A new study has revealed Perth and Kinross is among the most dangerous council areas to drive in across Scotland.
The Big Tree County recorded the sixth highest number of fatalities or injuries per 100,000 motorists according to research by road safety technology providers, Road Angel.
The project compared the total number of road casualties in each Scottish local authority in 2021 with each area’s population.
The Perth and Kinross area recorded an average of 134.6 deaths or serious injuries per 100,000.
The most notorious route in the region is the 112-mile A9 stretch between Perth and Inverness which claimed the lives of 13 people last year – the most lethal 12 months in two decades.
Conservative Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser in February called for a parliamentary inquiry into the lack of progress on the road’s major dualling project.
Just 11 miles has been delivered so far with a renewed dualling timescale to be debated in parliament after it was passed by ministers.
The Scottish Government has said it cannot guarantee to meet its promise to dual 77 miles of the A9 by 2025.
The Scottish Conservatives tabled their own motion calling on the government to provide a specific date for when a revised timescale of works and costs will be published.
Mr Fraser said: “I am afraid that there will be more deaths this year, next year and every year after until the dual carriageway is completed.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson referred to former minister for transport, Jenny Gilruth’s comments on February 8, when she said the Scottish Government had an “unwavering commitment to delivering the benefits of the completed A9 dualling programme”.
Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel said: “This latest data reveals those areas which have seen the highest numbers of deaths or serious injuries amongst motorists.
“Local authorities in rural Scotland such as Midlothian, Dumfries and Galloway and West Lothian have statistically more dangerous routes compared to the urban areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
"But that doesn’t mean that all other motorists across Scotland shouldn’t drive with caution.
"Whenever you’re behind the wheel you should be driving with care, but especially during the Spring showers we’re beginning to see where a vehicle’s stopping distance is increased from two seconds to four seconds.
“With an average number of 130 deaths or serious injuries per 100,000 people across these top 10 regions, we’re urging motorists to stay safe on the roads and abide by the rules of the Highway Code.”
Midlothian is the local authority with the highest rate of dangerous collisions, with a rate of 152.1 per 100,000 people.
Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, West Lothian, Angus are the other the local authorities deemed more dangerous. The Highland, Scottish Borders, Glasgow City and City of Edinburgh council areas make up the rest of the top 10.
