Rise in crashes brought about by way of vacationers using on flawed facet of Scottish roads

The selection of crashes brought about by way of guests to Scotland using at the flawed facet of the street has larger by way of 46% in a 12 months.

Figures launched by way of Transport Scotland confirmed there have been 35 collisions brought about by way of “inexperience of driving on the left” in 2023, up from 24 the former 12 months.

Campaigners have described the upward push as “disappointing” and known as for added signage and activates to be installed position as a reminder for vacationers, in particular in rural spaces.

Road Safety Scotland mentioned there used to be no transparent explanation why for the larger frequency of crashes.

One of the collisions recorded within the 2023 figures ended in a demise.

Signage is ceaselessly positioned at airports and different delivery hubs and automotive rent amenities reminding drivers that cars in the United Kingdom power at the left facet of the street.

The overwhelming majority of holiday makers to Scotland in 2023 got here from mainland Europe and the United States – all of that are right-hand power nations.

Sharon Anslow, founding father of the Keep Left marketing campaign, mentioned extra needed to be achieved to teach drivers.

Mrs Anslow used to be injured when her automotive used to be driven right into a ditch throughout a head-on collision with a vacationer whilst using to paintings in Portree at the Isle of Skye in December 2018.

She needed to be free of the wreckage by way of hearth crews and mentioned she used to be pressured to transport area because of the trauma of using at the identical direction throughout her paintings go back and forth.

The different driving force concerned within the crash gained a hard and fast penalty realize in spite of using at the flawed facet of the street for a minimum of a mile ahead of the crash.

Mrs Anslow instructed BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme she had secured investment to position up 250 indicators alongside the roads in Skye and Lochalsh to remind drivers the place they will have to be.

But she mentioned the onus will have to be on councils and street managers to stay different motorists secure.

“Raising awareness is fantastic and there are lots of resources online,” she mentioned.

“But it’s not the answer. We should be providing, not just the tourists, but the locals across the whole of Scotland, with proper roads to drive on, with proper signage and directional arrows to keep everybody safe.”

In 2022, Italian naval officer Alfredo Ciociola used to be convicted of killing 5 other folks, together with his four-year-old son, in a crash at the A96 close to Keith.

Two years previous, Gerrit Reickmann, from Germany, brought about the demise of his female friend Melina Rose Päprer when he used to be interested by a head-on crash whilst using at the flawed facet of the street close to Drumnadrochit within the Highlands.

Road Safety Scotland director, Michael McDonnell, mentioned vacationers ceaselessly struggled in additional rural spaces, the place there used to be little to no visitors to “prompt” them into using on the proper facet.

He additionally mentioned tiredness can be a issue.

The organisation has labored with Consult withScotland and automotive rent firms to teach vacationers on the place they will have to be using.

They have equipped automobile condominium firms with wristbands with the message “drive on the left” in 9 other languages.

It is was hoping that drivers would see them whilst they have got their fingers at the guidance wheel.

Mr McDonnell mentioned passengers additionally had a task to play in preserving the driving force conscious about the place they will have to be at the street.

He mentioned: “The difficulty we have in Scotland is that one of the attractions of the country is the remote, rural areas, the places people like to visit with its tremendous beauty spots.

“Quite ceaselessly, other folks, once they pass into those spaces, they stumble upon much less visitors and so, when there may be numerous visitors at the street you get hints as to the place you will have to be.

“The same thing happens early in the morning or late at night when people set off, so you get this increase just when there isn’t traffic on the road.”