Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

String of serious Highland crashes involved American tourists, police reveal

Police Scotland is working with US embassy officials to help get road safety messages to visitors.

There has also been a sharp rise in accidents across Scotland caused by drivers in left-hand drive cars. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson
There has also been a sharp rise in accidents across Scotland caused by drivers in left-hand drive cars. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Police in the Highlands and Islands are working with US embassy officials to help get road safety messages to American visitors.

Divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Robert Shepherd, said the summer had seen a number of fatal and other serious accidents involving tourists from the states.

The news comes as tour company body, the Scottish Independent Tour Operators Association (Sitoa), revealed there has been a sharp rise in accidents caused by drivers in left-hand drive cars.

Sitoa’s chairman Sandy Bloomer said: “The figures highlight a worrying trend that is happening across Scotland, but particularly in the Highlands.”

Highland police educating American road users

Highland police commander, Mr Shepherd, told BBC Scotland News that visitors from the USA had been identified as a group to be targeted with road safety messages.

He said: “We have had three or four fatal or serious accidents this summer involving tourists who have come from North America, mostly the United States.

“The reasons are varied – tiredness or ill-health or similar things.

“My road policing colleagues are in contact with the American embassy to see what we can do, working with them to get the information to people coming to Scotland.”

There were 16 road fatalities in the north division in 2023-24 – four of them on the A9, according to Police Scotland figures.

Three of the people who died were visitors to the Highlands. Police also said a fatal collision on the A82 had involved a foreign driver.

Line of traffic congestion on the A9 heading south towards Kingussie.
There are constant calls to dual the A9. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

The news comes as the number of accidents involving foreign left-hand drive cars in Scotland has risen by 258% since 2018, according to figures obtained by Sitoa.

Left-hand drive car injury collisions have risen from 24 incidents in 2018 to 86 in 2023.

In the year to June, left-hand drive vehicles have been involved in 48 accidents across the country, with four in Highland and Perth and Kinross – an area covering the A9.

In light of the rise in accidents – and the impact on those involved – the Sitoa is calling on the Scottish Government to improve road safety information for all road users.

Anecdotally, Sitoa argues the number of hire cars involved in accidents is also on the increase.

Road signs at the Ralia junction south of Newtonmore, the area is often the site of road collisions. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

Motorists on the wrong side of the road a ‘daily occurrence’

Sitoa represents more than 200 tour companies such as Wow in Inverness, The Hairy Coo and Skye Tours.

He continued: “As record numbers of tourists head to the Highlands seeking the beauty of Scotland’s tranquillity, scenery, culture and history, vehicle access has become increasingly challenging.

“This season has seen dashcam footage of tourists forgetting to drive on the left, rental campervans coming off the road on single track routes and near-misses by drivers who are unfamiliar with our rural routes.

“On the A9 alone there has been a spate of life-changing and fatal accidents involving hire vehicles at well-known black spots along the 110-mile route from Perth to Inverness.”

Mr Bloomer believes the junctions on the route continue to “confuse drivers” who are unfamiliar with the rules of the road, and this has been “exacerbated by long-delayed upgrades to infrastructure”.

Mr Bloomer continued: “Tourism is a force for good, but with that comes a responsibility for government and industry to ensure that unintended consequences are dealt with in a proportionate and measured way.

“Sitoa and other industry bodies are keen to engage with The Scottish Government to help mitigate these problems.”

Fergus Ewing
MSP Fergus Ewing. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

The tour operators’ call for improved road safety measures is being listened to by MSP Fergus Ewing.

The Inverness and Nairn representative wants an A9 summit, and for road signs to radically change to help improve foreign drivers’ information.

Mr Ewing said: “It’s clear that many serious road traffic incidents which result in death or serious injury involve foreign drivers.

“I have long recommended that the actual speed limits be shown – not the unrestricted speed sign which may be meaningless for foreign drivers. As a result they may simply not know what the limit is.”

A spokesperson for Road Safety Scotland said: “Overseas driver deaths are serious and of concern at any time.

“We continue to run ‘drive on the left’ campaigns to highlight the issue with international visitors who plan to drive in Scotland.

“We have made a considerable effort, working with the British Vehicle and Rental and Leasing Agency, Visit Scotland, Police Scotland and other partners to ensure we provide as much information as possible.

 

Conversation