Highlands MP says 'steady drumbeat' of road deaths on A9 must be tackled
A total of 174 people lost their lives on Scotland's roads last year – the highest figure since 2016
The latest figures have just been released by Transport Scotland for 2022.
Thirteen people have lost their lives on the 112-mile section of the A9 between Inverness and Perth this year. It was the highest number of fatalities on the stretch in 20 years.
North Highlands MP Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) said: “These are very sad figures and my heart goes out to all the families who will have been struck down by these deaths.
"174 lives is 174 too many. How many more people are to be left without their partners, children without their parents, siblings or grandparents before the Scottish Government acts?
“Across the Highlands we have seen a steady drumbeat of road deaths this year but progress on tackling dangerous roads like the A9 and the A96 has slowed to a crawl.
“It’s unconscionable for the Scottish Greens in particular to be holding up measures that could make these roads substantially safer for those who travel on them.
"The SNP came into government in 2007 pledging urgent action to improve trunk roads to the North and North East but next to nothing has happened.
"Practical solutions should not sit at the mercy of Scottish Government deal making.”
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The Scottish Government announced £5m funding for safety improvements to the A9 at the end of last year. It came after Scottish Ministers finally admitted that the 2025 deadline to dual the Inverness-Perth section of the A9 was 'unachieveable'.
