There could have been tragic consequences for A9 motorists after a lorry was pelted with snowballs on the notorious road, police have revealed.
Officers are investigating after the moving lorry’s windscreen was cracked when three people emerged from bushes at Aberuthven to carry out their potentially deadly attack.
Although the driver managed to control his vehicle and pull in to call police, different circumstances could have made the incident far worse, according to Sergeant Paul Taylor of the road policing unit.
He said, “It doesn’t look like it was just a snowball, because it was hard enough to crack the windscreen. The windscreen could have smashed, or if a car was travelling in the next lane, consequences could have been far worse.
“The lorry driver was very experienced, but a person with less experience could have swerved or panicked.
“The fact we have had a spell of cold weather could have meant the road was icy, so even tapping the brake could have created a bigger problem.”Tracking downWork is under way to track down the assailants who ran off after their snowball attack.
Sgt Taylor said, “Local officers are making inquiries including house-to-house and talking to youths in the area. I think the key will be speaking to the locals.
“This could be classed as reckless conduct, which is a serious crime that could carry a jail sentence, depending on the offender.”
The incident happened at 9.20pm on Tuesday. Anyone with information should contact police on 0300 1112222.
The incident follows a similar attack in what seems to be a growing problem.
A lorry had its windscreen shattered when someone threw a snowball or lump of ice at it on the A92 approach to Dundee near Monifieth on December 24.