There were also pleas for the A9 Perth to Inverness road to be made a dual carriageway after one of the smashes claimed the lives of four people, including a toddler.

The crash, on Saturday, involved a pick-up truck which swerved across the A9, crashing head-on with a car and bursting into flames. Northern Constabulary said a man and a woman from the pick-up and a man and two-year-old boy travelling in the car all lost their lives.

Less than an hour later, an 83-year-old woman died in an accident in the village of Alcaig, Black Isle.

Motorcyclist Paul Bellingham (40) of Limavady, Northern Ireland, died in a collision on the A71 near Ayrshire on Friday. A woman also died the same day when she was involved in an accident with double-decker bus on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

Yesterday, a 31-year-old man died when his car collided with a van on the A82 at Luss.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy is in a critical condition after a crash yesterday. The boy’s mother was also seriously injured in the accident, on the A81 Glasgow to Aberfoyle road.

A 52-year-old man is also in a serious condition in hospital after his motorbike collided with a car on the A82 near Ardlui yesterday.

Neil Greig, director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said different layouts for roads like the A9 could be considered. He suggested a three-lane system as used in Norway and Sweden, comprised of a dual carriageway and a single lane.

“The key issue with this is that they are separated by a barrier which helps prevent head-on collisions,” he said.