Frequently Asked Questions

Despite road accidents in Scotland sitting at an all-time low, statistics show that between 2008 and 2012, over 40% of fatal accidents on single carriageway sections of the A9 involved overtaking*. Most accidents on the A9 stem from driver behaviour and raising awareness of the dangers of overtaking on this stretch of road and throughout Scotland can help towards reducing the number of accidents. Overtaking was the first topic in a series of planned marketing campaigns aimed at raising awareness of risky behaviours along the route.

*Source: Traffic Scotland

• In the 5 years to 2012, over 40% of deaths on single carriageway sections of the A9 involved overtaking
• Almost all of those who die in overtaking manoeuvres are killed when a car or motorcyclist is overtaking a moving vehicle on the offside
• The majority of drivers have been driving for many years without any refresher theory test
• Anecdotally, drivers seem unaware of what road markings in the run-up to bends signify
• Vegetation/poor visibility on bends can be one of the factors involved in collisions involving over-taking: people simply do not ensure they have sufficient sight of the road ahead to be sure their way is clear
• Frustration and impatience with slower-moving vehicles can also be contributory factors to ill-advised over-taking
• Over-taking collisions are fairly well spread throughout the year, with minor spikes in July and November. They are unrelated to road conditions or darkness.

This campaign was aimed locally to the length of the A9 but, the guidance applies to all roads within Scotland. It aims to address safety issues linked with careless overtaking up and down the country.

The campaign focused on anyone that uses the A9 to travel or commute however (in)frequently, including members of the public, businesses, hauliers and stakeholders.

Logically, given this is a campaign aimed at raising awareness of one of the specific safety issues relating to the A9, the campaign was focused around the route. However, these road safety messages are equally applicable to other stretches of single carriageway road.

All road users on the A9 are at risk from dangerous driving behaviour. The risks involved in overtaking without being 100% certain it is safe to do so apply not only to the driver taking that decision, but to other drivers, passengers and the extended friends, families and communities of everyone involved.

The campaign was aimed at contributing to an overall reduction in road traffic casualties along the A9 and to ultimately reduce the number of fatal and serious accidents.

The campaign was supported by all members of the A9 Safety Group including Transport Scotland, Police Scotland, Safety Camera Partnerships, A9 Safety Group, The Highland Council, Perth and Kinross Council, BEAR Scotland, the Road Haulage Association (RHA), the Freight Transport Association (FTA), the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), Stagecoach, SCDI, FSB and IAM.

The overtaking campaign was the initial priority but was the first in a series of awareness—raising campaigns, and only one strand of activity geared at making the A9 a safer road, with Engineering (dualling) and Enforcement (safety cameras) playing a critical part. The Group have also promoted awareness of speed limits and the impact of fatigue on driving. Details of these campaigns can also be found on this site.

An Average Speed Camera System is an automatic digital camera system that determines the average speed of vehicles. It detects vehicles through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and calculates their average speed by measuring the time taken to travel between defined points of a known distance. A conspicuous signing strategy is used to inform drivers that they are entering an average speed control zone.

The purpose of Average Speed Camera Systems is to improve road safety. They achieve this by encouraging road users to travel at speeds in line with posted speed limits. Average Speed Camera Systems are used alongside other engineering, education and enforcement measures to reduce road casualty numbers.

Average speed camera systems require to have Home Office certification before they can be used on UK roads. Vysionics (http://www.vysionics.com/) have been appointed to install the SPECS3 approved average speed enforcement system which is an established proven system having been in use across the UK since 2009.

The A9 system will use the latest digital version which is a wireless solution allowing multiple cameras to operate over different sections of the route. This approach allows considerably greater flexibility and a lower cost than the previous generation, where a dedicated, hard wired link between cameras was required.

The reduction in accidents delivered by Average Speed Camera Systems speak for themselves. The A77 system was installed in 2005 and the latest three year figures to July 2015 show that there has been a 77% reduction in the number of people being killed and a 74% reduction in the number of people being seriously injured compared to the original 2005 baseline. Early indications are that the A9 system is having a significant impact but would emphasise that the cameras are just one part of a package of engineering, education and enforcement measures to improve safety on the A9.

