Scottish Transport Statistics No 33 2014 Edition

Chapter 1: Road Transport Vehicles

  • Road transport vehicles
  • Driving license possession
  • Car ownership
  • Motor vehicle offences
  • Blue Badge Scheme members.

Chapter 1: Road Transport Vehicles

Chapter 1: Road Transport Vehicles

ROAD TRANSPORT VEHICLES

1. Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information about the numbers of road transport vehicles, such as new registrations, numbers licensed by taxation group and council area, ages, cylinder sizes, methods of propulsion, gross weights of heavy goods vehicles, seating capacity of public transport vehicles, licensing figures for taxi and private hire cars and their drivers and numbers of wheelchair accessible taxis. It also provides statistics of the most popular cars, results of the road vehicle testing scheme (MOT), driving tests, driving licence holders, households with the regular use of a car (from the Scottish Household Survey), the number of Blue Badges issued and information about motor vehicle offences recorded by the Police.

Key Points

  • There were 2.8 million vehicles licensed for use on the roads in Scotland in 2013, of which 84 per cent were cars.
  • Over two thirds (68%) of the adult population (17+) held a full driving licence in 2013.
  • Seventy per cent of households had access to one or more cars or vans in 2013; a quarter (26%) of households had access to two or more cars or vans.

2. Main Points

Vehicles Licensed

2.1 The total number of new motor vehicles registrations in 2013 was around 241,400, 12% more than in 2012 but 8 per cent below the 2004 peak. (Table 1.1)

2.2 New registrations of cars in 2013 accounted for around 205,000 of these, around 23,000 (12%) more than in 2012, and 14,000 (6%) less than a peak in 2003. Of all new registered vehicles in 2013, 119,000 (49%) were petrol-propelled, and 120,200 (50%) were diesel-propelled. The remaining new vehicles registered in 2013 were mostly electric or hybrid-electric vehicles, both these groups have seen steady increases in new registrations in recent years. In the last 10 years, only 2011 and 2013 saw more new diesel vehicles registered than petrol vehicles. More detailed data on vehicles registered in 2013 by body type and propulsion is included in Chapter 13. (Table 1.1)

2.3 The total number of vehicles licensed was 2.8 million in 2013, 2 per cent higher than 2012 and 16% higher than in 2003. The number of private and light goods vehicles in 2013 was 2.4 million, 2% more than 2012 and 16% higher than 2003. (Table 1.2)

2.4 Glasgow had the largest number of vehicles licensed as at the end of 2013 (247,300), followed by Fife (195,500) and Edinburgh (186,700) - based on the postcode of the registered keeper. Per head of population (aged 17+), Glasgow had the third lowest figure behind Edinburgh and Dundee. Glasgow had 501 vehicles for every 1,000 people aged 17+, Edinburgh was lowest at 457. Vehicle ownership per head was much higher in rural areas - Orkney had 890 vehicles per 1,000 people aged 17+, Shetland had 882 and Aberdeenshire had 876, the three areas in Scotland with the highest car ownership by population. The Scotland average was 634 per thousand. The pattern for car registrations was similar with Edinburgh lowest, but Stirling had the highest figure per thousand population at 690, followed by Aberdeenshire at 685. The effect of the registration of company car fleets can be seen: Glasgow accounted for 31 per cent

(54,600) of all the company cars registered in Scotland, compared to 9 per cent of all cars. (Table 1.3)

2.5 There were 10,500 taxis and 10,000 private hire cars licensed in Scotland based on figures provided by Scottish local licensing authorities during July-August 2014. These show a small decrease in the number of licensed taxis and a small increase in the number of private hire cars when compared with figures for 2013. Latest figures show that of the 10,500 licensed taxis, just under 5,000 (47%) are wheelchair accessible, a 3% increase in the overall proportion and 5% increase in the total number of accessible vehicles from the previous year. The proportion of wheelchair accessible vehicles varies across different Authority areas. (Table 1.4)

