Newly published road safety records reveal concerns about commercial drivers failing drug tests, serious speeding through A9 construction works and recent fatalities, as Scotland’s £3.97 billion dualling programme continues.
Police Scotland has reported an increase in heavy goods vehicle drivers failing roadside drug-screening tests, while temporary speed cameras on the A9 have detected a lorry travelling at 70mph through roadworks subject to a 40mph restriction.
The findings appear in minutes of the A9 Safety Group’s meeting on 28 October, published by Transport Scotland on 9 November. Police also reported four deaths in incidents initially recorded as fatal road traffic collisions since April, although one was subsequently classified as a medical incident.
Inspector Donnie MacKinnon, representing Police Scotland’s North Command, raised concerns about failed drug tests among HGV drivers and indicated that officers wanted to engage with the haulage industry.
However, the published minutes do not establish where all the tests occurred, how many drivers were tested or how many failed. They therefore provide insufficient evidence to determine the scale of the reported increase or whether it represents a statistically established trend.
The separate speeding findings concern the Tay Crossing–Ballinluig dualling works in Perthshire, where enforcement officials reported high levels of offending, particularly at night and during weekends.
Most vehicles detected exceeding the temporary limit were cars, although the lorry travelling at 70mph was among those identified.
The disclosures come as major construction continues on two sections of the Perth-to-Inverness dualling programme, while authorities investigate dangerous junctions and consider further safety measures along the route towards Caithness.
Police Raise Concerns About HGV Drug Tests
Inspector MacKinnon told the A9 Safety Group that officers had observed an increase in HGV drivers failing roadside drug-screening tests.
The meeting brought together Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, local authorities, road maintenance contractors, the Road Haulage Association and other organisations responsible for improving road safety.
The police finding is significant because heavy goods vehicles are essential to Scotland’s road freight network, particularly in rural areas where alternative transport routes are limited.
However, the information recorded in the minutes does not provide the underlying figures necessary to assess the extent of the concern.
There is no breakdown of the number of drivers tested, the proportion receiving positive screening results, the substances detected or the period against which the increase was measured.
Nor does the document establish how many positive roadside screening results subsequently led to confirmed offences or prosecutions.
Earlier A9 enforcement figures provide some context.
At the safety group’s previous meeting on 1 April, Police Scotland reported that officers had stopped 2,192 vehicles on the A9 and detected 27 drug-driving offences, seven drink-driving offences, 15 dangerous-driving offences and 139 speeding offences. A further 352 warnings had been issued.
Those figures relate to enforcement activity reported at the April meeting. They are not a breakdown of the more recent HGV drug-screening concern.
The earlier statistics were also not separated by vehicle type, making it impossible to establish how many commercial drivers were involved or whether the proportion of HGV drivers committing drug-driving offences has changed.
Roadside drug-screening equipment provides an initial indication of certain substances. A positive screening result does not, by itself, establish that a driver has committed a criminal offence.
Police can use roadside kits to screen for drugs including cannabis and cocaine. Further evidential testing is required where appropriate to determine whether a driver has exceeded a specified legal limit.
Driving while impaired by drugs is also an offence.
Scotland introduced specified blood concentration limits for 17 controlled drugs in October 2019. These include illegal substances and certain prescription medicines, with legal protections for patients who follow appropriate medical advice and meet the relevant conditions.
The distinction between an initial screening failure, a confirmed drug-driving offence and a conviction is essential when interpreting the latest police findings.
Police Scotland’s observation nevertheless identifies an enforcement concern that warrants further examination, particularly regarding the scale of testing and the response from commercial transport operators.
The Road Haulage Association was represented at the October meeting, although the minutes do not record a specific response from the organisation to the drug-screening finding.
A9 Roadworks Cameras Detect Serious Speeding
A separate concern emerged from the temporary average speed camera system operating through the Tay Crossing–Ballinluig construction works.
Eric Dunion, representing Safety Cameras Scotland, told the meeting that the rate of speeding offences detected through this section remained high.
Most offending vehicles were cars, but one HGV had been recorded travelling at 70mph.
The recorded speed was 30mph above the temporary 40mph restriction imposed through the construction area.
According to the meeting minutes, offending was concentrated at night and during weekends.
The pattern is significant because temporary speed restrictions remain in force outside normal construction hours, when drivers may encounter fewer workers or less visible activity.
The reduced limit is intended to protect motorists and construction personnel in an environment involving changing road layouts, temporary junctions, narrowed lanes and construction access points.
The Tay Crossing–Ballinluig project covers approximately 8.2 kilometres of the A9 between the Jubilee Bridge, north of Dunkeld, and Ballinluig.
