The “horrifying casualty toll” on one of Scotland’s most dangerous roads can be revealed as new figures show more than 160 collisions have resulted in motorists being injured on the A96 over the last four years.
Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett, whose constituency is connected by the A96, said the appalling number of accidents marks another “summer of devastation” on the road, which he says is not fit for the 21st century.
It comes as the figures, released by the Scottish Government after a freedom of information request from the Scottish Conservatives, show 164 collisions have resulted in injuries on the A96 since 2021.
Of these, 11 crashes involved fatalities, 88 resulted in serious injuries, and 65 were classified as “slight injury”.
The SNP’s pledge, made in 2011, to dual the A96 fully by 2030 was dropped last November, and draft plans, resulting from the A96 Corridor Review, have proposed scrapping full dualling in favour of Elgin and Keith bypasses.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, said: “These figures lay bare the horrifying casualty toll on the A96, which is not fit for the 21st century.
“This summer has been one of yet more devastation on the A96 and my thoughts go to the families who have tragically lost loved ones or been impacted by these dreadful spates of crashes.
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“It’s a measure of SNP failure that – 14 years after they vowed to fully dual the road – John Swinney is now only promising to make improvements between Inverness and Nairn instead of the whole way to Aberdeen.
“Now the Scottish Parliament has resumed after summer recess, John Swinney must stop playing political games with the lives of motorists, and finally commit to fully dualling the A96 as was promised more than a decade ago.
“Anything other than this is an utter betrayal to communities across both the North and North East of Scotland.”
