Safety on a Perthshire road must be investigated urgently, the Scottish Parliament has been told.
Alarming new figures show the true extent of danger on the A85, which has claimed 11 lives in just three years.
A staggering 311 more people have been injured in the accidents that plague the road, contributing to it being closed to traffic on more than 46 occasions between 2010 and 2012.
The deaths and near tragedies have left many scarred and families torn apart, but the repeated incidents have also blighted communities along the route and caused chaos for road users.
And after Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP detailed the roll-call of incidents, he heard an impassioned plea for action and an upgrade of the road, which stretches from Perth to Oban.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith said that the Scottish Government needed to look again at safety on the road and “redouble” its efforts to make improvements.
Five of her constituents were killed in one of the worst accidents to take place on the A85 in Perthshire in January 2007.
The western stretch of the A85 which runs between Oban and Tyndrum has been described as being one of the 10 most dangerous roads for accidents in Scotland.
It features tight bends and numerous blind summits, with a 2012 report by the Road Safety Markings Association rating the route as one of the worst for visible road markings.
Ms Smith told The Courier she believes the high number of road closures on the A85 should lead to Police Scotland installing 3D scanners on the route.
They have been trialled successfully in England and can record up to 120,000 different details of a crash scene per second, enabling better understanding of the nature and cause of accidents and reducing the time roads have to be closed.
“I would hope that these figures spur the Scottish Government to look again at redoubling its efforts to improve road safety on the A85,” Ms Smith said.
“They should also encourage the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to look again at how they deal with the aftermath of accidents.
“Constituents understand that serious road accidents will on occasion cause the closure of trunk roads due to the need for the police to conduct scene of crime investigations.
“Many have however expressed concern to me that the occurrence and duration of these closures has increased significantly in recent years and they are questioning why the roads can’t be reopened more quickly.
“As a result of these closures, some drivers have been forced to make lengthy and time consuming detours and I have also been told of constituents and tourists missing ferry connections in Oban as a result.”
In addition to fatal accidents, Mr Brown told the Holyrood chamber that closures over the past three years had also resulted from lesser accidents, fallen trees and the recovery of broken down vehicles.
Superintendent Iain Murray said the decision to close a road was never taken lightly.
“It only occurs when the collision itself has blocked the road, or where there is a need to protect those who might already have been injured and the emergency service staff who are dealing with the incident,” he said.
“The impact on local communities and the wider economy is always at the forefront of investigators’ minds, but there is a need to ensure that incidents are investigated thoroughly to ensure that families receive the support and information that they deserve.
“The purchase of new collision investigation equipment has been agreed and this will further reduce the time spent gathering data at collision scenes.”