This is the video that campaigners claim is proof average-speed cameras will not cut the carnage on Scotland’s most notorious road.
The 51-second video clip was captured by a dashboard-mounted camera in a vehicle being driven at between 34mph-43mph on the A9.
They show a red saloon car – travelling at well under 60mph – narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with an articulated lorry on a single-carriageway, southbound section of the trunk route between Daviot and Moy.
The driver overtook two cars and a caravan on a sweeping right-hand bend before pulling in as the lorry driver flashed his lights at him.
Mike Burns, of the A9 Average Speed Cameras Are Not The Answer campaign group, said: “An average-speed camera would not stop this, which is the fundamental root issue of the majority of incidents on the road.”
He also said Transport Minister Keith Brown was “living in cloud cuckoo land” after the SNP deputy leadership contender claimed people now accepted the need for the cameras on the road between Inverness and Perth.
Mr Burns spoke out as it emerged the controversial cameras will go live on October 28.
SNP ministers and roads agency Transport Scotland claim the £2.5million project, in conjunction with a pilot scheme to increase the HGV speed limit from 40mph-50mph, will reduce the number of accidents and save lives.
Officials say the technology has a proven track record of reducing speeds, and their high visibility means more people stick to the limit.
Mr Brown said: “When the average-speed cameras were first mooted I had a pretty large mailbag, but I have had virtually nothing in terms of individual correspondence in the last few weeks.
“The cameras have been up for some time, although they are not operational, so it may be the case that people, having seen them, are starting to understand the arguments.
“Perhaps they have the information they were previously looking for.
“The cameras are going live later this month at the same time as the 50mph speed limit and we think these two things are the right thing to do.”
But Mr Brown’s remarks provoked an angry response from Mr Burns, who has urged his 9,684 online supporters to contact the minister.
Mr Burns, an IT worker from Foyers, said: “If Mr Brown thinks people are accepting of this he is very sorely mistaken and essentially in cloud cuckoo land.
“The campaign is still receiving thousands of hits and comments about increased dangerous driving on the A9 since the cameras have gone up.”
Mr Burns, who has lobbied Holyrood over the issue, said the video highlighted what tens of thousands of Highlanders experience every day on the A9.
“It shows unbelievable manoeuvres at around 40mph and these manoeuvres will never be stopped by cameras as they will never be caught,” he added.
“Keith Brown has to accept his ill-judged camera folly is a massive own goal and if he wants to run for deputy first minister, he should start listening to Highlanders as opposed to dictating to them.”
Work is already underway on the £3billion programme to dual the route between Inverness and Perth and is expected to be completed by 2025.