2.6 The average age of private and light goods vehicles in 2013 was 6.5 years, the same as last year but slightly up on recent years, and continuing a trend of increasing average age since 2004. The average age of private and light goods vehicles continued to be lower in Scotland than for Great Britain as a whole. In 2013 the average age of these vehicles in Great Britain was 7.6 years. (Table 1.6)

2.7 There were 6,526 licensed operators of heavy goods vehicles in Scotland in 2013-14. Most operators had few (if any) vehicles specified on the licence: 4,531 had 0-2 vehicles, 988 had 3-5 vehicles and 494 had 6-10 vehicles. Only 234 operators had 21 or more vehicles specified on the licence in 2013-14. (Table 1.10)

2.8 The most popular new car sold in Scotland in 2013 remained the Vauxhall Corsa with a market share of 5.4%. The top 5 most popular models had a total market share of 20% and the top 10, 29%. (Table 1.11)

MOTs & Driving Tests

2.9 In 2013/14, about 44% of cars tested in the Road Vehicle Testing Scheme (MOT) were unsatisfactory, as were 17% of motor cycles. About 19% of cars tested had unsatisfactory lights or signalling, 18% had unsatisfactory suspension and 16% had unsatisfactory brakes (a vehicle with more than one type of fault is counted against each of them). 9% of motorcycles tested had unsatisfactory lights or signalling, 4% had unsatisfactory brakes and 4% had unsatisfactory steering or suspension. (Table 1.12)

2.10 There were 124,000 driving licence practical tests conducted in 2013, an increase of 9% on 2012. The pass rate was the similar at 47%. The test centre at the Isle of Mull had the highest pass rate (80%), though only 10 tests were conducted, Brodick on the Isle of Arran had the highest pass rate for centres where at least 50 tests were conducted (73%), while the lowest was at Glasgow Shieldhall (39%). (Tables 1.13 & 1.14)

2.11 The Scottish Household Survey results for 2013 showed that 68% of adults over the age of 17 held a full driving license. Although men were more likely to hold a full driving licence than women in most age groups, the difference between the proportions increased with age. For the 17-19 age group in 2013, women were more likely to hold a driving license than men (men: 24% ; women: 29%). For 20-29 year olds there was a difference of 8 percentage points (men: 60%, women: 52%), which increased to 38 percentage points for those aged 80+ (men: 64%; women: 26%). (Tables 1.16 and 1.17)

2.12 SHS results also showed that the percentage holding a full driving licence tended to increase with household income. In 2013, 90% of adults aged 17+ living in households which had an annual net income of over £40,000 held a full driving licence. In contrast, only 47% of adults who lived in households with an annual net income of up to £10,000 held a full driving licence.

2.13 License possession was also more likely in rural areas. In 2013, 61% of adults aged 17+ living in large urban areas held a full driving licence compared with 87% of those living in ‘Remote Rural’ areas (the Scottish Government urban/rural classification system used in the Survey is described in the Notes and Definitions section, page 225). (Table 1.16)

Car Availability

2.14 The Scottish Household Survey shows that 70 per cent of households had access to one or more cars in 2013, a proportion that has remained relatively stable over the last five years. A quarter (26%) of households had access to two or more cars. (Table 1.19) These estimates were similar to results from the Scotland Census 2011, which suggested that 69% of households have access to one or more cars, with 27% having two or more cars. The Census also showed that slightly fewer men (21 per cent) than women (26 per cent) aged 16 and over lived in households with no cars or vans available. (Table 1.23)

2.15 The Scottish Household Survey also shows how the percentage of households with a car available for private use varies between different household types, income bands and type of area. In 2013, family (small or large) and large adult households were most likely to have access to at least one car (large family: 89%, small family: 88%, large adult: 87%). (note definitions of family types are included in the Notes and Definitions section, page 225) Least likely to have access to a car were single pensioner households (41%). The SHS also showed that 24% of large adult and 12% of large family households had 3 or more cars available for private use in 2013. The 2011 Census showed that married or cohabiting families with dependent children were most likely to have access to a car, at 92%, and single pensioner households were the least likely, at 36%. ( Table 1.24)

