A9: Why driving shouldn't be about 'relaxing' as roads like the A9 should get the respect they deserve – Alastair Dalton

Debate raging between those who blame the road and those who blame drivers for crashes

The thought of relaxing behind the wheel was the last thing I thought I’d hear while taking part in a radio phone-in on dualling the A9.

As one caller rightly observed: “It’s not a road you go on, switch on the radio and just cruise away.” But that got me thinking – on what road would you do that? Is that some people’s attitude to driving? And is that mindset part of the road safety problem?

There was sharply divided opinion on the Radio Scotland show about whether it was the A9 or drivers which was primarily responsible for the road’s casualty toll.

Some drivers said they were confused by the mix of single and dual carriageway sections on the A9 between Inverness and Perth. Image: John Devlin.

Some said it was motorists getting confused by the road varying between single and dual carriageway between Perth and Inverness, compounded by some of the north and southbound sections of the latter being out of sight of each other. They also mentioned drivers also having to contend with “2+1” or overtaking lanes on several single carriageway sections, where there are two lanes on one carriageway only.

Others said all these features had signs and they were also found elsewhere – drivers just needed to look at the road. But this is apparently a problem for some visitors, another caller explained, because they were too busy admiring the scenery and got confused.

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The problem here seems to be with the attitude that driving is some sort of passive leisure activity, when it’s quite the opposite. It needs high levels of sustained concentration for what is potentially a high-risk task.

The Scottish Government has pledged to complete dualling of the A9 between Inverness and Perth to improve safety, such as with slip roads at junctions. Picture: John Devlin

What is perhaps lulling drivers into a false sense of security – and I’m only too conscious of it myself – is both the level of sophistication cars have reached and with it the increasing chance of being distracted.

Vehicles are more comfortable, quieter and smoother, divorcing the motorist from the sensation of driving, weather conditions and high speed. Inside the car, mobile devices and touch-screen dashboard displays are temptations which can lure drivers away from paying full attention to what’s through the windscreen ahead of them.

Might the combination of these also be encouraging drivers to stay on the road for longer between breaks, increasing the likelihood their focus may slip?

Respected motoring research body TRL, the former UK Government Transport Research Laboratory, has said driver distraction should “take centre stage” as “accidents can be avoided – we should not accept them as the norm”.

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Meantime, the Scottish Government’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 has warned of the dangers of “overconfidence in, and over-reliance on, technology, unfamiliarity with it, and the potential for increased driver distraction”. It said driver distraction was “a collision factor of growing importance” due to the increased use of mobile devices, and contributed to 2 per cent of collisions.

From a technological perspective, driving has become more enjoyable, as car adverts highlight to the notable exclusion of the downsides, such as congestion and potholes. However, it also needs to be treated with more respect, not as a humdrum pursuit to get from A to B, but one in which the possibility of disastrous consequences must always be in mind.