Discussion
I came as close as I have ever been to death on the A9 this afternoon.
No crazy driving or speeding, just the awfulness of the A9.
Truck waiting to turn right but no slip road - all traffic comes to a sudden halt on a major trunk road! The inevitable series of bumps as each subsequent driver has less and less time to brake. I was shunted out into oncoming traffic along with another car. An oncoming car somehow managed to get between us and other cars took evasive action. I was not even aware I was in the oncoming lane as my air-bag was in my face. Luckily my trajectory took me off the road into the grass verge. No one injured (could have been so different) but my car is significantly damaged, possibly written off.
The A9 needs to duelled the for it's entire length asap.
No crazy driving or speeding, just the awfulness of the A9.
Truck waiting to turn right but no slip road - all traffic comes to a sudden halt on a major trunk road! The inevitable series of bumps as each subsequent driver has less and less time to brake. I was shunted out into oncoming traffic along with another car. An oncoming car somehow managed to get between us and other cars took evasive action. I was not even aware I was in the oncoming lane as my air-bag was in my face. Luckily my trajectory took me off the road into the grass verge. No one injured (could have been so different) but my car is significantly damaged, possibly written off.
The A9 needs to duelled the for it's entire length asap.
Edited by ViperPict on Tuesday 15th May 23:00
Totally agree on the need for DC but I've never quite worked out why so many drivers insist on driving on A9 in such a risky way.
Honestly - the amount of tailgating and, in particular, very badly judged overtakes is more than any other road I've driven.
Not pointed at you OP, but these shunts shouldn't be inevitable and if driving appropriately each subsequent driver would have more reaction time, not less.
Glad to hear you are OK - too many Bad ones on that road.
Honestly - the amount of tailgating and, in particular, very badly judged overtakes is more than any other road I've driven.
Not pointed at you OP, but these shunts shouldn't be inevitable and if driving appropriately each subsequent driver would have more reaction time, not less.
Glad to hear you are OK - too many Bad ones on that road.
Spitfire2 said:
Totally agree on the need for DC but I've never quite worked out why so many drivers insist on driving on A9 in such a risky way.
Honestly - the amount of tailgating and, in particular, very badly judged overtakes is more than any other road I've driven.
Not pointed at you OP, but these shunts shouldn't be inevitable and if driving appropriately each subsequent driver would have more reaction time, not less.
Glad to hear you are OK - too many Bad ones on that road.
I hear you. I had left a good gap in front of me and someone overtook me and filled it up! Saw it as an opportiunity to same 0.5 secs on their journey. I don't think folk realise what a proper gap is when you're driving at 50-60mph. Given such conditions, it's hard to maintain a proper distance between vehicles. The bottom line though is that road is just far too busy these days to be single lane on any part of it.Honestly - the amount of tailgating and, in particular, very badly judged overtakes is more than any other road I've driven.
Not pointed at you OP, but these shunts shouldn't be inevitable and if driving appropriately each subsequent driver would have more reaction time, not less.
Glad to hear you are OK - too many Bad ones on that road.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Glad to hear you are okay though, not good news about the car, in the near 7 months I have been living up here, travelling up and down the A9 regularly I have seen endless amounts of idiotic driving, people just getting back after a stupid over take and what have you, many many close calls...
TomN94 said:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Glad to hear you are okay though, not good news about the car, in the near 7 months I have been living up here, travelling up and down the A9 regularly I have seen endless amounts of idiotic driving, people just getting back after a stupid over take and what have you, many many close calls...
It happens so much that I don't think it's all down to nutter drivers. Just total frustration with that road. It is so dangerous.Glad your okay but I fear I'll be in a wooden box before the A9 gets properly dualled. Instead of saving lives the politicians prioritised the "Glory Project" in the Capital(can't bring myself to say the T word 
). Nae pennies left for years to do what should have been done first.
<rant over>
). Nae pennies left for years to do what should have been done first.<rant over>
Lucky outcome in some ways.
I drove up and down the A9 a couple of weekends ago from the Forth Bridge to Inverness.
Absolutely shocking driving at times, mostly from clapped out turbo diesel drivers.
I don't think I have ever seen such a concentrated mess of tailgating and dreadful overtaking attempts.
Watching one passat tdi driver bring both sides of the carriageway to a stop because of his botched attempt to overtake a queue of 6 vehicles (with no gaps) was a particular highlight.
I drove up and down the A9 a couple of weekends ago from the Forth Bridge to Inverness.
Absolutely shocking driving at times, mostly from clapped out turbo diesel drivers.
