A SCENIC route through a picturesque beauty area has been named as Britain's most dangerous road.
Topping the risk list for accidents is the A537 Macclesfield to Buxton road in the Peak District, according to the ITV programme Police Camera Action.
The programme worked with the European road safety organisation EuroRAP to analyse main roads by compiling the number of serious injuries against the volume of traffic.
The single-lane A537, known as the "Cat and Fiddle", had has 250 fatal or serious accidents for every billion kilometres travelled on it.
EuroRAP has given the A537 a black (high) risk rating, meaning you are up to 30 times more likely to be killed or injured on that stretch of road than a lower (green) risk road - the category that 76% of Britain's motorways fall in to.
Police Camera Action said 40% of drivers surveyed by EuroRAP believed motorways or dual carriageways to be Britain's most dangerous types of road when, in reality, statistics show that drivers are three times more likely to be killed on a rural road than any other type of road.
The M621 (J2 to J2a) in West Yorkshire was named as Britain's most dangerous motorway but did not make it in to the top spot in the region.
EuroRAP states that the average risk rate (the number of fatal and serious collisions per billion vehicle kilometres travelled) for A roads is 53.04 while in contrast the average for motorways is 11.06.
The Highways Agency spokeswoman said: "The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve the strategic road network of England's motorways and major A roads - some 4,400 miles.
"UK roads remain amongst the safest in the world and we've made significant progress in recent years in reducing incidents and casualties on England's motorways and major A roads.
"We will carefully consider the latest report from EuroRAP. We have worked with EuroRAP since December 2002, funding research projects that provide network reports, survey information and guidance for our network, as well as giving our time, knowledge, expertise and encouragement to our European colleagues.
"During 2008-09 we aim to continue to reduce the number of injury incidents by investing in maintenance and improvements, as well working with our partners in road safety and the emergency services to develop educational material to encourage more responsible driver and rider behaviour."
Institute of Advanced Motorists Trust director Neil Greig said: "For too many young drivers and their passengers, rural roads are killers for which their driving tuition and driving tests may not have prepared them.
"Deaths on our roads have fallen below 3,000, now we must lower the target to fewer than 2,000. Achieving a new lower target needs a greater focus on EuroRAP's message that we must make roads safer, and more forgiving, when crashes happen. Only when we have five-star drivers in five-star cars, driving on five-star roads will British motorists have the road system they deserve."
The most dangerous roads by region are:
REGION ROAD RISK RATE
South east England A259 Hastings-Eastbourne 120.02
South west England A48 Chepstow-Gloucester 95.89
East England A1065 Swaffham-Fakenham 93.36
East Midlands A5 Daventry-Rugby 27.82
West Midlands A53 Leek-Buxton 118.03
Wales A495 Whitchurch-Welshampton 170.31
North west England A537 Macclesfield-Buxton 250.45
Yorkshire & Humber A61 Barnsley-Wakefield 164.14
North east England A688 Barnard Castle to the A68 82.8
Scotland A99 Latheron-Wick 209.26