The Group collated and reviewed the facts and figures relating to the safety performance of the route to create a ‘route evidence base’. Safety has consistently improved where average speed cameras have been installed in Scotland, the UK and across the world on a variety of road types. The development of the average speed camera system for the A9 reflects the realities of the route, in particular the excessive speed recorded for many vehicles and the high accident severities recorded. With the experience of the A77 project there were strong indications that safety on the A9 would be improved by the introduction of an Average Speed Camera System.

The A9 Safety Group considered a number of supporting measures one of which is raising the speed limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles with a maximum weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes from 40 to 50mph on single carriageway sections of the A9. Research into this proposal identified that reducing the speed differential between classes of vehicles would reduce frustration and encourage safer driving when supported by the average speed camera system. The Scottish Parliament approved this measure as part of a three year pilot study which was introduced in October 2014.

Yes. The Group does not claim to have the monopoly on good ideas and remains open to further sensible suggestions for improvement especially if they can be backed up by supporting evidence.

Driver frustration on the route is partly due to the behaviour of other drivers and partly due to unreliability of journey times. Driver frustration will be best addressed by the dualling, however observations indicate that Average Speed Camera Systems improve driver behaviour and people are more realistic about the speed they can drive at under such a system. Journey times will become more reliable as the cameras will reduce the number of incidents that require closures. Incidents on the A9 during 2013 led to carriageway closures or restrictions amounting to over 22 days.

The first 24 months of operation of the cameras are evidencing a sustained change in driver behaviour, reduced incident frequency / impact and more reliable journey times.

No. This was mentioned many times before other similar schemes were implemented. However, each of these schemes have successfully reduced accidents. There is no evidence that drivers pay excessive attention to their speedometers where Average Speed Camera Systems are deployed.

Police Scotland is fully supportive of this measure and recognise the opportunity it will create to allow police resources to target other dangerous behaviours such as tailgating and driving without due care and attention.

The system is visible along the A9 from just north of Keir Roundabout (Dunblane) to just south of Raigmore Interchange (Inverness). While this is approximately 136 miles (220 kms) the system will not operate over the entire length.

The design for the average speed camera system divides the road into two separate sections to take into account the distinct characteristics of the A9 and to make sure that each camera zone is tailored to the specific needs of that part of the route.

North of Perth, there are seven distinct average speed camera system zones all of which are single carriageway sections. The cameras are generally five to seven kilometres apart. South of Perth, there are 12 camera locations on the northbound carriageway and 11 on the southbound carriageway. The strategy north of Perth focusses on the single carriageway locations as that is where most people are being killed or seriously injured. The single carriageway sections between Perth and Inverness have a high accident severity ratio. 37 of 43 people killed on the A9 between Perth and Inverness in the 5 yearsto the end of 2012 have been on the single carriageways. South of Perth the cameras will address the high severity turning accidents being experienced at the cross-over junctions where the high speed through traffic is in conflict the slower turning traffic.

The longest single enforceable section on the A9 is approximately 31 miles, which is shorter than the overall length of the average speed cameras on the A77. The Perth to Dunblane dual carriageway section is 30 miles long, and so is also shorter than total length of the A77 system. This builds on the successful strategy deployed on the A77.

Average Speed Camera Systems have delivered casualty reductions where they are permanently deployed in the UK. However, we recognise the need to carefully consider the suitability of this tool for use on a case by case basis. Detailed consideration has been made to ensure that an Average Speed Camera System is fit for purpose on the A9. The nature of the A9 in terms of its length, forward visibility/geometry, junction spacing, vehicle speeds and accident record (high proportion of KSI accidents on single carriageway sections, and wide distribution of accidents across the route) indicate that an Average Speed Camera System could positively influence road safety on this route. The casualty figures reported in October 2016 representing the mid-point in the monitoring programme are strongly suggesting that the strategy on the A9 is improving safety on the route.

Yes. The system is configured to have flexibility in its operation and is capable of detecting and enforcing speeds for all vehicle types.

Transport Scotland has a large number of traditional loop traffic counters spread across the route that are capable of detecting the number of vehicles passing over them and the speed at which they are travelling.

In addition to the loop counters, there are also a number of Weigh in Motion (WiM) counters on the route. WiM counters use inductive loops and piezo sensors in the road to detect the length, number of axles, weight and speed of vehicles passing over them. As such these counters are able to distinguish a large number of different vehicle types. Through a review of data collected at these locations, the speed of HGVs above 7.5 tonnes, along with the speed of a variety of other vehicle types can be separately identified.

