READERS have been left divided in their views on lowered speed limits in Ayrshire following a number of fatal crashes in the region in recent months. 

Last week, 27-year-old Alana Muir died following a crash on the A71 between Newmilns and her home town of Darvel. 

A 22-year-old man died in a fatal car crash on the A760 near Largs just a few days before. Johnny Baxter, aged 22, was from the Kilbirnie area.

Back in September, 32-year-old Rebecca Hill and her six-year-old daughter Arianna Aliu died following a one-vehicle crash on the A76 near to the junction with the B713 between Catrine and Auchinleck.

Two people were also killed in a crash on the A77 near Monkton on Thursday, October 3 - half a mile south of the Dutch House Roundabout.

We asked readers if they thought that speed limits should be reduced on Ayrshire roads to make them safer for drivers. 

One said: "The speed limit is not the issue I see on the roads. The hesitation and lack of observation is the problem.

"Folk who pull out when there is no time and make folks brake. The driving standard is abysmal and the roads need repairs, but the speed limits are not an issue."

Another said: "People need to be more aware of their surroundings and the situation around them when driving.

"Cutting speed limits isn’t the solution. If it were, there would be no accidents in 30mph zones, but there are. I’m sure there are many more crashes in 30mph areas than motorways."

Other readers called for more enforcement on the roads, to clamp down on speeding and dangerous drivers. 

Another called on drivers to be more patient to prevent accidents, especially when behind slower moving bikes or lorries. 

They explained: "Bad driving is to blame for many accidents, and bad luck for others.

"I drive mostly on country roads; or in and around Ayr and the A77, and the amount of impatient drivers gets me really annoyed.

"No one has the patience to wait behind a cyclist, or a vehicle driving slower than they wish, for more than 30 seconds. I often see people overtaking when they have no clear view ahead."

How do you think our roads could be made safer? Let us know!