Police urge drivers to take more care
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A SPATE of collisions has prompted Police Scotland locally to urge motorists to take more care on the roads.
There were 31 collisions on Monday during morning and evening commuter times, with conditions on the roads hazardous
The collisions followed four days of high profile activity by officers who stopped 531 vehicles and talked to the occupans on known collision roads across Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
The patrols were carried out on th eA96, A90, A98, A952, A950 and roads within Aberdeen City. As a result 21 people were reported for speeding, eight for drink driving, seven for using a mobile phone while driving and five for having no insurance, while another 165 motorists were either warned or reported for a variety of offences including no driving licence, careless driving and lighting offences.
Inspector Ewan Innes, of the North East roads unit, said: "Despite highly publicising our activity on the roads and putting out repeated appeals for drivers to slow down and take care, there are still a number of motorists who chose to ignore this advice and drive in a manner which is completely inappropriate for the road conditions.
"We are only too aware of the recent weather the north east has had to endure and drivers need to keep in mind that there is still a lot of surface water lying on the roads which is now freezing in the falling temperatures and drive accordingly. Be aware of dips in the road where water/ ice will gather or micro climates within shaded areas.
"Other dangers to think about at the moment is the issue of water running off fields onto the roads. Even though a road has been treated, in the temperatures we have been experiencing such as -5C, it doesn’t take long for ice patches to develop and this can catch you out.
"As usual the majority of motorists do drive in a considerate manner, however in modern cars it is all too easy to become comfortable and forget about weather conditions outside. Plan ahead, allow more time for your journey, leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front and most importantly of all, slow down."