2.16 Only 39% of households whose net annual income was up to £10,000 had one or more cars available for private use, compared with at least 88% of households whose annual net income were above £25,000. 60% of households in large urban areas had cars, compared with 87-89% those in rural areas. (Table 1.20)

2.17 The car ownership statistics from the SHS can be supplemented with information on equalities from the 2011 Census. This shows that t he proportion of households with no car or van available was generally higher for those where the Household Reference Person (HRP) [1] was from a minority ethnic group; within this group it was highest for households where the HRP was from the ‘African’ (60 per cent) or ‘Caribbean or Black’ (49 per cent) ethnic groups. Additionally, of the 473,000 people in households who had a long-term health problem or disability that limited their day-to-day activities a lot, 46 per cent lived in households with no cars or vans available. The corresponding proportion was 34 per cent for the 523,000 people whose day-day activities were limited a little and 19 per cent for the 4.2 million people who had no limiting long-term health problem. (Table 1.25)

2.18 There were just more than 228,000 Blue Badges on issue in Scotland at the end of March 2014. Around 116,000 were issued to recipients of allowances or grants which provide an automatic entitlement to a Blue Badge, just more than 109,000 were issued on a discretionary basis to other people with a permanent or substantial disability, and around 2,000 were issued to institutions. (Table 1.21)

Vehicle Offences

2.19 The numbers of motor vehicle offences recorded by the police include offences in respect of which either the police or the procurator fiscal made a conditional offer of a fixed penalty (mainly moving vehicle offences). They do not include stationary vehicle offences which are dealt with by the police or traffic wardens by means of fixed penalty notices (mainly parking offences).

2.20 2013-14 is the first full reporting year since the establishment of Police Scotland. As a result, data is no longer returned by the eight legacy police force areas and instead comes from one central unit within Police Scotland, using their new performance management reporting tool. To ensure that the dataset produced from this new system is consistent with data returned from legacy police forces, an extensive quality assurance exercise has been carried out to closely compare the data held by the Scottish Government with that extracted from the new force system.

2.21 This exercise has identified a number of anomalies affecting comparability of the time series resulting in breaks in the series. The Scottish Government is investigating these issues further and seeking a resolution. Further information about these discontinuities can be found in the Scottish Government Official Statistics publication: Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2013-14 http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/11/6350.

2.20 The total number of motor vehicle offences recorded in 2013-14 was just more than 294,000. (Table 1.22)

2.21 Between 2012-13 and 2013-14 there were decreases in 9 of the 20 motor vehicle offence categories which have comparable figures; changes in these figures may arise because of changes in the level of enforcement or police deployment. The largest decrease was for Tachograph offences, where there was a 19% decrease from 2,025 to 1,635. ( Table 1.22 ).

Figure 1.1 New registrations by taxation group

Private and Light goods vehicles

Figure 1.1 New registrations by taxation group - Private and Light goods vehicles

Other Vehicles

Figure 1.1 New registrations by taxation group - Other Vehicles

Note: In 2003 the definition of "Crown Exempt" and "Other" categories mean figures aren't strictly comparable.
See footnote 3 of table 1.1

