Fall in number of people killed on Scotland’s roads in 2015

Transport Scotland released new statistics this month showing that roads in Scotland have become safer. There were fewer road accidents reported in 2015, with the number of people killed on Scottish roads last year at an all-time low.

Fatal and serious road accidents in Scotland

The number of casualties on Scottish roads fell from 11,307 in 2014 to 10,968 in 2015 – a 3% reduction overall which has had positive results for the number of people seriously injured and killed on Scottish roads.

Fatal road accidents reduced from 203 fatalities in 2014 to 168 fatalities in 2015, a remarkable reduction, with child fatalities falling from 7 to 4 last year.

The number of people seriously injured in road traffic accidents also feel from 1704 to 1596 in 2015 – a 6% drop with the number of children seriously injured falling by 24%.

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Fatal and serious road accidents by transport type

There were fewer road casualties across all transport types. Compared to 2014, last year there was three less motorcyclists and three less cyclist’s fatalities, 15 less pedestrian fatalities and 19 less fatal car accidents.

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There was a slight rise in the number of cyclists seriously injured last year compared to 2014, rising from 159 to 164.

There was also a rise in the number of people seriously injured and killed in bus accidents, with both fatalities and the number of people seriously injured rising by 5.

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Why are the number of road accidents in Scotland falling overall?

Some analysts are attributing the fall in figures to the stricter restrictions on alcohol consumption and driving. However, though it is welcome to see these statistics showing that accidents on the road are falling overall, even one fatality on our roads is one too many.

At Digby Brown we are actively involved in promoting road safety and are supporting Safe Drive Stay Alive next week (W/c 31st October) in Aberdeen.

We encourage everyone on the road to:

• Keep within the speed limit and reduce speed to take account of road conditions
• Check your tyres, lights and wipers are in working order and adequate to drive
• Keep mobile phones away from you to ensure you’re not distracted at the wheel
• Don’t drink and drive – this is particularly an issue over the festive season

Hopefully next year we will see road accidents are continuing to fall, and fatal accidents are reduced even further.

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