ROAD rage and dangerous overtaking has been cut on the A9 since average speed cameras launched last year, according to the first survey of driver behaviour on the Perth to Inverness route.
In the latest signal that the initiative is making the notorious road safer, motorists who use reported that they were now far less likely to speed themselves and had witnessed fewer instances of road rage, tailgating, dangerous overtaking or motorists cutting up other drivers.
Average speed cameras were activated at 27 locations between the cameras Dunblane and Inverness in October despite criticism from opponents that it would disrupt traffic flow, slow journey times and increase driver frustration - potentially exacerbating risky overtakes and aggression.
However, the report, compiled by the A9 Safety Group, said it was "those with a tendency to speed" who were most likely to report an "increased their level of driver frustration and their perceived journey time".
It comes after Police Scotland said 298 speeding offences were detected on the road in the first three months after the cameras launched - compared to 2,493 for the same period the previous year.
Neil Greig, the Scotland-based director of policy for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the survey proved that it is possible to alter driver behaviour on a mass scale.
He said: "What it really shows is that you can change driver behaviour. This is really the biggest study of that we've ever had in terms of scale on one particular route.
"We're seeing the amount of speeding going down, fewer risky manoeuvres, so it's definitely working.
"I have no sympathy with people who were used to doing 100mph and now can't. But something I have asked - and I've asked the A9 Safety Group to look into - is, what is the source of that frustration? Were people speeding just because they liked it, or because their work are putting them under pressure to drive faster.
"We need to know whether we should be targetting individual or employers who are putting unrealistic pressure on staff."
The survey compared responses from sample groups representing similar gender and gender before and after the cameras were introduced. In both cases, respondents had driven on the A9 between Perth and Inverness for at least 15 minutes in the previous 24 hours.
Three quarters of respondents to the After survey said they "never" exceeded the speed limit by 15mph when travelling along the A9, compared to 43 per cent in the Before survey. Respondents were also less likely to exceed the speed limit by 10mph or even 3mph after the cameras went live.
When asked about the driving behaviour they had witnessed on their most recent A9 journey, 2 per cent of drivers in the After survey said they had seen another driver being "cut up" compared to 19 per cent in the Before survey.
Road rage and aggressive behaviour incidents had also fallen from 19 per cent to 6 per cent of respondents, with risky overtaking down from 13 per cent to 4 per cent and tailgating down from 14 per cent to 4 per cent.
However, the results come days after a major crash on the road which has long been maligned as the deadliest in Scotland due to its high number of fatal and serious collisions.
Lorry driver, Alexander Fraser, 50, was killed on the A9 near Kingussie, in the Highlands, on Friday after his vehicle collided with an Argos lorry.
A two-car crash on the A9 near Bankfoot, in Perthshire, also claimed the lives of two men in their 40s in February.
Stuart Leggatt, of the A9 safety group, whose members include Police Scotland and Transport Scotland, said: "Any fatality on the A9 is one too many and our thoughts are with the families of those involved in the recent tragic incidents.
"All our efforts are made in the interest of safety and these latest results are an encouraging sign.
"The A9 Road User survey has tried to gauge the effect the recent road safety measures may have had on drivers' perceptions of safety and driving experience. Coupled with the early performance data published in January this year, we can see a positive impact on driver behaviour but we know more can be done."
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