Survey reveals 'deadliest' roads

The survey shows the nation's riskiest roads

Scotland's most dangerous road is on the outskirts of Glasgow, a survey of fatal crashes and accidents has shown.

The A726, connecting to J3 of the M77, near the city's southside and Paisley, has the worst accident record in the country.

The stretch of road is only four miles long but had 37 serious or fatal collisions between 2000 and 2005.

The report was compiled by the Road Safety Foundation for the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP).

The calculations were based on the number of accidents in comparison to the length of road involved.

Researchers found that the second most dangerous road in Scotland was the A85 between Perth and Crianlarich which saw 114 deaths or serious injuries over its 54 miles, between 2000 and 2005.

The survey found that Britain's most dangerous road was a section of highway linking Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales.

UK'S MOST DANGEROUS ROADS A682 from junction M65 in Lancashire to A65 at Long Preston, North Yorkshire A54 Congleton to Buxton, Derbyshire A683 from junction 34 on the M6 in Lancashire to Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria A62 from Diggle to Huddersfield, Yorkshire A671 from Burnley to A59 at Whalley, Lancashire A653 Dewsbury to junction 28 of the M62 south of Leeds A1079 from Market Weighton to Kingston upon Hull A53 Leek to Buxton A726 from junction 3 of the M77 to Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland A46 from Market Rasen to Grimsby Map and details of the roads

The 15-mile stretch of the A682 has had almost 100 deaths or serious injuries in the last decade.

Head researcher Dr Joanne Hill said a further 16 road sections were adjudged to present a persistent "medium to high risk" to road users.

The section of the A682, between junction 13 of the M65 and Long Preston, was the only road in the highest risk category.

The survey found that the second worst road was the A54 Congleton to Buxton in Derbyshire, with the third worst being the A683 from junction 34 of the M6 in Lancashire to Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria.

Dr Hill said: "The good news from the survey is that many of Britain's authorities have brought in counter-measures to tackle the higher risk routes in their areas.

"Most are quick, simple and cheap, involving little more than adopting modern signing, hazard markings and junction layouts.

"The foundation's consultation with local authorities over the past four years has consistently shown that lack of funding is the principal reason why they do not tackle accident numbers on their roads on the scale that could make a major difference.

"Other local authorities have undoubtedly saved lives - often by the simple application of white paint."

EuroRAP chairman John Dawson said: "The UK is now falling behind those countries it used to lead only a few years ago because its pace in applying the results of research into safe road design lags behind the best.

"Cutting road deaths requires combined action to improve driver behaviour, to improve vehicle crash performance, and to provide safety features on the roads themselves.

"We need five-star drivers in five-star cars on five-star roads."