,151 | 11.8% |
| M8 | J16–J17 | 158,065 | 7,214 | 4.6% |
| M4 ◀ | near J4 | 156,491 | 6,249 | 4% |
Measured from 298 incidents recorded on the M4 since January 2026: the riskiest window is 14:00–17:00, when 22% of incidents start. Right now (21:00) you're outside the peak window.
| Hour | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–01:00 | 6 | 2% |
| 01:00–02:00 | 5 | 1.7% |
| 02:00–03:00 | 5 | 1.7% |
| 03:00–04:00 | 6 | 2% |
| 04:00–05:00 | 5 | 1.7% |
| 05:00–06:00 | 9 | 3% |
| 06:00–07:00 | 17 | 5.7% |
| 07:00–08:00 | 15 | 5% |
| 08:00–09:00 | 18 | 6% |
| 09:00–10:00 | 14 | 4.7% |
| 10:00–11:00 | 12 | 4% |
| 11:00–12:00 | 10 | 3.4% |
| 12:00–13:00 | 21 | 7% |
| 13:00–14:00 | 14 | 4.7% |
| 14:00–15:00 ◀ peak | 20 | 6.7% |
| 15:00–16:00 ◀ peak | 25 | 8.4% |
| 16:00–17:00 ◀ peak | 20 | 6.7% |
| 17:00–18:00 | 14 | 4.7% |
| 18:00–19:00 | 8 | 2.7% |
| 19:00–20:00 | 13 | 4.4% |
| 20:00–21:00 | 14 | 4.7% |
| 21:00–22:00 | 12 | 4% |
| 22:00–23:00 | 8 | 2.7% |
| 23:00–00:00 | 7 | 2.3% |
The places people drive to most, the M4 junction for each, and live M4 incidents nearby at 21:00.
Flat and jumps racing; hosts Royal Ascot and British Champions Day
Theme park on the B3022 Windsor–Ascot road, two miles from Windsor town centre
Royal castle in Windsor; council car parks and Park and Ride serve the town
Reading FC's ground, close to M4 J11 and the A33 relief road
Designer outlet centre in Swindon, a few miles from M4 J16
Motor racing circuit 5 miles west of Chippenham on the B4039
83.9 million passengers in 2024; £7 charge to use terminal drop-off areas
M4/A4 traffic enters via Hambridge Road; A339 traffic via Racecourse Road
M4 Severn crossing to Wales; toll-free since 17 December 2018
Based on DfT STATS19 police collision records. The M4 has 1,215 recorded collisions at 54 collision hotspots, involving 1,851 casualties (40 fatal). Take extra care here. Ranked by fatal, then serious collisions, then casualties - not by the number of collisions alone.
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Yes — the M4 is closed right now: M4 westbound Jct 20 exit slip road to M5 northbound Jct 15 - carriageway closed, until 06:00 Sat 5 Dec.
The M4 is closed right now: M4 westbound Jct 20 exit slip road to M5 northbound Jct 15 - carriageway closed, until 06:00 Sat 5 Dec. Check the live feed above for every closure on the route.
The M4 is typically busiest during morning rush hour (07:00–09:30) and evening rush hour (16:30–19:30) on weekdays.
There are currently 2 active roadwork schemes on the M4. Check the live feed above for exact locations and durations.
The M4 connects to: M25, M32, M48, M5, A34, A46.
Each side has its own live page: the M4 eastbound and the M4 westbound each list every accident, breakdown, closure and roadworks on that carriageway, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways. The panel at the top of this page shows both sides at a glance.
Official Department for Transport counts (2025) record 156,491 vehicles a day on the M4's busiest stretch (near J4), 6,249 of them HGVs. The full breakdown and comparison chart are in the traffic statistics section above.
The M4 has the 6th busiest motorway stretch in Britain at 156,491 vehicles a day (DfT 2025), behind the M25's 212,636 a day at the top.
Measured from 298 incidents recorded on the M4 since January 2026, the riskiest window is 14:00–17:00, when 22% of incidents start. The quietest is 00:00–03:00. Incidents on the M4 typically clear in about 66 minutes.
No — tolls on the Prince of Wales Bridge (M4) and the original Severn Bridge (M48) were abolished on 17 December 2018. Both crossings between England and Wales are now free in both directions.
Daily M4 incidents, posted across all four channels.
🎵 TikTok 35,000+ › ▶️ YouTube 2,000+ › 📸 Instagram 1,500+ › 📘 Facebook 800+ › 📢Report an incident›Set it up once. We'll tell you what's happening while you can still turn off.
Broken down on the M4? Pick the nearest town and call a local firm direct:
On a motorway? If you can, get onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency area, leave by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier. Stuck in a live lane: stay in the car with your seatbelt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.