Police target bad drivers on North Coast ‘racetrack’

POLICE have warned they are mounting patrols in unmarked cars and motorbikes, targeting bad drivers on Scotland’s ‘answer to America’s Route 66’.

The warning comes ahead of the summer rush by tourists to drive the North Coast 500.

The ‘NC500’ – which starts and finishes in Inverness – was launched four years ago by the North Highland Initiative to revive remote and economically fragile areas.

But according to research by the University of Stirling, the 516-mile route has led to a rise in ‘antagonistic encounters between residents and tourists’ – and more residents moving out because of the negative impact of tourism.

A fifth of the route is on single track roads, with some communities complaining of slow-moving vehicles and others blaming speeding drivers for turning the road into a racetrack.

In a video on the NC500 website police said they were looking at speed in particular and ensuring the safety of ‘vulnerable road users’.

The NC500, now a separate company, said a safe driving guide was available on its website.