Key findings

Key findings

• There were 4,992 road casualties reported in 2020. This is 2,726 or 35% lower than 2019 and the lowest number of casualties since annual records began in 1950. Of these, there were 142 fatalities, 1,539 people were seriously injured and 3,311 people were slightly injured.
• These casualty reductions will have been greatly influenced by the general reduction in motor traffic seen over the course of the pandemic. The UK government’s Department for Transport (DfT) estimate that motor traffic volume dropped by 23% in Scotland in 2020 compared with the previous year^[1].
• The number of fatalities decreased by 24, from 166 in 2019 to 142 in 2020. This latest drop follows on from a long-term downward trend. Since 2000, the number of people killed decreased by 56%, and in the last decade the number decreased by 32%.
• Car users had the highest number of casualties in 2020 (2,742), followed by pedestrians (799) and pedal cyclists (599). Compared to last year, the total reported casualties decreased across all modes except pedal cyclists which increased by 2%. Bus and Coach casualties saw the largest decrease in the number of casualties (-58%).
• These mode-specific findings will reflect, in part, changes in travel habits observed during to the pandemic. In 2020, DfT estimate that cycling on the road network increased by 46% across Great Britain (with estimates for Scotland, which tend to be more volatile, suggesting a 61% increase over the same period)^[2]. Bus passenger numbers are estimated to have dropped by 53% in 2020^[3].
• Scotland’s previous road safety framework included 5 national casualty reduction targets due for delivery in 2020. Provisionally, all 5 targets have been met. Prior to the casualty reductions seen in 2020, Scotland was not on track to meet the two targets relating to serious injuries.

Statistics in this publication are provisional. Final figures will be published in Reported Road Casualties Scotland in October 2021. Figures may change as a result of late returns and amendments to the data. These changes are likely to be small.

Comparisons of the number of serious and slight casualties after 2019 to earlier years should be made with caution. In 2019, Police Scotland adopted a new accident recording system, which changed how the severity of casualties in accidents are recorded. This publication includes further information on this change.