A man has died following a serious crash on the A9 in Perthshire involving a car and a lorry, forcing police to close a stretch of the major road for several hours.
The collision, which involved a car and a heavy goods vehicle, prompted a significant emergency response at the scene. Officers from Police Scotland attended alongside other emergency services as crews worked to deal with the aftermath of the crash.
The A9 is one of Scotland’s busiest and most notorious roads, stretching from Falkirk in the central belt all the way north to Thurso in Caithness. The route has long been at the centre of safety concerns, with a string of fatal accidents recorded along its length over the years. Campaigners and road safety groups have repeatedly called for improvements to reduce the death toll on the road.
The stretch affected by the closure caused disruption for drivers in the Perthshire area, with traffic building as emergency services dealt with the scene. The road was closed for several hours before eventually reopening.
Police Scotland confirmed the man died as a result of the collision and said enquiries into the full circumstances of the crash are ongoing. Officers have appealed to anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and may have witnessed the collision, or who has dashcam footage that could help with the investigation, to come forward as soon as possible.
The death adds to a deeply troubling record of fatalities on the A9. Road safety on the route has been a major political issue in Scotland for years, with the Scottish Government having committed to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness. That project has faced significant delays and criticism, with completion now not expected until the mid-2030s at the earliest. Critics have argued that the slow pace of the dualling programme has cost lives.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage relevant to this latest crash is asked to contact Police Scotland.