The design for the average speed camera system divides the road into two separate sections to take into account the distinct characteristics of the A9 and to make sure that each camera zone is tailored to the specific needs of that part of the route.

North of Perth, there are seven distinct average speed camera system zones all of which are single carriageway sections. The cameras are generally five to seven kilometers apart and there are 26 sites in total. South of Perth, there are 12 camera locations on the northbound carriageway and 11 on the southbound carriageway. The strategy north of Perth focusses on the single carriageway locations as that is where most people are being killed or seriously injured. South of Perth the cameras will address the high severity turning accidents being experienced at the cross-over junctions where the high speed through traffic is in conflict the slower turning traffic.

The SPECS3 system is a multi lane system capable of monitoring all vehicles regardless of lane changes.

Prior to the introduction of the average speed camera system there were 79 mobile camera enforcement sites between Dunblane and Inverness. The Safety Camera Units will continue to deploy mobile camera units in line with published guidance to the dual carriageway stretches between Perth and Inverness not covered by the average speed cameras.

The system went live on 28th October 2014.

The speed limits will remain at the national speed limit.

The speed limits on parts of the route with two lanes of traffic in one direction, and one lane travelling in the other are the same as observed on single carriageway sections of the route. At this time, it is not proposed that any speed limits on the route are changed through installation of an Average Speed Camera System. It is the responsibility of road users to make sure they are fully aware of the Highway Code before undertaking any journey on Scottish roads.

The signing is consistent with that used on the A77 and Average Speed Camera Systems used elsewhere in the UK. The signing regime meets current best practice standards.

The operational management of the system is undertaken by the North Safety Camera Unit.

The capital investment was just over £3 million and Transport Scotland as the Trunk Road Authority paid for this initiative.

The operational costs will be offset by the removal of the existing fixed and mobile safety cameras on the route and will be met by the Safety Camera Partnerships from their grant funding allocation.

The average cost of a fatal accident in Scotland is now over £2.1m and the published evidence has now determined that along with costs associated with serious injury accidents the scheme has payed for itself through accident savings.

A review of vehicle speeds on the A9 indicated a significant proportion of vehicles travelling at speeds in excess of the posted speed limits across the extent of the Dunblane to Inverness section. The system was designed to influence driver behaviour across the A9 corridor for the benefits of all road users. This includes delivering improved fairness for the haulage industry for freight movements on the route, which are often end to end.

The published data is now evidencing sustained changes to driver behaviour which is positively influencing safety along the A9 corridor.

Transport Scotland and its Operating Companies will continue to monitor safety performance across the trunk road network and part of this assessment involved the monitoring of parralel routes to the A9 to assess any displacement of both traffic volume and speeds. This exercise did not evidence any issues on the routes monitored. A similar exercise was carried out on the A77 and no evidence was found to support any type of displacement.

Ring-fencing of fixed penalties for speeding offences stopped on 1st April 2007. As such, any receipts from speeding offence fixed penalties and court fines are paid to HM Treasury’s consolidated fund. The first two years of operation of the cameras is now evidencing a 63% drop in the numbers of drivers being reported for speeding along the length of the A9 compared to the pre-scheme figures.

The A9 Safety Group agreed that the most sensible course of action is to monitor the route following the introduction of the Average Speed Camera System and complimentary road policing strategy.

Evidence will then be evaluated by the A9 Safety Group and partners to ensure that any further measures introduced are likely to positively influence driver behaviors’. The average speed system was introduced to support a wider suite of measures and to reinforce the effect of the measures already undertaken, not as a solution in its own right.

The characteristics of the A9 with its long straights and relatively infrequent junctions suit the capabilities of an Average Speed Camera System. This allows us to address the high levels of excessive speed that is commonplace on the route. An Average Speed Camera System is a relatively low cost measure that can deliver high return in terms of its ability to reduce accidents.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to fully upgrade the A9 to dual carriageway between Perth and Inverness. Dualling the route will deliver a number of benefits including improved road safety. An Average Speed Camera System is intended to be a short to medium term solution to help to reduce road casualties in advance of and during the delivery of the dualling programme.

Where possible, it is also intended that the Average Speed Camera System will be used to maintain safety levels for road users and road workers during construction of the dualling programme.

