Drivers have been warned they have less than a month to respond to a consultation which, if approved, will see major changes introduced to speed limits on Scottish roads.
It comes after Transport Scotland continue to consider lowering the national speed limit for cars on its single and dual-carriageways while increasing the speeds for HGVs.
The consultation, which was launched in November, is set to conclude on March 5 with drivers being urged to share feedback before it's too late.
Under the proposals, drivers would see the national speed limit on single-carriageway roads reduced to 50mph while HGVs would face higher speeds of 50mph on single-carriageways and 60mph on dual-carriageways.
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Under the proposals HGVs would see speed limits increase by 10mph while cars would have lower limits
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The move aims to decrease collision rates while also promoting safer speeds that better reflect the state of roads in Scotland.
Lower speed limits would also reduce fatalities by at least four people per year with Transport Scotland estimating that it would contribute to 14 fewer serious injuries as a result of collisions.
Over a 60-year assessment period, there could be a reduction of at least 170 fatal, 720 serious and 378 slight injury collisions.
The report also flagged how a 1km/h reduction in speed can lead to an eight per cent decrease in road fatalities and a six per cent reduction in total casualties.
The increase in speed limits for HGVs would also follow similar measures introduced in England and Wales in April 2015 when speeds increased from 40mph to 50mph on single carriageways and 50mph to 60mph on dual carriageways.
The report stated: "When goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes travel significantly slower than other traffic, it can lead to frustration for other drivers, often resulting in unsafe manoeuvres.
"A higher speed limit of 50 mph on single carriageways for goods vehicles has been in place on parts of the A9 since 2014. Since this time there has been a reduction in collision trends often associated with driver frustration on that route, such as those involving overtaking manoeuvres."
It added that increasing speed limits for HGVs on single and dual carriageway roads "may" reduce instances of driver frustration and associated collision trends.
The move has been met with mixed responses from the motor industry with Logistics UK’s Senior Policy Manager Alexandra Herdman explaining that it will boost efficiency and reduce CO2 without compromising road safety.
However, she warned that any changes to the speed limit "need" to be evidence-based and not compromise on safety.
Herdman shared: "HGVs are able to travel for longer periods closer to the optimum speeds for reducing carbon emissions and driver stress and frustration, among HGV drivers and general traffic, has reduced as HGVs can now travel at higher speeds."
Stewart Mackie, road safety manager at IAM Roadsmart, said analysis concluded that speed limit changes in the trial period "has not had a detrimental impact on safety along single carriageway roads". Instead, Mackie noted how it had reduced collisions, fatalities and casualties from incidents involving HGVs.
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Road plans would see HGV speed limits increase to 60mph on Scottish roads
TRANSPORT SCOTLANDScottish Conservative shadow transport secretary Sue Webber MSP told GB News the changes would "punish" drivers with "more pointless restrictions".
She said: "Instead of imposing more curbs on motorists, they should get on with investing in key roads across the county. I would urge Scots to join our campaign to say no to 50mph national speed limits and tell the SNP to think again."