Table 1.1 New registrations by taxation group, body type and method of propulsion
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
thousand
by type of vehicle (taxation group)
Private and light goods 228.4 228.1 212.5 204.9 209.3 170.0 176.8 168.3 159.2 174.9 199.3
Motorcycles 6.9 5.9 6.6 7.1 7.6 7.5 6.0 4.9 4.8 5.1 5.2
Public transport 1 0.8 0.9 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9
Goods 3.4 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.3 3.7 2.2 2.0 2.5 2.7 3.3
Crown and exempt 2 22.0 23.8 26.0 25.3 28.4 31.6 30.0 32.4 34.4 31.9 31.6
Other vehicles 2 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.5 0.8 0.7 0.9 1.2 1.0
Total 262.7 263.1 251.3 243.2 251.2 215.3 216.437 208.8 202.3 216.4 241.4
by body type
Cars 219.3 217.9 203.2 196.5 202.5 172.7 186.2 177.2 167.8 182.5 205.2
Taxis 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Motorcycles 7.1 6.0 6.6 7.2 7.8 7.7 6.1 5.0 4.8 5.2 5.3
Three wheelers 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Light goods 3 25.2 28.2 29.6 28.2 28.8 22.8 14.4 17.8 19.6 17.7 20.2
Goods 3 3.8 3.8 4.4 4.2 3.8 4.2 3.0 2.3 2.8 3.2 3.8
Buses and coaches 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0
Agricultural vehicles etc 3.3 3.4 2.9 2.9 3.3 3.5 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.0 2.6
Other vehicles 2.0 2.1 2.4 2.1 3.0 2.9 2.5 2.3 2.9 3.6 2.9
All vehicles 262.7 263.1 251.3 243.2 251.2 215.3 216.4 208.8 202.3 216.4 241.4
by method of propulsion
Petrol 167.8 157.7 142.2 137.4 143.3 117.3 123.9 107.8 98.4 110.0 118.8
Diesel 94.7 105.1 108.8 105.3 106.9 96.7 91.2 99.0 101.9 104.4 120.2
Hybrid Electric 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.4
Electricity 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.9 1.0
Gas Bi-Fuel 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Gas Or Petrol/Gas 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other 4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 262.7 263.1 251.3 243.2 251.2 215.3 216.4 208.8 202.3 216.4 241.4

1. Estimates include only those vehicles with more than 8 seats.

2. Vehicles in the Special Concessionary Group (part of other vehicles in 2002 and earlier years) are part of Crown and Exempt from 2003 onwards

3. In 2004 DfT revised the figures for the light goods and goods body types back to 2001. DfT does not have the underlying data to revise earlier years' figures.

4. Gas Diesel and Steam.

Note: Table 13.9 in Chapter 13 shows vehicles first registered in 2012 by body type and method of propulsion.

Table 1.2 Vehicles licensed at 31 December, by taxation group, body type and method of propulsion
2003 2004 2005 2006 3 2007 3 2008 3 2009 3 2010 2011 2012 2013
thousand
by type of vehicle (taxation group)
Private and light goods 2,104 2,158 2,231 2,259 2,313 2,347 2,362 2,364 2,369 2,395 2,436
Motorcycles 50 54 56 59 63 66 66 63 60 60 59
Public transport 1 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
Goods 30 31 32 33 33 32 31 30 29 29 29
Crown and exempt 2 178 183 189 191 195 198 203 206 211 212 213
Other vehicles 2 10 10 11 11 11 9 9 9 9 10 10
All vehicles 2,383 2,448 2,531 2,564 2,627 2,665 2,684 2,685 2,691 2,717 2,759
by body type
Cars 2,031 2,076 2,139 2,157 2,201 2,233 2,249 2,255 2,264 2,285 2,319
Taxis 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4
Motorcycles 56 60 62 65 69 71 72 69 66 66 66
Three wheelers 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Light goods 183 194 209 221 234 240 242 240 238 241 247
Goods 31 31 32 38 38 38 37 36 36 35 36
Buses and coaches 17 18 18 18 18 17 17 16 16 16 15
Agricultural vehicles etc 39 41 42 42 43 44 45 45 47 48 48
Other vehicles 22 24 25 19 19 18 18 19 20 22 23
All vehicles 2,383 2,448 2,531 2,564 2,627 2,665 2,684 2,685 2,691 2,717 2,759
by method of propulsion
Petrol 1,746 1,756 1,771 1,748 1,747 1,735 1,701 1,656 1,619 1,592 1,567
Diesel 634 689 756 812 874 923 974 1,018 1,061 1,113 1,178
Hybrid Electric 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 8
Electricity 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 3 4
Gas Bi-Fuel 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Gas or petrol/gas 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Steam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Others 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2,383 2,448 2,531 2,564 2,627 2,665 2,684 2,685 2,691 2,717 2,759

1. Estimates include only those vehicles with more than 8 seats.

2. Vehicles in the Special Concessionary Group (part of other vehicles in 2002 and earlier years) are part of Crown and Exempt from 2003 onwards

3. DfT have revised stock figures from 2006 to 2009 - see http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/vehicle-licensing/notesvls.pdf

Note: Table 13.10 in Chapter 13 shows vehicles licensed in 2012 by body type and method of propulsion.