No, the journey time disbenefits are small, particularly compared to the variability in journey times currently experienced. Although average journey times have marginally increased in line with predictions, journey time reliability has also improved as a result of reduced incident frequency and severity. Excessive speeding has reduced significantly and while this impacts overall journey time averages those travelling at or near the current speed limit should notice generally smaller increases in journey time. Road safety is of paramount importance and any measure that can be used to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured should be considered.

Disruption arising from fatal and serious accidents affects all road users and improving the safety of the route will lessen the frequency of such disruption. We are making connections safer and more reliable while creating a level playing field for the delivery of goods. This can only be attractive for investment.

Driving under an Average Speed Camera System places no additional requirements on road users outside of those set out in the Highway Code. Drivers who understand the speed limit will be able to drive appropriately in the system.

It is recognised that the A9 serves a wide ranging mix of traffic, with tourist numbers increasing significantly during the summer months. Clear signing has been developed to ensure that road users are made fully aware when they are entering and exiting the average speed camera controlled zone.

Average Speed Camera Systems are proven to be very effective at achieving compliance and therefore generate a low number of speeding tickets. They are, in themselves, proportionate approaches to speed management, particularly on longer routes such as the A9.

The HGV speed limit pilot was introduced at the same time as the average speed camera system for the A9. The Regulations promoted by the Scottish Parliament to allow for the maximum speed limit for HGV’s exceeding 7.5 tonnes to be raised from 40 to 50mph on single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

Yes – both are part of an integrated strategy for the A9.

No – the evidence indicates that average speed cameras make the A9 safer, even with the HGV speed limit increased.

The A9 Safety Group has agreed that average speed cameras promote improved safety with a 50 mph HGV speed limit in place. Group members have highlighted that, on the basis of the available evidence, retaining the current speed limits is projected to have a marginally better safety performance. This does not include a consideration of the effects of higher speed differentials and overtaking rates on the performance of the route.

There are no proposals to withdraw the pilot. Its operation will be monitored and we will act if unacceptable driver behaviour is recorded. As the A9 is progressively dualled, the pilot speed limit on the existing single carriageway sections will be replaced by that applied to the new dual carriageway sections.

Our evidence indicates that simply raising the speed limits for HGVs would have a detrimental effect on safety. The proposed use of average speed cameras is necessary to support wider changes promoting an overall improvement in road safety. The A9 is the only route for which average speed cameras are proposed.

There are no proposals to change HGV speeds on other trunk roads in Scotland.

It is well established that increases in speed correspond with increased risk to road users. The pilot project on the A9 incorporates the average speed camera system to mitigate this risk and the monitoring process in place will evaluate the effectiveness of this mitigation measure. Simply raising the speed limit for HGV’s would have a detrimental effect on road safety. The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring that the nation’s road network is as successful as it can be, allowing all those who use it to get to their destinations safely and without unnecessary delay. The DfT will be conducting a post implementation review of the change which will provide useful information from a Scottish context to consider this evidence in parallel with evaluation of the A9 pilot project.

No – the pilot is predicated on average speed cameras being in place. Evidence indicates that raising the HGV speed limit without average speed cameras would lead to a reduction in safety performance.

The evidence relates principally to the effects of speed and does not reflect the effects of the speed differential between different types of vehicles and potential changes in overtaking that may result from more widespread enforcement of the 40mph limit.

No – the interim safety plan is intended to promote safety through education, engineering and enforcement measures. The average speed cameras are only part of that plan and we will promote further safety and operational improvements through other actions and campaigns.

No – HGVs are overrepresented in the accident figures. This does not mean, however, that the HGVs caused the accidents. Accidents have a range of contributory factors and the interim safety plan is being developed to address as many of these as possible. Improved behaviour by all A9 users, including HGV drivers will be important in promoting safety on the route.

The average speed camera system will enforce better speed limit compliance. Police Scotland and the Safety Camera Partnerships will continue to target inappropriate behaviour and target their resources as part of the interim safety plan.

The effects of the HGV speed limit pilot will be monitored. If unacceptable driver behaviour is recorded that may be addressed by reinstating the previous speed limits, we would give consideration to that.

No – evidence suggests that drivers are generally more realistic about their journey times and moderate their speeds where average speed cameras are deployed.

There are already high levels of enforcement on the A9. These alone have not proven sufficient to bring about a step change in the behaviour of drivers and improve the safety of the route. The interim safety plan, including the deployment of average speed cameras is necessary to do this, in advance of the dualling works.