The £257 million scheme was awarded to Wills Bros Civil Engineering in July 2025 and involves constructing a dual carriageway, new side roads, junction improvements and bridges.
A temporary 40mph restriction was introduced on 5 January 2026 and is expected to remain in place until the upgraded route becomes operational towards the end of 2028.
Initially, enforcement through the construction area relied on mobile safety camera vehicles.
On 16 September, Safety Cameras Scotland confirmed that temporary average speed cameras had begun operating through the works near Dalguise, providing continuous enforcement.
The October meeting therefore provides an early indication of driver behaviour following the introduction of the new cameras.
However, the minutes do not give the total number of speeding offences, the number of vehicles monitored or the proportion of drivers exceeding the limit.
Without those figures, it is not possible to calculate the offence rate or determine whether compliance has improved since the cameras became operational.
The situation contrasts with the Tomatin–Moy dualling works, south of Inverness.
Dunion reported that speed compliance through that section was very good.
The difference raises questions about road layouts, traffic volumes, driver behaviour and the effectiveness of speed restrictions and safety messaging at the two construction sites.
It also indicates that enforcement conditions vary considerably along the A9, despite both projects operating under temporary traffic management arrangements.
Four Deaths Reported Since April
The October meeting also received an update on fatal incidents along the A9.
Inspector MacKinnon reported four deaths in incidents initially recorded as fatal road traffic collisions since the previous meeting in April, two in Perth and Kinross and two in the Highlands.
However, one incident was subsequently classified as medical, meaning the four deaths should not automatically be treated as four confirmed road-collision fatalities.
The first incident occurred on 31 July in Perth and Kinross and involved two vehicles.
A second occurred near Dalguise on 17 August. Police subsequently established that the circumstances constituted a medical incident.
On 9 October, a driver died north of Tore following a collision in which an overtaking vehicle struck an oncoming HGV.
The fourth incident occurred on 10 October when an 86-year-old driver lost control of a vehicle and collided with an approaching van.
The average age of those who died was reported as 63.
The published minutes do not provide the completed investigation findings for each incident, and they establish no connection between the fatalities and the separate concerns about drug-driving or speeding.
The involvement of an HGV in a fatal collision does not, by itself, establish that its driver was responsible.
At the April meeting, Police Scotland had reported five fatal collisions on the A9 during 2025 and one during 2026 up to that point.
The different reporting periods, together with the subsequent classification of the August incident, mean those figures should not be combined without clarification.
Nationally, Transport Scotland’s finalised road casualty statistics, published on 28 October, recorded 133 deaths on Scotland’s roads in 2025, compared with 160 in 2024.
The reduction represents progress, but remains below the rate required to achieve Scotland’s target of halving road deaths by 2030 compared with the 2014–2018 baseline.
By 2025, road deaths had fallen by 23% against that baseline.
The A9 presents particular challenges because substantial sections remain single carriageway, with opposing traffic separated only by road markings.
Transport Scotland’s assessment of the Pass of Birnam–Tay Crossing project found that fatal and serious collisions accounted for a greater proportion of recorded incidents on the Perth-to-Inverness single-carriageway route than the national comparison for similar roads during 2015–2022.
Improving road design is an important part of reducing collision risk, although engineering changes cannot eliminate the dangers associated with speeding, impairment or other unsafe driving behaviour.
Further Safety Changes Considered at Tore and Other Junctions
The A9 Safety Group also reviewed improvement proposals at several locations beyond the main dualling construction sites.
At Tore Roundabout, north of Inverness, authorities are considering reducing the speed limit to 40mph on the circulatory carriageway and its approaches.
The proposals have been advertised, but objections were received.
Traffic signals are also under consideration, together with improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised road users. The signalling proposals remain subject to available funding.
Tore is a significant junction connecting the A9 with the A835 and routes serving the Black Isle, Easter Ross and the north-west Highlands.
Changes must therefore balance safety improvements with the movement of local traffic, freight and vehicles travelling between several important transport corridors.
Further investigations are underway at Dunkeld and Inver, where a draft report examining junction safety and operational problems has been prepared for Transport Scotland.
The House of Bruar junction is also scheduled for investigation, alongside other locations identified through annual safety reviews.
North of Inverness, additional work is planned or under investigation at junctions and other locations along the A9 towards Caithness.
At North Kessock, improvements involving directional signing, marker posts and solar-powered bollards were scheduled to begin during November.
The October records also reveal continuing concerns about access during construction.
The Highland Council reported that residents in Tomatin had raised further questions about junction arrangements through the dualling works.
Discussions are also taking place over access for non-motorised road users near Slochd Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association raised a proposal for a truck stop near Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s football ground.
