New road sign technology installed on major Fife road to try and reduce crashes

Fife Council says it has had the latest road sign technology installed on a road in the Kingdom notorious for crashes.

The hope is that new high-tech signs will help to reduce the number of accidents on A915 Standing Stane road, linking Kirkcaldy and Windygates.

Police Scotland data shows a high number of accidents on that particular road are caused by vehicles driving too closely together.

That leaves drivers without enough time to react if the vehicle in front of them slows down, particularly on the approach to junctions.

Detectors at the new road signs can calculate the distance between vehicles and also identify when other vehicles approach junctions. 

The signs will display a message to alert drivers that vehicles ahead could be turning and remind them to keep an appropriate distance from the vehicle in front.  

Messages will only be displayed when it’s relevant so that regular road users won’t see the same message every time they pass.

Steve Sellars, the local authority's road safety and travel planning lead professional, said: "Road safety is a priority for all users.  

"We hope that drivers using the Standing Stane Road will take notice of the messages being displayed and help make the route a safer one for everyone.

"It's important everyone drives in a responsible way and these signs will provide drivers with a high-profile reminder."