Police Scotland and Road Safety Scotland were joined at tourist hotspot Urquhart Castle, Inverness, today by members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), along with local MSP, Kate Forbes, to launch a new campaign to remind motorists to ‘Drive on the Left’ when visiting Scotland.
Latest figures record ‘inexperience of driving on the left’ as a contributory factor in 65 accidents and, following a number of serious collisions last year, the campaign is designed to coincide with the peak tourist season in Scotland, encouraging visitors to enjoy Scottish roads safely.
Road Safety Scotland produces a ‘Driving in Scotland’ tourist information leaflet addressing issues faced by those who are not used to the concept of driving on the left or single track roads and, through a nationwide partnership with the BVRLA, the new look leaflet will be distributed when picking up a hire car and an electronic version will be issued at the time of booking.
Hire car users will also be given a ‘Drive on the Left’ wristband, to be worn on their left wrist, available in eight different languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese), and ‘Drive on the Left’ in-car stickers will be distributed via car rental companies to both remind and prompt tourists to drive on the left.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has welcomed the new initiative. He said: “This is a novel idea to remind foreign drivers what side of the road to drive on. It is a simple solution and if it prevents even one potentially fatal accident then it will be money well spent.”