The development would provide dedicated parking and rest facilities for commercial drivers, although part of the access arrangement would require Transport Scotland’s agreement.
The authority indicated that the effect on traffic flows would need to be assessed before approval could be given.
The proposal also reflects wider concern about the availability of appropriate rest facilities for professional drivers, whose journeys can involve long distances through the Highlands.
These smaller interventions matter because significant stretches of the A9 will remain in their existing configuration while the larger dualling programme progresses.
More Overnight Closures Planned
Construction will bring further disruption to journeys through Perthshire later this month.
The A9 Dualling programme has announced five nights of closures between the Jubilee Bridge and the temporary Kindallachan roundabout, beginning on Monday 30 November and continuing until the morning of Saturday 5 December.
The closures are scheduled between 9pm and 5am to allow installation of bridge beams for the new Guay Overbridge.
Temporary access periods are planned between 11pm and midnight and between 2am and 3am, when traffic will be permitted through the construction area under a reduced 30mph limit.
Emergency service access will be maintained, while alternative routes will be available using the A90 from the south and A96 from the north.
The arrangements remain dependent on weather conditions.
The works illustrate the difficulty of rebuilding a major trunk road while maintaining a transport connection serving communities, freight operators and businesses across northern Scotland.
At the April safety meeting, Transport Scotland identified approximately 26 construction access entrances required along the Tay Crossing–Ballinluig section.
Officials raised concerns that members of the public could mistake some temporary contractor entrances for public roads.
Changing road layouts, construction traffic and overnight working consequently make compliance with temporary restrictions particularly important.
Dualling Programme Continues Towards 2035
The wider A9 dualling programme aims to upgrade 83 miles of single carriageway between Perth and Inverness.
Originally associated with a 2025 completion commitment, the programme is now scheduled for completion by the end of 2035.
Transport Scotland’s updated investment estimate is £3.97 billion at April 2025 prices.
Under the current delivery plan, half the Perth-to-Inverness route is expected to be dualled by the end of 2030, increasing to 67% by 2032 and 91% by 2034, with completion scheduled for 2035.
At the October safety meeting, officials reported that construction of the Tay Crossing–Ballinluig section was approximately 38% complete.
The Tomatin–Moy project was more than halfway through construction and remained on course to open in spring 2028.
Officials also reported progress towards establishing a framework for the remaining schemes, with procurement of the Dalraddy–Slochd section expected to begin in early 2027.
The programme’s long-term timetable means temporary enforcement and safety measures will remain necessary for years.
Average speed cameras have been a central feature of A9 enforcement since October 2014, when a permanent system was introduced between Dunblane and Inverness alongside a trial permitting HGVs to travel at 50mph on single-carriageway sections between Perth and Inverness.
Transport Scotland’s subsequent monitoring reported reductions in speeding and serious casualties compared with the earlier baseline.
However, the current meeting records demonstrate that compliance continues to vary, particularly around major construction works.
While the Tomatin–Moy scheme has recorded relatively good compliance, the Tay Crossing–Ballinluig project has experienced higher levels of offending.
This difference warrants closer examination as construction continues and more sections of the route move into temporary traffic management.
What the New Findings Leave Unanswered
The October safety records disclose several significant concerns, but also expose gaps in publicly available enforcement information.
Police Scotland has not provided the number of HGV drivers screened for drugs, the number failing roadside tests or the comparative figures used to identify an increase.
Nor do the minutes establish how many positive screening results led to confirmatory laboratory findings, reported offences or prosecutions.
Those distinctions are important in determining whether the problem reflects more extensive testing, a change in offending behaviour or a combination of factors.
The safety-camera update identifies high levels of speeding through the Perthshire roadworks but does not state how many detections occurred or how much traffic passed through the monitored section.
It also provides no before-and-after comparison showing whether the average speed cameras introduced in September have improved compliance.
Comparable figures from Tomatin–Moy could help establish why drivers appear to respond differently to temporary restrictions at the two construction sites.
More complete reporting would allow the public to assess whether current enforcement, road design and safety campaigns are producing measurable results.
Further questions remain about commercial driver engagement, the availability of suitable rest facilities and whether additional safety measures are needed around construction access points and junctions.
For communities and businesses dependent on the A9, these questions extend well beyond the timetable for completing the dualling programme.
The road must continue to accommodate freight, local journeys, public transport and long-distance traffic while substantial sections are rebuilt.
The latest minutes show that authorities are monitoring several important risks. What remains unclear is whether the interventions now in place are delivering sustained improvements in driver behaviour and road safety.
The next A9 Safety Group meeting is expected around Easter 2027.
Sources
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