Scottish Government on track to achieve key road casualty reduction targets

Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020 set challenging casualty reduction targets based on a 2004-2008 average baseline. It also sets out milestone casualty reductions for 2015.

The 2015 provisional figures released today show the Scottish Government is exceeding on three of the four principal casualty reduction targets - namely fatalities, child fatalities and child serious injuries. In relation to the number of children killed, the Framework reduction target for 2020 has already been exceeded.

On the fourth target, reducing the number of people seriously injured, figures show a continued downward reduction of 39% against the baseline. This is marginally above the 2015 milestone but still a significant step towards the 2020 target of a 55% reduction.

There is a further target to reduce slight injuries by 10% by 2020, a 38% reduction since the baseline.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said:

“Safety is an absolute priority and that is why the Framework has an ultimate vision of zero fatalities on our roads. I am absolutely clear one life lost on our roads is one too many.

“The figures published today show the continued downward trend in Road Casualties and the key Framework 2015 milestone reductions are being met. We remain on track to achieve significant casualty reductions towards our 2020 targets, as well as realising our Vision where no one is killed on Scotland’s roads and the injury rate is much reduced.

“This progress is to be welcomed but we must not and will not become complacent. We still have work to do, which is why my predecessor Derek Mackay requested a mid-term Review of the Framework be undertaken last June. The Review built on the strong partnership approach set out in the Framework which saw a broad range of road safety stakeholders assess the progress made since 2009 and identified three key priority focus areas for activity through to 2020.

“In identifying, speed, age and vulnerable road users as focus areas, partners agreed addressing outcomes in these areas would assist the most in delivering against the 2020 casualty reduction targets. In particular, with certain road users such as cyclists, where there has been a big increase in people cycling, fatalities are down from 2014 but continued effort is needed to tackle serious injuries.”

For more information on these figures, please visit http://bit.ly/TSStats-KRRCS