AVERAGE speed cameras have been hailed for boosting safety on the A9 after the number of people killed on the notorious trunk road fell to zero for the first time in 40 years.
There were no fatal crashes anywhere on the route during the second half of 2015 and overall collisions were down in the first year since the cameras went live.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “For the first time since parts of the A9 were upgraded in the 1970s, there were no fatal accidents anywhere on the route from July to December. These improvements are taking place with rising traffic volumes and the continuing use of this nationally important route to support the economy of the Highlands and Islands.
“We are monitoring the performance of the A9 and welcome the figures which indicate that the route continues to perform far more safely than before. ‘Fatal and serious casualties’ have more than halved and there are clear and substantial reductions in fatal casualties both between Perth and Inverness and between Perth and Dunblane.
“Every road death is one too many and that is why we remain steadfastly committed to reducing casualty numbers even further as we continue to work with all our partners to reach our ambitious targets for 2020.”
The cameras were introduced at 27 locations between Dunblane and Inverness at the end of October 2014. They work by snapping registration plates and calculating a driver's average speed between two points according to the distance travelled and the time taken.
The speed limit is 70mph on dual-carriageway sections and 60mph on single-carriageway.
Opponents argued that the cameras would create a greater hazard by disrupting traffic flow and have little impact on safety.
According to the latest data however, journey times between Perth and Inverness have increased by an average of only one-nine minutes, depending on the day of the week, compared to 14 minutes during the first three months of operation.
Accident data released by Transport Scotland shows that between November 2014 and October 2015, six road users were killed on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness. This compares to an average of eight per year from 2011 to 2013.
Serious injuries between Dunblane and Inverness have fallen substantially, from an average of 20 per year to four since the average speed cameras were introduced.
No one was killed or seriously injured at all between Dunblane and Perth.
Police Scotland have also indicated that the latest quarterly data from the average speed camera system continues to demonstrate extremely low levels of drivers being caught speeding. The latest figures indicate an average five drivers a day exceeding the speed limit.
Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston from Police Scotland said: "The reduction in serious and fatal injury collisions on the A9 in the first year following installation of the safety cameras is welcome.
"However, while the number of fatalities decreased by a quarter, the case remains that six people sadly lost their lives on the road.
"It is apparent the Safety Cameras have contributed towards changing driver behaviour, particularly in respect of complying with speed limits. Since the cameras were introduced just over 6000 vehicles have been detected travelling at excessive speed and subject to enforcement action. To put some perspective on this figure, during the same period there were over 18 million vehicle movements along the route. This represents an extremely high level of compliance."
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