Roads in Scotland more dangerous than in other parts of Britain

SCOTLAND has more dangerous roads than the rest of the UK, according to a new road atlas that classifies roads in terms of safety, with five rated as high risk.

The A708, A937, A70, A809 and A81 are classed in the 2012 Collins Big Road Atlas as the most dangerous.

The assessment is based on the serious and fatal accidents that occurred on the roads between 2008 and 2009.

The risk rating was influenced by the low traffic volumes on the roads, of fewer than 5,000 vehicles a day. The A9 and A82 have often been seen as being among Scotland's most dangerous.

However, the map rates the A708 Moffat to Selkirk, A937 Montrose to Laurencekirk, A70 Carnwath to Balerno, A809 at Glasgow and A81 to Callander as having the highest risk.

HarperCollins said the atlas was the first of its kind to include a road safety map showing the most hazardous and safest roads in the UK.

The statistics used in measuring safety were produced by the European Road Assessment Programme.

The A82 Partnership campaign group has been pushing for the Scottish Government to make improvements to the Glasgow-Inverness trunk road.

Last month, First Minister Alex Salmond committed to improving safety on the road.