Motorist dies after car and lorry collide on A9

Published on 21/10/2012 00:00

A STRETCH of the A9 in Perthshire was closed last night after a motorist was killed in a collision with ­another vehicle four miles north of ­Dunkeld.

Both vehicles were travelling in the northbound carriageway when the accident took place at around 3.25pm.

Police closed the road in both directions between Dunkeld and Ballinluig following the crash involving a car and a ­lorry. Tayside Police deployed ten units to the crash and said they expected the road to be closed for some time.

A helicopter was scrambled from Inverness but despite the efforts of paramedics the driver died at the scene. Details of the deceased had not been released last night.

Traffic was diverted through the village of Kirkmichael, north-east of Pitlochry, for southbound, and through the Rotmell Junction for northbound.

A spate of crashes on the A9 has seen six people killed in the past three months, with the death toll reaching more than 60 since 2007.

Transport Scotland is considering introducing cameras which measure average speeds over distance to tackle the high death toll. The cameras would police a 140-mile section of the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill told MSPs last month.

Excessive speed on the road has been identified as a major concern. A ten-day crackdown by police in August led to 687 motorists being charged for speeding between Perth and Inverness.

The A9 Safety Group, which includes police, local authorities and Transport Scotland, are currently examining the feasibility of the system. At present the A9 is patrolled by mobile camera vans and police cars. Much of the route is single carriageway. A £3 billion plan to complete a dual carriageway between Perth and Inverness is not due to be finished until 2025.

A 29-mile average speed camera system introduced on the A77 in Ayrshire seven years ago has halved deaths. However, the Institute of Advanced Motorists said such as scheme on the A9 would be costly and that many crashes in recent years have been due to misjudged overtaking manoeuvres and not excessive speed.

A9 safety campaigner and Conservative MSP Murdo ­Fraser said last month: “The road configuration, with its continual switches between single and dual carriageway, is a major cause of accidents.”