Why the A9 is deemed Scotland’s ‘deadliest’ road

Crubenmore: Scene of one of the many accidents on A9© STV

The Scottish Government is under intense pressure to set a timetable for dualling the A9 Inverness to Perth road which has seen hundreds of accidents in recent years.

A debate at Holyrood will go ahead on Thursday, highlighting the average 200 accidents a year and branding its death rate as among the highest in Scotland.

People have long been campaigning for work to start on the accident black spots, and they will be welcoming the news of a debate by ministers.

The road, which stretches from Thurso to just outside of Stirling, is Scotland's longest trunk road and because of its high fatality and accident rates has earned a reputation as the nation's deadliest.

There has been a sustained campaign for the past two decades for the section between Perth and Inverness, the country's fastest expanding city, to have more sections of dual carriageway.

In 2010 there were a host of deaths as a result of dangerous overtaking and problems resulting from the carriageway changing frequently between single and dual.

And in 2011 the death toll continued. The death of Elli Williams, from Auchterarder, was a tragic accident to start the year. The 16-year-old was killed on January 4 when she was hit by up to five vehicles as she walked along the road with friends.

IN DETAIL:

A9 2010 IN DETAIL:

Wife's devastation as husband killed in crash - The death of lorry driver Gordon Cooper in a three lorry pile-up at the end of December was the latest in a series of fatalities.

A9 crash victims named - Husband and wife who died in a road accident on the A9 near Dalwhinnie in November.

Three dead in A9 smash named - In October, three people died following a road collision one mile north of the Killiecrankie turnoff. Husband and wife, James and Anne Forbes, died when their car was involved in a crash with John Potter’s car. He also died at the scene. A van driver also died in October, near Auchterarder.

Van driver who died in A9 accident named - Roy Greene, a joiner from Kilsyth, crashed his van into a tipper truck, again near Auchterarder.

Police name husband and wife in A9 smash - Peter Alan Corris, 54, and Jacqueline Corris, 53, from Leyland in Lancashire, died when their motorcycle hit a car south of Dalwhinnie.

A9 motorcyclist crash victim dies - In August Fergus Cooney, 41, was from the Helmsdale area in Caithness. He came off his motorbike in the one vehicle accident on the A9 near Daviot and was rushed to Raigmore Hospital.

Mother killed in crash only hours after picking up first motorbike - Sharon Topping, 38, died in a road crash on the A9 only hours after picking up her first motorcycle.

Tributes to top chef killed in motorbike smash - Ryan Young, the award-winning head chef at the Opus One restaurant in Perth, died when his motorbike collided with a 4x4 near Luncarty, north of Perth.

Death plunge lorry driver named - In February Andrew Raeside died while driving a lorry from Inverness to Grangemouth when the on the Coronation Bridge on A9 near Pitlochry.

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