Scotland's danger roads named

The AA is calling for more safety improvements

The most dangerous roads in Scotland have been named following a survey of fatal accidents by The AA.

The organisation found that Ayrshire has the two most high risk roads in Scotland.

The A70 Cumnock to Ayr and the A71 which links Kilmarnock and the M74, have been revealed as the highest risk routes north of the border with 64 fatal crashes in the last three years.

The AA highlights A-roads in general as more dangerous than others as, unlike motorways they present drivers with a wide variety of hazards.

Among the most lethal are said to be trees and lampposts sited close to the carriageway edge, and junctions where simple driver misjudgements can lead to brutal side impacts.

The closing speed between vehicles at the legal limit is 120mph, which makes head-on collisions largely fatal, while road space is shared with vulnerable users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

There are many people alive today thanks to the relatively inexpensive changes made on the roads we have identified The AA

The organisation is calling for improvements to junction layouts, signing and road markings, and added safety barriers and speed cameras to help combat accident rates.

Neil Greig, spokesman for The AA in Scotland, said: "It's easy to forget the true death toll on the roads because the accidents are scattered and usually involve only one or two people.

"Yet there are many people alive today thanks to the relatively inexpensive changes made on the roads we have identified.

"It's right that billions of pounds are being spent on railway safety, which works out at around £10m for every life saved.

"But we can save hundreds more people every year on the roads for just a fraction of that, and deliver massive savings to the NHS into the bargain."

Last year's survey rated the A889 near Dalwhinnie in Scotland as more dangerous than the A537 from Macclesfield, in Cheshire, to Buxton, Derbyshire, which was the most "persistently high-risk" route.

However, different criteria were used this year.