Jeremy Clarkson has criticised the average speed camera scheme on the A9 in a new show filmed in the Highlands.
The controversial presenter invoked Braveheart – telling the studio audience of The Grand Tour “you can take our licences but you can’t take our freedom”.
But road safety bosses hit back at the former Top Gear presenter, saying the scheme had helped save lives since it went live in 2014.
The average speed cameras enforce the limit on single carriageway stretches of the A9 between Inverness and Perth, as well as the dual carriageway between Perth and Dunblane.
Mr Clarkson raised the scheme while introducing the latest episode of his Amazon show The Grand Tour, which was filmed near Fort Augustus in December.
He praised “Scotland’s brilliant driving roads” – before turning his ire on the speed cameras.
Mr Clarkson said: “Ninety-nine miles of continuous average speed cameras.
“Now I’m sorry. You lot (the audience) are all petrolheads, yes?
“So let me ask you a question.
“Dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back and say to the Scottish Safety Camera Partnership, you can take our licences but you can’t take our freedom?”
The rant was welcomed with cheers and chanting from the studio audience.
However, the comments were criticised by safety group IAM RoadSmart – formerly the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
Policy and research director Neil Greig said: “It’s only by having average speed cameras that many more petrolheads will live on to die in their beds.
“They may not be loved by everybody, but they have effectively stopped all dangerously excessive speeding and made the road a much more relaxed place to be.”
A spokesman for the A9 Safety Group said: “Mr Clarkson was hopefully just having a bit of fun on this occasion.
“In the two years of being operational fatal casualties along the A9 corridor within the monitoring area have dropped almost 43% and serious injury casualties by almost 63%.
“These are statistics that should be welcomed by even the strongest opponent of average speed cameras.
“The latest report also highlighted significant reductions in the number of drivers detected speeding when compared to enforcement figures before the cameras were installed. This significantly increased level of compliance supports the change in driver behaviour now evident on the route.”
