Foreign drivers in Scotland are being encouraged to display green "T-plates" to signal they are tourists after Transport Scotland figures showed a 46% rise in collisions caused by inexperience driving on the left.
Transport Scotland data for 2023 recorded 35 collisions involving drivers not used to driving on the left, up from 24 the previous year; the body said the figures include a collision that resulted in a death. The majority of tourists visiting Scotland in 2023 came from mainland Europe or the United States, where vehicles drive on the right.
The T-plate is a private, commercial product styled similarly to learner (L) and recently passed (P) plates. The sign features a large green letter T with the word "tourist" beneath and is intended to alert other road users that the driver may be unfamiliar with local driving patterns and require additional time or patience.
The plates were created by Robert Marshall, a hotelier from Kingussie, after a difficult driving experience in Tenerife. Marshall said the idea was born when he found himself operating a vehicle with controls and dials in unfamiliar positions and repeatedly on the wrong side of the road while navigating roundabouts and junctions. "I wish these people knew I was a tourist," he told BBC Radio Scotland, recalling the stress of that trip. He launched a website selling the plates in 2023.
Road safety campaigner Laura Hanser worked with Marshall to test the plates on public roads. She told BBC Radio Scotland that when she drove a vehicle marked with a T-plate on a single carriageway at 50 mph, approaching vehicles acknowledged the marker and "there was a definite pull back" as drivers left extra space.
Transport Scotland supplied the collision numbers but has not been reported as formally endorsing the T-plate product. Road safety groups have repeatedly highlighted the risks posed by drivers unfamiliar with left-side driving in rural and high-speed areas of Scotland.
Scotland's roads have seen several high-profile crashes in recent years involving tourists driving on the wrong side. In 2022, three U.S. tourists—Katie Strong, Jared Bastion and Mary-Lou Mauch—died in a crash on the A9. That same year, Italian naval officer Alfredo Ciociola was convicted over a crash on the A96 near Keith that killed five people, including his four-year-old son. In 2020, a head-on crash near Drumnadrochit resulted in the death of Melina Rose Päprer after the driver involved was on the wrong side of the road.
Following the release of the Transport Scotland figures, advocates of the T-plate say the visible marker could reduce risk by encouraging surrounding drivers to give more space and exercise caution when passing or following. The product's proponents describe it as a simple, voluntary measure that has prompted conversations about how to improve safety where visiting drivers encounter unfamiliar road layouts and vehicle configurations.
The plates are available commercially and have been promoted by their creator and some campaigners as a practical step for tourists renting or driving vehicles in Scotland. Authorities continue to recommend that all visiting drivers familiarise themselves with local rules and signage and take care on rural and high-speed roads.