Revealed, the Scots roads that are UK’s most deadly

DRIVERS in the North-East of Scotland are more likely to be killed or seriously injured in collisions than those elsewhere in the UK.

In a new report, the parliamentary constituency of Banff and Buchan was identified as the most dangerous in the UK, followed by West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, with Gordon third.

The Killed or Seriously Injured rate for Banff and Buchan was 111 per cent higher than the national average.

The Road Safety Dashboard report, issued by Direct Line Car Insurance and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, also highlighted that young drivers in Scotland are more l i kely to be involved in fatal collisions.

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine had a rate 82 per cent higher than the UK average, followed by Gordon on 70 per cent.

Although Scottish areas have a higher rate of fatal and serious accidents, the overall accident rate is lower north of the Border.

Crash rates were calculated over five years t o 2013 using t he number of accidents compared with an area’s population.

A spokesman for the AA said: ‘There are a number of reasons why Scottish roads, especially so far north, could be more dangerous. This i ncludes geography, climate, road type and population spread.

‘There is a problem across the country with young and new drivers which must be addressed. Inexperience makes t hem more than 17 per cent more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a collision that anyone else.’

The report also high- lighted that traffic collisions are still a ‘major cause of death’ among young people (16-24), who are 17 per cent more likely to be involved in a crash than other drivers.

Earlier this year the Mail ran a campaign calling for young drivers to undergo additional training.

Sandy Allan of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: ‘Whilst we welcome the report, it has to be viewed in context. The figures used are based on a five year average up to 2013.

‘Year on year the actual number of people being injured on our roads has been decreasing for some time.

‘It does, however, highlight areas where concerns have already been raised about crashes on rural roads.

‘If we want to continue to make our roads safer, we need to take this information on board.’