Figure 1.2 Vehicles licensed at 31 December 2013 by Council

Figure 1.2 Vehicles licensed at 31 December 2013 by Council

* formerly Western Isles

Figure 1.3 Private cars licensed at 31 December 2013 per thousand population aged 17+

Figure 1.3 Private cars licensed at 31 December 2013 per thousand population aged 17+

* Formerly Western Isles

Table 1.3 Vehicles licensed at 31 December 2013 by Council and taxation group
Private and light goods Motor- cycles 1 Public transport Goods 2 Crown and Exempt 3 Other vehicles All vehicles Population aged 17+ (NRS Population estimates Mid 2013) Vehicles registered per 1,000 people aged 17+ Cars registered per 1,000 people aged 17+
Body type cars Other vehicles Total of which body type cars of which company cars
thousand
Aberdeen City 91.8 8.6 2.9 0.6 1.1 5.1 0.4 110.5 95.2 5.6 191,965 575 496
Aberdeenshire 136.8 18.7 4.8 0.6 2.0 16.7 1.3 180.9 141.5 5.9 206,498 876 685
Angus 53.9 6.5 1.8 0.1 0.9 6.3 0.3 69.7 56.5 2.8 95,016 734 595
Argyll & Bute 39.3 6.5 1.1 0.3 0.6 3.8 0.3 51.9 41.2 1.8 73,153 710 564
Clackmannanshire 22.7 2.0 0.7 0.1 0.2 1.9 0.1 27.7 24.2 1.1 41,485 667 584
Dumfries & Galloway 68.9 11.0 2.7 0.2 1.4 11.5 0.3 96.0 73.3 4.6 124,275 772 589
Dundee City 48.3 4.1 1.1 0.2 0.5 4.6 0.1 58.9 52.0 3.8 122,780 480 423
East Ayrshire 49.9 5.5 1.4 0.2 0.7 5.7 0.2 63.6 53.5 3.1 99,570 638 538
East Dunbartonshire 50.3 3.2 0.9 0.1 0.2 2.6 0.1 57.5 52.5 2.2 86,236 667 609
East Lothian 44.8 4.7 1.5 0.5 0.3 4.1 0.1 56.1 47.1 2.4 81,374 689 579
East Renfrewshire 43.1 2.4 0.7 0.1 0.2 2.1 0.1 48.8 44.8 1.6 72,223 675 621
Edinburgh, City of 157.5 11.9 4.3 1.0 0.6 11.1 0.2 186.7 164.9 8.7 408,626 457 404
Eilean Siar 12.1 2.9 0.4 0.1 0.3 1.6 0.1 17.5 12.7 0.5 22,606 773 563
Falkirk 69.2 6.2 1.9 0.1 1.3 5.4 0.3 84.5 73.4 3.8 126,984 666 578
Fife 158.9 15.1 4.7 1.0 1.3 14.1 0.5 195.5 168.6 8.1 298,487 655 565
Glasgow, City of 195.1 24.2 2.8 1.8 1.6 20.5 1.4 247.3 212.2 54.6 493,827 501 430
Highland 104.7 18.7 3.6 0.6 1.4 12.7 0.9 142.7 109.8 6.0 189,671 752 579
Inverclyde 30.2 1.7 0.6 0.4 0.1 2.6 0.0 35.8 32.5 1.6 66,084 541 491
Midlothian 35.6 4.3 1.2 0.1 0.4 3.3 0.1 45.1 38.1 2.1 67,596 667 564
Moray 42.4 5.8 1.8 0.1 0.7 4.7 0.3 55.9 44.4 2.1 76,478 730 580
North Ayrshire 54.7 5.2 1.6 0.2 0.7 5.2 0.2 67.8 58.6 4.4 111,490 608 526
North Lanarkshire 125.2 16.7 2.3 0.6 2.8 12.8 0.4 160.8 136.7 9.9 269,444 597 507
Orkney Islands 9.9 2.5 0.6 0.0 0.2 2.5 0.2 15.8 10.4 0.5 17,766 890 584
Perth & Kinross 69.6 9.1 2.0 0.2 0.7 7.5 0.5 89.7 72.4 3.8 121,222 740 597
Renfrewshire 68.9 6.0 1.6 0.2 1.2 5.7 0.1 83.8 73.6 4.6 141,639 591 520
Scottish Borders 55.0 8.2 1.6 0.2 1.5 6.9 0.3 73.7 57.4 3.2 93,491 788 614
Shetland Islands 11.0 3.0 0.5 0.1 0.3 1.2 0.2 16.4 11.4 0.8 18,556 882 612
South Ayrshire 50.2 4.7 1.4 0.5 0.3 4.6 0.2 61.9 53.0 2.7 93,456 662 567
South Lanarkshire 130.5 12.6 2.7 0.7 2.3 12.3 0.5 161.6 140.1 8.8 255,975 631 547
Stirling 49.2 6.2 1.0 0.1 0.7 3.5 0.1 60.8 51.4 10.9 74,397 818 690
West Dunbartonshire 32.2 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.2 3.2 0.1 39.4 35.1 2.1 72,977 540 481
West Lothian 74.9 7.6 2.2 0.4 2.2 6.4 0.4 94.1 79.9 4.5 138,851 678 576
Council Unknown 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.0 1.2 0.7 0.1
Scotland 2,187.3 248.9 59.5 11.8 28.9 212.8 10.2 2,759.2 2,319.2 178.7 4,354,198 634 533

