New figures show that 286 people were killed in road crashes in 2005

A total of 2,938 people were either killed or seriously injured on the country's roads in 2005.

The Tories pledged to include such a fund in their manifesto for next year's Holyrood election.

The Scottish Executive said the latest figures showed Scotland had its lowest level of accidents for many years.

However, Conservative transport spokesman David Davidson said a multi-million pound fund which targeted the most dangerous stretches of road and junctions could help save lives.

'Save lives'

"Blackspot funding will not stop every accident from taking place, but it would significantly reduce them and help save lives," he said.

"The blackspot funding programme has so far been rejected by the government, but it is a model that works successfully elsewhere and ensures that road safety does not drop down the list of spending priorities.

"This will be a manifesto commitment from us."

The latest executive figures showed that there were 286 people killed in road accidents last year - 7% less than 2004 and the lowest number for more than 50 years.