THE A9 is Scotland ’s most dangerous road in terms of the sheer number of accidents taking place, figures from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport Scotland show.

Researchers analysing DfT and Transport Scotland data found that the A9 – which runs from Perth to Thurso via Inverness – had 129 accidents last year in which someone was hurt of killed. Ten of those accidents led to a driver, passenger, rider or pedestrian being killed.

The road with the second highest number of accidents was the M8, which runs between Renfrewshire and Edinburgh. Although much shorter than the A9, it is much busier, accounting for why there were 126 accidents on the motorway last year but only one fatality recorded.

The next worst roads are the A82 with 121 accidents, the A8 with 118 and the A90 with 97.

The figures come from an analysis of more than 122,000 road traffic collisions recorded by police across the UK in 2018.

According to Reach Data, Police Scotland recorded 6405 accidents, including 149 which involved fatalities and 1367 which resulted in at least one serious injury.