Motorcyclists make up less than 1% of traffic on Scotland’s roads, but they account for 18% of all road fatalities. A study by Police Scotland and Transport Scotland found that 269 people died in motorcycle collisions between January 2015 and August 2024, an average of 26 fatal crashes every year.
Most of these deaths happen on scenic rural A-roads, often at weekends, when riders are out for a recreational spin. Let’s take a closer look at which roads have the worst records, what makes them dangerous and what to do if the worst happens.
The A82: Glasgow to Inverness
The A82 runs 167 miles from Glasgow to Inverness along the banks of Loch Lomond and through Glencoe. It’s one of the most popular biking roads in the country and one of the deadliest.
The road is mostly single carriageway with tight bends, sudden hairpins near Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy, and long sections where drivers attempt risky overtakes. Rider Ross Dominick was killed near Glencoe in July 2023 when a tourist’s car turned across his path to enter a car park. The driver was later convicted of causing death by careless driving.
The A809: Milngavie to Croftamie
This 10-mile stretch has one of the worst safety records for bikers in Scotland. The A809 has a long record of serious crashes. The Road Safety Foundation, using data from the European Road Assessment Programme, has consistently rated this stretch among Scotland’s highest-risk roads.
It’s a fast, winding road connecting the edge of Glasgow with Loch Lomond, and riders regularly underestimate its bends.
The A68 and Borders Routes
The Scottish Borders has the third-highest number of fatal motorcycle collisions by local authority area. The A68, running from Dalkeith near Edinburgh through Jedburgh to Carter Bar at the English border, attracts riders from both sides.
Police Scotland ran a safety operation at Carter Bar in summer 2025, stopping 27 motorcycles and issuing penalties for careless driving and speeding. The nearby A6088 saw one of Scotland’s worst recent motorcycle tragedies in July 2024, when three people died in a two-bike crash near Bonchester Bridge.
What Makes These Routes So Dangerous
These roads are rural, scenic and deceptive. Most motorcycle fatalities in Scotland happen on rural roads with higher speed limits. The Police Scotland and Transport Scotland study found that collisions on faster A-roads are far more likely to be fatal than those in built-up areas.
Left-hand bends are a particular killer, because riders can’t see the road curving ahead. Single-carriageway overtaking is another major factor, along with loose gravel and diesel spills. But the official data points to human error as the main cause: failure to look properly, riding carelessly or in a hurry, poor turns and loss of control.
How Experienced Riders Stay Safe
Riders who’ve clocked thousands of miles on these routes share a few habits. They ride the road, not the scenery. They adjust speed for visibility, not just conditions. A dry road on a blind bend is more dangerous than a wet road on a straight. If you can’t see what’s coming, you need to be able to stop in the distance you can see.
Police Scotland’s Rider Refinement course costs £65 for a full day led by motorcycle officers and IAM RoadSmart observers, and it’s open to any licence holder.
What to Do After a Collision
If you’re involved in a crash on one of these routes, safety and medical attention come first. But the claims process for motorcyclists works differently to cars, and many riders don’t realise that until they’re already stuck in the process.
Going straight to your insurer after a non-fault accident can mean paying an excess and losing your no-claims bonus. Instead, specialist accident management companies handle motorbike accident claims by dealing directly with the at-fault driver’s insurer, so you won’t pay an excess or risk your no-claims bonus. They’ll also include damaged riding gear in the claim, something car-focused insurers often overlook.
Ride the Roads, Respect the Risks
Scotland has some of the best motorcycling in the UK. But the data is clear that these roads carry real risk, and most of it comes down to rider decisions on bends, overtakes and speed.
Check the road surface. Read the bend before you commit. And if something goes wrong, know your options before you need them.
