New figures show one person died and nine people were seriously injured on the A96 over an eight-month period, prompting calls to dual the route.
Figures released by Police Scotland show 30 people were injured in crashes on the Aberdeen to Inverness road, between January and August 31 this year.
Of the nine people seriously injured in road accidents, six were injured on the Huntly to Inverness stretch and three between Aberdeen and Huntly.
The remaining 21 casualties suffered “slight” injuries, according to the figures.
John Channon, 78, from Dyke, a keen piper, died following a crash near Auldearn, on January 12.
There were four crashes recorded in the space of just seven days between Brodie and Hardmuir from July 9 to 16.
Since 2019, figures show 13 people died on the A96 and 164 people were injured.
The number of deaths has reduced from six in 2019 to one this year up to August.
‘Horrific figures’
North-east Tory MSP Liam Kerr said the “horrific figures should act as a wake-up call” to the Scottish Goverment to stick to pledges to fully dual the route.
Nicola Sturgeon is facing growing pressure to set out revised timescales to deliver long-standing pledges to dual the main roads linking Inverness with Aberdeen and Perth.
The two multi-billion-pound road upgrade projects for the A96 and A9 have been hit by delays and doubts about the long-awaited dual carriageway work.
There were also fresh calls from Highland representatives for the Scottish Government to get on with dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
It came after eight deaths on the 25-mile stretch near Slochd in just three months.
An “evidence-based review” on fully dualling the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness will report before the end of the year.
Mr Kerr described the Scottish Government’s “wall of silence” on dualling the Aberdeen to Huntly section as “absolutely shameful”.
He added: “The whole A96 needs to be upgraded to give drivers a safer and improved journey between Aberdeen and Inverness, drive the north-east economy forward and ensure our emergency services can get where they need without delays.”
What does Transport Scotland say?
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said the roads agency undertakes an annual review of collisions on the trunk road network to identify areas that need investigated.
This “evidence-led approach” ensures resources are targeted at locations where the greatest potential for casualty reduction is available, she added.
On the dualling of the road, the spokeswoman said the “current plan is to fully dual the route between Inverness and Aberdeen” but this is subject to the review.
She added: “The review is looking at travel patterns, choice of travel modes and changes to land use since the latest data gathering exercise.
“The review is also considering carefully road safety on the existing A96.”
Conversation