Road safety campaigners are calling for additional patrols on the A9 after a motorist was clocked driving at 140mph.
Figures obtained by BBC Scotland through a Freedom of Information request revealed that almost 5,000 speeding offences have been recorded so far this year on the A9 between Thurso and Drumochter.
Around 13,000 offences were recorded in 2023.
In one shocking case, a motorist was caught driving at 140mph.
Speeding drivers should lose license says A9 dual action group
Laura Hansler, safety campaigner with the A9 Dual Action Group, spoke on the latest episode of Good Morning Scotland (GMS), saying she feels a harder line has to be taken to clampdown on offenders, including removing their license.
She said: “I think, after the Covid years, we expected the number of tourists coming up the road to drop back to normal figures and we haven’t seen that. Year after year, we are finding the figures are coming up and up.
“It’s such a strain on the infrastructure, but there is an awful lot of complacency around these traffic cameras.
“I don’t think people realise that the new radar cameras have been installed the length of the A9 and they are far more accurate now.
“Some people are so bloody-minded that they will drive the way they want to drive and they will get from A to B as fast as they like. They are not thinking about their own safety and they are certainly not thinking about the safety of other road users.”
The A9 dual action group is also calling on local officers to increase patrols along the Highland trunk road to help maintain road safety.
“The general consensus, coming over from the group, is they would like more visible deterrents, she added.
“They would like more patrols on the road, and I certainly know Police Scotland would like to be able to provide that as well.
“To be travelling at 140 mph is inexcusable, and I think these people need to be having their licenses removed because they are a danger on the road.”
Contractor awarded for latest phase of A9 dualling
Balfour Beatty is set to be awarded a £185 million contract to dual the A9 between Tomatin and Moy, south of Inverness.
The Scottish Government has faced criticism for its failure to dual the road between Perth and Inverness – despite having set a target of 2025 for doing so.
Ministers aim to have the A9 dualled by 2035.
Laura welcomed the development and said the group remain ‘cautious’ of the timeframe.
She said: “We welcome that Balfour Beatty has got that contact now.
“If we could have it done by 2035 that would be fantastic, but year on year we are going to have collisions and the longer it takes the more collisions and fatalities we are going to have.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “It is well documented that driving at inappropriate speeds reduces your ability to react to unexpected changes on the road and is a significant factor in serious injury and fatal crashes.
“Our message is to drive to the road conditions as speeding is always a risk. There is no excuse.
“Road policing officers work hard to help keep our roads safe and we ask everyone to take responsibility and help us to save lives.
“Targeting speeding is a priority for Police Scotland. Officers routinely carry out enforcement activity to deter speeding and detect those who choose to break the law.
“We will take action against anyone found to be causing an offence.
“Anyone concerned about a driver’s behaviour should contact us via 101.”
