4. Reported numbers of Casualties (Table 2)

Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2018

4. Reported numbers of Casualties (Table 2)

4.1 In 2018, 160 people were killed in road accidents in Scotland: 15 (10%) more than 2017. Since 1978, there has been a clear, steady long-term downward trend. More recent years' figures have fluctuated around a less pronounced downward trend [Figure 1].

4.2 In 2018 there were 1,581 people seriously injured in road accidents: 12 (1%) less than in 2017. The long-term trend, has generally been downward since the early 1980s [Figure 2].

4.3 There were 6,661 people reported as slightly injured in 2018 which was 1,034 (13%) fewer than in 2017. Between 1970 and the late 1990s, the figures fluctuated between 17,000 and 21,000. However, there has been a clear downward trend since 1997 [Figure 3].

Table 2: Casualties by Severity, 1950 – 2018

	Killed	Serious	Killed and	Slight	All
		injury	Serious	injury	Severities
1950	529	4,553	5,082	10,774	15,856
1955	610	5,096	5,706	15,193	20,899
1960	648	6,632	7,280	19,035	26,315
1965	743	8,744	9,487	22,340	31,827
1970	815	10,027	10,842	20,398	31,240
1975	769	8,779	9,548	19,073	28,621
1980	700	8,839	9,539	19,747	29,286
1985	602	7,786	8,388	18,899	27,287
1986	601	7,422	8,023	18,094	26,117
1987	556	6,707	7,263	17,485	24,748
1988	554	6,732	7,286	18,139	25,425
1989	553	6,998	7,551	19,981	27,532
1990	546	6,252	6,798	20,430	27,228
1991	491	5,638	6,129	19,217	25,346
1992	463	5,176	5,639	18,534	24,173
1993	399	4,454	4,853	17,561	22,414
1994	363	5,208	5,571	17,002	22,573
1995	409	4,930	5,339	16,855	22,194
1996	357	4,041	4,398	17,318	21,716
1997	377	4,047	4,424	18,205	22,629
1998	385	4,072	4,457	18,010	22,467
1999	310	3,765	4,075	16,927	21,002
2000	326	3,568	3,894	16,624	20,518
2001	348	3,410	3,758	16,153	19,911
2002	304	3,229	3,533	15,742	19,275
2003	336	2,957	3,293	15,463	18,756
2004	308	2,766	3,074	15,428	18,502
2005	286	2,666	2,952	14,933	17,885
2006	314	2,635	2,949	14,320	17,269
2007	281	2,385	2,666	13,573	16,239
2008	270	2,575	2,845	12,747	15,592
2009	216	2,287	2,503	12,540	15,043
2010	208	1,969	2,177	11,161	13,338
2011	185	1,878	2,063	10,722	12,785
2012	176	1,981	2,157	10,555	12,712
2013	172	1,667	1,839	9,653	11,492
2014	203	1,701	1,904	9,398	11,302
2015	168	1,602	1,770	9,207	10,977
2016	191	1,697	1,888	9,008	10,896
2017	145	1,593	1,738	7,695	9,433
2018 prov.	160	1,581	1,741	6,661	8,402
2004 - 2008 average	292	2,605	2,897	14,200	17,097
2014 - 2018 average	173	1,635	1,808	8,394	10,202
2018 percentage change:
on 2017	10%	1%	0%	13%	11%
on 04-08 average	45%	39%	40%	53%	51%

1. Figures for 2017 and earlier years may differ slightly to those previously published due to late returns, or corrections to earlier returns.

2. Although regular records of the numbers of casualties began in 1947, the level of severity was only collected from 1950 and the number of injury road accidents weren’t collected until 1970.

4.4 There were a total of 8,402 casualties (of all severities) reported in 2018: 1,031 (11%) fewer than in 2017 and the lowest number since annual records began in 1950. Between around 1970 and 1990, the figures fluctuated around a general downward trend, with numbers falling from the short-term peak in 1989 & 1990 (of over 27,000). Since 1998, there has been a consistent reduction every year, with numbers falling below 12,000 in 2013, which was half the level of the early 1990s [Figure 3].

Figure 1: Number of casualties killed, 1950 to 2018

Figure 2: Killed & Seriously injured casualties and Seriously injured casualties, 1950 - 2018

Figure 3: All casualties and Slightly injured casualties, 1950 - 2018

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