I don't think I have ever seen such a concentrated mess of tailgating and dreadful overtaking attempts.
Watching one passat tdi driver bring both sides of the carriageway to a stop because of his botched attempt to overtake a queue of 6 vehicles (with no gaps) was a particular highlight.
Sounds like you've been very lucky! The A9 dualling is sadly just a political pawn for the SNP etc. They all talk about it and say they'll do it faster then the opposing man but none of them do. Where the Scottish Government thinks it's going to find the cash to dual the whole thing is another matter. It's desperately needed the expansion for as long as I can remember driving it. The right turns across one or two lanes are quite literally deadly in many places.
It's a frustrating road to drive too (not helped by the two or three Gatso's). It's far too easy to be stuck in convoy behind people who won't overtake. Sometimes you just have to call it quits and join on the queue like you did ViperPict, other times you're desperate to start hopping down the traffic. Last time out on it I passed 6 cars and a truck on one of the long open straights. Sort of overtake where nobody has shown any signs of overtaking for the last 20 minutes but you're cacking it in case some dope see's you in their mirror and decides to swing out in front.
Also quite common is the tailgating. Following a truck a good distance saw the cars in front overtaking. I could see a car coming so didn't pull out to go. Moron with his family in it in an Espace like thing thought he'd overtake me and the truck, and ended up giving the ABS a bloody good workout as he then tried to squeeze back in behind the truck without ramming it's arse end. The satisfying bit was that he then tailgated the truck so close he didn't see the next chance to pass when it arose, by which time me and the three cars behind had pulled out and blocked him in.
I know, frustration causes accidents but it just felt like karma boxing him in behind the truck for a bit longer...
It's a frustrating road to drive too (not helped by the two or three Gatso's). It's far too easy to be stuck in convoy behind people who won't overtake. Sometimes you just have to call it quits and join on the queue like you did ViperPict, other times you're desperate to start hopping down the traffic. Last time out on it I passed 6 cars and a truck on one of the long open straights. Sort of overtake where nobody has shown any signs of overtaking for the last 20 minutes but you're cacking it in case some dope see's you in their mirror and decides to swing out in front.
Also quite common is the tailgating. Following a truck a good distance saw the cars in front overtaking. I could see a car coming so didn't pull out to go. Moron with his family in it in an Espace like thing thought he'd overtake me and the truck, and ended up giving the ABS a bloody good workout as he then tried to squeeze back in behind the truck without ramming it's arse end. The satisfying bit was that he then tailgated the truck so close he didn't see the next chance to pass when it arose, by which time me and the three cars behind had pulled out and blocked him in.
I know, frustration causes accidents but it just felt like karma boxing him in behind the truck for a bit longer...Edited by cj_eds on Wednesday 16th May 10:56
cj_eds said:
Sounds like you've been very lucky! The A9 dualling is sadly just a political pawn for the SNP etc. They all talk about it and say they'll do it faster then the opposing man but none of them do. Where the Scottish Government thinks it's going to find the cash to dual the whole thing is another matter. It's desperately needed the expansion for as long as I can remember driving it. The right turns across one or two lanes are quite literally deadly in many places.
It's a frustrating road to drive too (not helped by the two or three Gatso's). It's far too easy to be stuck in convoy behind people who won't overtake. Sometimes you just have to call it quits and join on the queue like you did ViperPict, other times you're desperate to start hopping down the traffic. Last time out on it I passed 6 cars and a truck on one of the long open straights. Sort of overtake where nobody has shown any signs of overtaking for the last 20 minutes but you're cacking it in case some dope see's you in their mirror and decides to swing out in front.
Also quite common is the tailgating. Following a truck a good distance saw the cars in front overtaking. I could see a car coming so didn't pull out to go. Moron with his family in it in an Espace like thing thought he'd overtake me and the truck, and ended up giving the ABS a bloody good workout as he then tried to squeeze back in behind the truck without ramming it's arse end. The satisfying bit was that he then tailgated the truck so close he didn't see the next chance to pass when it arose, by which time me and the three cars behind had pulled out and blocked him in. I know, frustration causes accidents but it just felt like karma boxing him in behind the truck for a bit longer...
To be fair, every SG administration there's been has banged on about duelling the A9 with only piecemeal efforts here and there so far...It's a frustrating road to drive too (not helped by the two or three Gatso's). It's far too easy to be stuck in convoy behind people who won't overtake. Sometimes you just have to call it quits and join on the queue like you did ViperPict, other times you're desperate to start hopping down the traffic. Last time out on it I passed 6 cars and a truck on one of the long open straights. Sort of overtake where nobody has shown any signs of overtaking for the last 20 minutes but you're cacking it in case some dope see's you in their mirror and decides to swing out in front.