The HGV speed limit pilot is dependent on the use of average speed cameras. The available evidence shows that these will improve safety.

Between Perth and Inverness, it is likely that the average speed cameras would be removed after the dualling of a particular section is complete. Judgements on this will be made as circumstances require. South of Perth, average speed cameras have been deployed on already dualled sections, reflecting speed related issues on this section. They are being retained until wider improvements, including junction improvements, have been delivered.

As part of the 50 mph speed limit pilot for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, we have been working with the haulage industry to educate and improve driver behaviour around issues such as tail gaiting, elephant racing and overtaking to improve the operation of the route. Some drivers will still desire to overtake and if doing so we want them to think about the risks and make better informed decisions.

Speed limits will remain the same for other categories of vehicles. There are no proposals for wider speed limit changes.

The speed limit is not being changed for vehicles other than HGVs above 7.5 tons. The revised speed limit will be signed and used as part of the wider interim safety plan proposals to improve safety for all users of the A9.

We have invested over £137 million in recent years on maintaining and improving the A9. Moving forward, we will continue to invest in maintenance of the route, and targeted works, including new safety barriers, signing and lining and vegetation clearance to improve sightlines.

Average speed cameras have proven effective across a range of routes, of varying length and geometry across the UK and more widely across the world. The analysis undertaken indicates they will support safety improvements on the A9, by improving driver behaviour and moderating excessive speed. The published evidence is now supporting this strategy.

No – The speed limit pilot is not expected to cause any significant diversion. HGVs, and other vehicles are expected to continue to use the main carriageway of the A9.

The A9 Safety Group is a multi-agency group made up of representatives from Transport Scotland, Police Scotland, Road Safety Scotland, Safety Camera Partnerships, The Highland Council, Perth and Kinross Council, BEAR Scotland, the Road Haulage Association (RHA), the Freight Transport Association (FTA), the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and Stagecoach.

Whilst dualling of the entire route will deliver substantial improvements for all road users, it will take some time to complete. We need to do what we can to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the A9 in advance of dualling work starting and whilst it progresses. The A9 Safety Group was established to consider measures which will continue to make both immediate and longer term improvements that will encourage positive changes to driver behaviour which make the road safer for all users.

Dualling the A9 is complex and challenging, requiring the upgrade of 80 miles of single carriageway over a period of years. Preparing for this involves detailed assessment, planning and consultation before construction can begin.

Our programme for dualling the A9 is already ambitious. The work involved in dualling 80 miles of single carriageway through the challenging and environmentally valuable landscape of Perthshire and the Highlands should not be underestimated.

The A9 Safety Group was set up by Transport Scotland in July 2012 as a multi-agency group to work closely together with partners to reduce road casualties on the route. The main aim of the A9 Safety Group before and during the A9 dualling programme is to work together to explore any measures which could be introduced on the route using engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement to positively influence driver behaviour in a way that helps reduce road casualties.

The A9 Safety Group meets on a quarterly basis.

No, the Group has sought to establish itself and consider how best to promote safety on the A9, using the evidence available and further research to inform its thinking. All of the issues considered and decisions made are published through the A9 Safety Group website.

Yes. These are available on the website under Publications

The accident statistics for the route are contained within the Publications section of the website. The initial accident statistics are based on records up to 2012. As part of the monitoring programme for the route the key performance indicator reports published every quarter will contain updated accident data where it has been made available.

Establishing the exact speed conditions within accidents can be difficult because accidents can only be investigated after the event. Drivers are often resistant to admitting to travelling at inappropriate speeds and speed is only one of a number of factors that may contribute to an accident.

We know that many of the vehicles travelling on the A9 are travelling above the speed limit and that excessive speed increases the risk of any particular accident being more severe. Evidence indicates that the ratio of fatal and serious accidents on single carriageway sections of the A9 is higher than for other comparable routes. The Average Speed Camera System will contribute to improved safety by reducing the instances of excessive speed.

To ensure the proposed measures address the real issues on the A9, members of the A9 Safety Group have been involved in reviewing and suggesting changes as appropriate.

Through this approach, colleagues from Police Scotland, Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies and the freight and passenger transport industries amongst others have helped to shape the review. By involving those who have direct experience of policing, managing, operating and using the route on a day-to-day basis, we have been able to base our analysis on a clear understanding of the A9’s operational characteristics.