The Number Of People Being Killed On Scottish Roads Has Reached A Record Low

There was a one per cent annual reduction in the number of road accident casualties being reported in Scotland last year.

New figures published by the Scottish Government showed serious incidents fell by 34 per cent in the ten years between 2002 and 2012.

The number of fatalities dropped by six per cent last year when compared with 2011, which also represented a 43 per cent improvement over the course of the last decade.

Transport minister Keith Brown was understandably pleased with these record-low statistics.

"We welcome the fall in young drivers involved in accidents and are also encouraged by the latest data which estimates that the number of people killed due to drink-drive accidents has dropped," he remarked.

However, Mr Brown insisted that much more work needs to be done to ensure drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are as safe as possible on Scotland's roads.

The report highlighted a marginal increase in the number of accidents involving cyclists last year and the Government is keen to rectify this.

Mr Brown said the authorities had invested £58 million in cycling infrastructure, training and road safety campaigns.

"We will continue to work with our road safety partners to try to enable cyclists to use Scotland's roads safely," he added.

Superintendent Iain Murray, head of road policing at Police Scotland, confirmed the force was committed to helping the Government meet its 2020 road casualty targets.

Transport Scotland is wary of the impact of cold weather across the country in the coming months.

In previous winters, many of Scotland's roads have been brought to a standstill because of heavy snowstorms. Obviously, accidents are far more likely to happen when the roads are icy or wet, so drivers need to be extra careful.

A study conducted by the Scottish Government and British Red Cross showed just 44 per cent of Scottish people are prepared for extreme weather in 2013.

The Ready for Winter campaign has been launched with the intention of encouraging the population to ready themselves for adverse conditions.

Expert Opinion

The figures showing that casualties on Scottish roads has fallen to a record low are great news. This could be a combination of people taking more care when driving, better attitudes around drink driving and an improvement of the roads in Scotland. Given the vast number of rural roads in Scotland this is a particular achievement. <br/> <br/>“Although it seems that there was an increase in accidents involving cyclists there is an immediate plan in place to help improve the statistics and reduce the number of incidents in the future. People need to not lose sight of that though especially with cycling increasing in popularity all the time. <br/> <br/>“The dangerous winter months are just around the corner and it is important whether you are a driver, cyclist, passenger or pedestrian, that road safety is at the top of everyone’s mind” <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> Neil Whiteley - Partner