Should tourists put 'T-plate' on cars when driving in Scotland?

A campaign is hoping tourists driving in the Highlands display “T-plates” on their cars in a bid to reduce the potential for further accidents.

The signs, which feature a green letter T and have “tourist” written at the bottom, were created by Robert Marshall from Kingussie.

Transport Scotland warned earlier this year that the number of crashes caused by “inexperience of driving on the left” had increased sharply.

Mr Marshall says the idea came from his own experiences driving abroad.

He hopes the plates will alert other road users that the hundreds of thousands of drivers who visit Scotland each year are unfamiliar with routes.

He told STV News: “I was driving in Tenerife with my partner at the time, approaching a roundabout on the other side of the road I’m used to, and I just screamed because of the stress.

“I said, ‘I wish these people knew I was a tourist’, and that’s where the idea came from.

“On the road, people do stay back from you when you have a plate. The L-plate or P-plate do the work for you, people identify and know what that is straight away.

“If we can reduce the stress, which has a major effect on your driving, it gives people time to think.”

The plates are receiving backing from A9 safety campaigners who recently trialled them on the road.

Laura Hansler, from the A9 Dual Action Group, added: “I was quite stunned by the impact.

“We took it up and down the A9 on a Friday afternoon with a lot of tourist traffic in the area, and it was totally recognised. People kept their distance.

“That’s what drivers need on the A9.”

The campaigners hope the scheme will be adopted by car rental businesses and hotels, and become mandatory for visitors taking to Scotland’s roads.