1. Includes all two wheeled motor vehicles

2. Excludes heavy goods vehicles that are exempt from tax.

3. Vehicles in the Special Concessionary Group are now part of Crown and Exempt taxation group.

4. formerly Western Isles

Table 1.4 Taxi, private hire cars and drivers licensed by local authority area, 2014
Taxi vehicles Private hire cars Total Taxi driver licenses Private hire licences Total Wheelchair accessible taxis Wheelchair accessible private hire cars
Council
Aberdeen City 1,049 276 1,325 1,557 8 1,565 480 -
Aberdeenshire 488 277 765 1,751 102 1,853 35 15
Angus 132 53 185 228 78 306 10 3
Argyll & Bute 184 43 227 367 47 414 .. ..
Clackmannanshire 40 70 110 164 9 173 6 -
Dumfries & Galloway 175 121 296 535 23 558 1 1
Dundee City 628 56 684 1,113 15 1,128 357 -
East Ayrshire 125 108 233 453 26 479 22 7
East Dunbartonshire 333 295 628 719 23 742 .. -
East Lothian 1 113 121 234 435 113 -
East Renfrewshire 62 420 482 82 479 561 2 2
Edinburgh, City of 1,316 954 2,270 3,519 1,442 4,961 1,316 ..
Eilean Siar 83 14 97 160 15 175 1 -
Falkirk 437 83 520 558 89 647 101 13
Fife 1 454 334 788 1,822 43 54
Glasgow, City of 1,423 2,597 4,020 2,822 3,138 5,960 1,423 20
Highland 524 124 648 725 209 934 31 11
Inverclyde 239 57 296 680 - 680 22 -
Midlothian 50 145 195 102 300 402 50 -
Moray 220 20 240 518 16 534 11 -
North Ayrshire 214 55 269 584 3 587 32 -
North Lanarkshire 494 1,158 1,652 1,287 1,254 2,541 155 7
Orkney Islands 28 13 41 91 8 99 2 -
Perth & Kinross 1 103 156 259 574 5 15
Renfrewshire 214 768 982 428 889 1,317 210 21
Scottish Borders 212 83 295 337 39 376 9 22
Shetland Islands 89 57 146 323 54 377 5 3
South Ayrshire 116 159 275 469 75 544 116 -
South Lanarkshire 337 1,179 1,516 682 1,455 2,137 31 46
Stirling 69 110 179 352 21 373 22 24
West Dunbartonshire 1 336 7 343 452 209 1
West Lothian 174 288 462 278 535 813 140 25
Scotland 10,461 10,201 20,662 20,884 10,352 34,519 4,960 290

