Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many incidents of vehicles driving the wrong way on motorways in England and Wales occurred in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Based on National Highways operational data, the number of incident reports from motorways in England recording reports of oncoming vehicles from 2022 up to September 2026 are:

This data is captured for operational purposes and is from reports of wrong way driving received by National Highways’ regional operational centres. This data should be treated with caution. It may include incidents where there was no evidence of an oncoming vehicle other than the initial report. The oncoming vehicle code may also be used where a driver has reversed along a hard shoulder (for instance a driver passed the exit and reversed in the hard shoulder to reach their intended exit), or where a driver has entered an exit slip road but not necessarily proceeded to enter the motorway.

Safety is National Highways’ top priority, which is why every report of an oncoming vehicle triggers an immediate response to protect road users. National Highways is responsible for the management of motorways in England and does not hold data for motorways in Wales.