Statistics from police show that 195 people in the north-east have been involved in an accident with at least one fatality in the last three years.
The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveals there has been 111 fatal crashes in the north and north-east between January 1 2018 and July 31 2021.
Of those, 27 fatal accidents have happened in Aberdeenshire, involving 50 casualties.
In Aberdeen City, there has been six fatal crashes with 13 casualties. Another 15 occurred in Moray with 34 casualties.
As many as 90 casualties have been a result of 52 fatal collisions in the Highlands.
Four fatal crashes happened in Eilean Siar, with four casualties recorded.
Statistics for Orkney show four fatal crashes and four victims while in Shetland there were three crashes and three fatalities.
The chilling figures have led to calls from north-east MSP Tess White for the Scottish Government to urgently upgrade roads.
“While accidents do happen, every single tragic road death begs the question if enough is being done to reduce them,” Ms White said.
The Conservative MSP says the statistics highlight why important route upgrades can’t be delayed any further – including the A96 dualling project.
It follows comments from Green MSP Maggie Chapman that her party would be seeking to delay any improvements.
Speaking on the The Stooshie – the politics podcast from DC Thomson – Green MSP Maggie Chapman revealed she is confident that an upcoming assessment by Transport Scotland will find that it “actually isn’t viable to dual the whole way”.
However, a Transport Scotland spokeswoman said their current plan is still to fully dual the A96 route – but so far only the road from Inverness to Nairn with bypasses for Elgin, Keith and Inverurie have been committed to.
‘Absolutely harrowing’
Transport Scotland say the rest of the upgrade relies on a “evidence-based review” that will assess the impact on the climate and environment, reporting by the end of 2022.
Ms White said: “These figures are absolutely harrowing and put into perspective the tragic number of deaths we are experiencing on our north-east roads.
“This is why upgrades on the A90 and A96 can’t be delayed any further simply because the SNP-Green coalition have next to no care for trunk roads north of the M8.”
Once called “The most dangerous road in Scotland” – The Press & Journal began campaigning for the stretch to be improved since 1989.
Ms White continued: “The Scottish Government cannot sit back and not take action – they must set out a concrete plan to reverse this terrible trend.
“Upgrading our trunk network and giving our councils a fair share of funding to improve safety on other routes would be a start in helping to alleviate the devastation that we are witnessing on a weekly basis.”
Scottish Government and Transport Scotland statements
Speaking earlier this month, a Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government is committed to improving the A96 and will take forward a transport enhancements programme on the corridor that improves connectivity between surrounding towns, tackles congestion and addresses safety and environmental issues.
“The current plan is to fully dual the A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen, however the Scottish Government has agreed to conduct a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme which will report by the end of 2022.
“This is sensible good governance for major investment of this kind.
“Work on other trunk roads projects and programmes under construction, design, development or procurement will continue and be subject to the normal statutory assessment and business case processes.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Cooperation Agreement with the Scottish Green party sets out that we will take forward a transport enhancements programme on the corridor that improves connectivity between surrounding towns, tackles congestion and addresses safety and environmental issues.
“We are clear that one road death on Scotland’s roads is one too many. Earlier this year we published a new road safety framework to 2030, which is underpinned by a new annual delivery plan.
“It outlines how we will work with partners right across Scotland to embed the safe system approach to road safety.”