Source: Scottish Government - Not National Statistics

1. Separate figures for taxi and private hire licences are not available.

Table 1.5 Vehicles licensed at 31 December 2013, by taxation group, and by year of first registration
Taxation group Pre- 1999 1999- 2003 2004- 2008 2009- 2013 Total Total stock Average age of vehicles
percentage of total thousands years
Private and light goods 2.7 18.4 38.5 40.4 100.0 2,436 6.5
of which body type cars 2.5 18.6 38.0 40.9 100.0 2,187 6.5
Motorcycles 1 18.0 23.0 26.9 32.1 100.0 59 9.4
Public transport 11.0 22.2 36.1 30.7 100.0 12 8.3
Goods 4.2 13.5 40.3 42.0 100.0 29 6.2
Crown and exempt 19.9 11.1 18.1 51.0 100.0 213 11.3
Other vehicles 14.1 15.2 28.8 41.9 100.0 10 7.9
All vehicles 4.4 17.9 36.7 41.1 100.0 2,759 7.0
of which body type cars 2.8 18.2 36.9 42.1 100.0 2,319 6.6

1. Includes all two wheeled motor vehicles.

Table 1.6 Average age of vehicles licensed at 31 December, by taxation group1
Type of vehicle 2003 2004 2005 2006 5 2007 5 2008 5 2009 5 2010 2011 2012 2013
  years
(a) Scotland
Private and light goods 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.8 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.5
Motorcycles 2 6.2 6.5 6.8 6.9 7.1 7.3 7.8 8.2 8.6 9.0 9.4
Public transport 3 8.4 8.4 8.0 7.9 7.9 7.8 8.0 8.1 8.4 8.4 8.3
Goods 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.8 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.2
Crown and exempt 4 10.2 10.3 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.3 10.4 10.6 10.7 10.9 11.3
Other vehicles 4 7.0 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.8 7.2 7.5 7.7 7.8 7.8 7.9
All vehicles 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.5 6.7 6.9 7.0
(b) Great Britain
Private and light goods 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.7 6.9 7.1 7.3 7.5 7.6
Motorcycles 2 6.0 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.9 7.2 7.7 8.1 8.5 8.9 9.2
Public transport 3 8.1 7.9 7.9 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.4 8.4
Goods 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.8 5.7 6.0 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.3
Crown and exempt 4 14.7 14.7 14.6 14.6 14.4 14.3 14.4 14.2 14.5 14.7 15.2
Other vehicles 4 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.6 8.5 8.5 9.0 9.2 9.3 9.3 9.3
All vehicles 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.9 7.0 7.2 7.4 7.6 7.8 8.0 8.2

1. Details of the DfT estimation methodology can be found in the Notes & Definitions.

2. Includes all two wheeled motor vehicles.

3. Estimates include only those vehicles with more than 8 seats.

4. Vehicles in the Special Concessionary Group (part of other vehicles in 2002 and earlier years) are part of Crown and Exempt from 2003 onwards.

