Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2015

168 people died on Scotland’s road last year – a 17% year-on-year fall – final statistics for 2015 have confirmed.

The figures also show a 3% reduction in total casualties – from 11,307 in 2014 to 10,968 in 2015. The number of serious injuries also fell by 6% to 1,596 in the same period.

In terms of age, there were 972 child casualties in reported road accidents in 2015, a year-on-year decrease of 6%. This total included four fatalities, three fewer than 2014, while 139 children were seriously injured, down from 172.

Focussing on road user type, there were three fewer pedal cyclist deaths in 2014 and 15 fewer pedestrian fatalities. There were also three fewer motorcyclist deaths and 19 fewer car user fatalities.

2015 also saw a 7% year-on-year reduction in the number of car users who were seriously injured, and a 21% fall in serious injuries suffered by motorcyclists.

However, there was a 3% increase in serious injuries to pedal cyclists, while the number of bus users seriously injured increased from 28 to 49.

The report also provides an update on progress against Scotland’s road safety targets, as set out in the Scottish Road Safety Framework.

Compared to the 2004-08 baseline, 2015 saw a reduction of 42% in the number of fatalities (target 30%) and a reduction of 39% in terms of serious injuries (target 43%).