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Accident and casualty rates on the A9 have fallen dramatically in the first year of operation of the new average speed cameras.
New data published today shows that from the beginning of November 2014 to October 2015
• Two fewer people have been killed and 16 fewer people have been seriously injured between Dunblane and Inverness
• The number of ‘fatal and serious accidents’ between Dunblane and Inverness is down by almost 59 per cent, with ‘fatal and serious
casualties’ down by approximately 64 per cent
• No-one was killed or seriously injured between Dunblane and Perth
• The number of ‘fatal and serious accidents’ between Perth and Inverness is down by almost 45 per cent, with ‘fatal and serious casualties down’ by almost 58 per cent
More recent figures confirm that the downwards trend is continuing with no fatal accidents on the A9 in the second half of last year.
Perthshire North MSP John Swinney said:
“For the first time since parts of the A9 were upgraded in the 1970s, there were no fatal accidents anywhere on the route from July to December. These improvements are taking place with rising traffic volumes and the continuing use of this nationally important route to support the economy of the Highlands and Islands.
“We are monitoring the performance of the A9 and welcome the figures which indicate that the route continues to perform far more safely than before. ‘Fatal and serious casualties’ have more than halved and there are clear and substantial reductions in fatal casualties both between Perth and Inverness and between Perth and Dunblane.
“Every road death is one too many and that is why we remain steadfastly committed to reducing casualty numbers even further as we continue to work with all our partners to reach our ambitious targets for 2020.”
Police Scotland have also indicated that the latest quarterly data from the average speed camera system continues to demonstrate extremely low levels of drivers being reported; with the latest figures indicating an average 5 drivers a day exceeding the operational threshold.
Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston from Police Scotland said:
"The reduction in serious and fatal injury collisions on the A9 in the first year following installation of the safety cameras is welcome. However, while the number of fatalities decreased by a quarter, the case remains that six people sadly lost their lives on the road.
It is apparent the Safety Cameras have contributed towards changing driver behaviour, particularly in respect of complying with speed limits. Since the cameras were introduced just over 6000 vehicles have been detected travelling at excessive speed and subject to enforcement action. To put some perspective on this figure, during the same period there were over 18 million vehicle movements along the route. This represents an extremely high level of compliance.
We can never be complacent and Police Scotland will continue to maintain a visible presence on the A9 to promote safety and positively influence driver behaviour. With our partners, Police Scotland will work to determine the causes of serious and fatal collisions and take collaborative action to mitigate future crashes. I would urge drivers to take responsibility for their own actions, avoid risk taking and drive in a safe and considerate manner, not just on the A9 but on all of Scotland's roads"
BACKGROUND
A three year before and after period is required to assess the safety performance of road safety schemes.
Latest data taken from the average speed camera system was 24 October 2015 to 24 January 2016
Further information is available http://a9road.info/resources/publications/
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