A90 casualty reduction

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has announced plans to improve safety on the A90, with average speed cameras to be installed between Dundee and Stonehaven.

The system will go-live in the Autumn, replacing the existing fixed and mobile camera enforcement currently taking place on this section of the route.

Average speed cameras aim to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured, deter vehicles driving at excessive speeds, improve journey time reliability and reduce offender numbers.

There were three fatal collisions and six serious collisions on this section of the route in 2015. More than three in every five vehicles travelling between Dundee and Stonehaven are exceeding the speed limit, with more than one in every five vehicles exceeding the speed limit by more than 10mph.

There are currently two permanent average speed camera systems in Scotland: on the A77 between Symington and Girvan and on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness.

Mr Yousaf said:

“The Scottish Government is committed, through Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020, to achieving safer road travel and working towards an ultimate vision of zero fatalities and reducing the number of serious injuries on our roads.

“Installing average speed cameras on the A90 will make the road safer for everyone travelling along the route. We already know from our experience with the A9 that average speed cameras encourage better driver behaviour, with the number of fatal casualties down by over 37% and serious injury casualties by 45%. We can also expect to see improved journey time reliability and reductions in the number of people getting points on their licence and a fine.

“There have been 60 fatal and serious collisions on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven in the last five years alone. Any death on our roads is one too many, and I look forward to seeing similar results on the A90 as we’ve seen on the A77 and A9 in reducing casualties and improving driver behaviour.”

Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston, Head of Road Policing, Police Scotland said:

“Road Safety remains a priority for Police Scotland and we are committed to working with our partners to achieve the Scottish Government’s casualty reduction targets for 2020.  The introduction of average speed cameras on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven is welcome, as it will contribute to on-going efforts to reduce the number of collisions and resultant injuries that occur on that stretch of road.” 

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research, IAM RoadSmart said:

“This is a common sense proposal as fixed speed cameras have been in place on the A90 for decades but  there are still far too many serious crashes and unfortunately the main cause is all too often poor driver behaviour.  Given the positive impact on excessive speeding that the A9 and A77 systems have delivered average speed cameras will almost certainly be just as effective on the A90.  They offer the prospect of smoothing out the traffic flows, reducing stress and conflict and extending road safety benefits along the entire route from Dundee to Stonehaven.”

Background

Further information is available at www.a90road.info, with the website  developed as the project progresses.  

Further information on the work of the A9 Safety Group, including the Average Speed Camera System, is available at www.a9road.info. 

Data recently released on the A9 continues to demonstrate that driver behaviour between Dunblane and Inverness has significantly improved since the introduction of the average speed cameras, with the number of fatal casualties down by over 37% and serious injury casualties by 45%.

The report also identifies significant reductions in the number of drivers detected speeding when compared to enforcement figures before the average speed cameras were installed. This significantly increased level of compliance again supports the change in driver behaviour now evident on the route.

Further information on the A77 Average Speed Camera System is available at www.a77road.info