Bad drivers will be targeted in a new campaign aimed at improving safety on one of the north-east’s most notorious roads.
The latest scheme to save lives on the A947 Dyce-Banff route aims to educate motorists about the potential dangers and pitfalls along the 38-mile stretch.
Thousands of leaflets will be dispatched to public buildings along the route.
The Aberdeenshire Council campaign aims to cut the road’s alarmingly high death toll. In the past six years, the route has been the scene of more than 150 crashes – including 14 fatalities.
Last night, the local authority revealed details of a new link-up with police and the North-East Safety Camera Partnership (Nescamp), which will involve a series of public presentations.
The talks, which begin at Meldrum Academy on Tuesday, November 19, are designed to raise awareness of dangers along the route as well as highlighting ongoing changes and planned improvements.
Over the past year, bends along the A947 have been upgraded with extra warning signs and hazard marker posts.
Some 19 laybys have also been created, specifically to accommodate speed camera vans. It emerged last year that police patrolling the road were catching speeding motorists at a rate of one every three hours.
The safety drive will involve the use of vehicle counters to evaluate driver behaviour by measuring speeds and distances. This will also help police and Nescamp by pinpointing times of day when the most inappropriate driver behaviour is detected.
Councillor Peter Argyle, who chairs the council’s infrastructure services committee, said last night: “Our teams are constantly monitoring the road safety statistics on our key routes and a lot of work has already been carried out to improve safety on the A947, but the number of fatal and serious collisions on that road remains unacceptably high.”
Vice-chairman Alan Buchan added: “This is another opportunity for us to engage with local communities along the A947 road and talk to them about how best to stay safe on what is a vital and busy route.”
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