Also quite common is the tailgating. Following a truck a good distance saw the cars in front overtaking. I could see a car coming so didn't pull out to go. Moron with his family in it in an Espace like thing thought he'd overtake me and the truck, and ended up giving the ABS a bloody good workout as he then tried to squeeze back in behind the truck without ramming it's arse end. The satisfying bit was that he then tailgated the truck so close he didn't see the next chance to pass when it arose, by which time me and the three cars behind had pulled out and blocked him in.
I know, frustration causes accidents but it just felt like karma boxing him in behind the truck for a bit longer...Edited by cj_eds on Wednesday 16th May 10:56
I had someone overtake me just north of Pitlochry, on that daft little section of the A9 where it is dualled on one side for around half a mile. They were heading the wrong way and against the flow of traffic on what is usually a fairly fast section.
15 car pile up on the north end of Drumochter pass was another myself and the missus passed through 3 years or so ago
Did I read recently that they plan to have the A9 dualled to Inverness by 2020?, political rhetoric or genuine?
15 car pile up on the north end of Drumochter pass was another myself and the missus passed through 3 years or so ago
Did I read recently that they plan to have the A9 dualled to Inverness by 2020?, political rhetoric or genuine?
It is a really bad stretch of road. I have seen more insane and downright dangerous driving on the A9 than I have on any other road - people crossing the double solid lines to overtake in an overtaking lane coming the other way in heavy traffic, people overtaking on completely blind corners, everything!
Something really needs to be done, I have had a few nasty moments on that road.
I wish they had made the A9 a dual carrageway rather than f
king about with these stupid trams in Edinburgh.
Something really needs to be done, I have had a few nasty moments on that road.
I wish they had made the A9 a dual carrageway rather than f
king about with these stupid trams in Edinburgh. Also glad your ok.
i used to drive that road quite a few times with my kids going to rowing events in Inverness.
The road should be dual all the way. Takes so much traffic. the stnadard of driving on it is some of the worst i have seen in Scotland. convoys of cars jam packed travelling at 40mph and refusing to allow anyone to overtake or pull in. They would prefer you had a head on rather than allow a safe overtake.
Police concentrate too much on speeding rather than safe driving and driver education. Easy and chaep to do stuff ignorning some main issues.
The scenery is stunning on parts of that road. love driving it when it's empty. hate it when it is busy!
Write to your MSP. One day something may happen!
i used to drive that road quite a few times with my kids going to rowing events in Inverness.
The road should be dual all the way. Takes so much traffic. the stnadard of driving on it is some of the worst i have seen in Scotland. convoys of cars jam packed travelling at 40mph and refusing to allow anyone to overtake or pull in. They would prefer you had a head on rather than allow a safe overtake.
Police concentrate too much on speeding rather than safe driving and driver education. Easy and chaep to do stuff ignorning some main issues.
The scenery is stunning on parts of that road. love driving it when it's empty. hate it when it is busy!
Write to your MSP. One day something may happen!
Whilst I agree that a lot of the problems with the A9 are caused by poor driving standards the integral design of the road must bear some of the responsibility.
Ironically it was originally destined to be upgraded to a dual carriageway in the 1970 Scottish trunk road improvement plan. By 1979 this had been abandoned but unfortunately the new single carriageway road that was built between Perth and Inverness followed the design of the proposed dual layout. This has resulted in dangerously positioned junctions and long radius curves which severely limit the view of oncoming traffic reducing the opportunities to overtake safely.
The A9 is inherently dangerous because of its poor design and with a higher volume of traffic using it than ever before accidents like the OPs will continue with only luck deciding the outcome.
Ironically it was originally destined to be upgraded to a dual carriageway in the 1970 Scottish trunk road improvement plan. By 1979 this had been abandoned but unfortunately the new single carriageway road that was built between Perth and Inverness followed the design of the proposed dual layout. This has resulted in dangerously positioned junctions and long radius curves which severely limit the view of oncoming traffic reducing the opportunities to overtake safely.
The A9 is inherently dangerous because of its poor design and with a higher volume of traffic using it than ever before accidents like the OPs will continue with only luck deciding the outcome.
Edited by bigblock on Wednesday 16th May 17:41
Edited by bigblock on Wednesday 16th May 17:44
whirligig said:
ViperPict said:
The bottom line though is that road is just far too busy these days to be single lane on any part of it.
So true - especially when there is so much freight. Glad you're OK.Glad you're ok.
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