5. DfT have revised stock figures from 2006 to 2009 - see http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/vehicle-licensing/notesvls.pdf

Table 1.7 Private and light goods vehicles licensed at 31 December, by cylinder size
Cylinder size 2003 2004 2005 2006 1 2007 1 2008 1 2009 1 2010 2011 2012 2013
percentage of year total
up to 700 cc 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
701 to 1,000 cc 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.5
1,001 to 1,200 cc 8.9 8.7 8.4 7.8 7.4 7.0 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.4
1,201 to 1,500 cc 24.5 24.3 24.2 24.1 24.1 24.4 24.7 25.3 25.7 26.0 26.2
1,501 to 1,800 cc 27.1 26.7 26.3 25.8 25.4 25.2 24.8 24.6 24.7 24.7 24.8
1,801 to 2,000 cc 21.1 21.5 22.2 22.6 22.8 23.0 23.2 22.9 22.5 22.0 21.4
2,001 to 2,500 cc 9.1 9.4 9.7 10.1 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.8 10.8 10.9 11.0
2,501 to 3,000 cc 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.4 3.7 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.0
3,000 cc and over 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.7
cc not known 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
thousand
Total 2,104 2,158 2,231 2,259 2,313 2,347 2,362 2,364 2,369 2,395 2,436

1. In 2010 DfT revised stock figures from 2006 to 2009 - see http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/vehicle-licensing/notesvls.pdf

Table 1.8 Heavy goods vehicles licensed at 31 December, by gross weight
Gross weight (tonnes) 2003 2004 2005 2006 2 2007 2 2008 2 2009 2 2010 2011 2012 2013
percentage of year total
3.5 to 7.5 30.4 30.4 30.5 30.0 29.7 29.6 29.1 29.2 28.8 28.3 26.9
7.51 to 12 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.7
12.1 to 16 4.2 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.7
16.1 to 20 15.1 14.6 14.3 14.4 14.2 14.1 14.1 14.4 14.2 14.1 14.1
20.1 to 24 4.4 4.3 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.2 2.7 2.4 2.1
24.1 to 28 11.0 11.6 12.0 12.6 12.6 12.6 13.0 13.3 13.8 14.1 14.6
28.1 to 32 6.4 6.7 7.1 7.8 8.5 9.0 9.0 8.9 9.1 9.0 9.2
32.1 to 38 5.5 4.7 4.0 3.3 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.4 1.9 2.2 2.0
over 38 20.0 20.9 20.8 21.5 21.7 21.7 22.3 22.2 23.3 23.8 24.8
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
thousand
Total 1 31.0 31.9 33.0 33.0 32.7 32.2 31.2 30.4 29.4 28.9 28.9

1. Mainly heavy goods vehicles but includes vehicles which are licensed as HGVs but do not have a goods body type.

2. In 2010 DfT revised stock figures from 2006 to 2009 - see http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/vehicle-licensing/notesvls.pdf

Table 1.9 Public transport vehicles licensed at 31 December: by seating capacity
Number of seats 2003 2004 2005 2006 1 2007 1 2008 1 2009 1 2010 2011 2012 2013
9-15 1,178 1,351 1,554 1,646 1,751 1,825 1,766 1,795 1,753 1,721 1,701
16-32 3,504 3,731 3,928 3,921 3,937 3,871 3,920 3,912 3,795 3,836 3,916
33-40 1,106 1,208 1,249 1,238 1,301 1,266 1,186 1,117 1,082 1,003 948
41-48 952 1,016 1,108 1,290 1,322 1,370 1,383 1,379 1,415 1,458 1,507
49-56 2,027 2,047 2,031 1,957 1,937 1,859 1,757 1,667 1,580 1,449 1,384
57-64 179 175 201 209 207 217 270 274 319 397 413
65-72 435 488 482 521 546 523 525 583 539 553 513
73 and over 1,451 1,453 1,448 1,317 1,406 1,418 1,411 1,384 1,446 1,417 1,374
Total 10,832 11,469 12,001 12,099 12,407 12,349 12,218 12,111 11,929 11,834 11,756

1. In 2010 DfT revised stock figures from 2006 to 2009 - see http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/vehicle-licensing/notesvls.pdf

Table 1.10 Goods vehicle operators in Scotland by licence type and number of vehicles specified on the licence, 2013-14
Number of vehicles specified on licence Type of licence held Total number of licence holders
Restricted: own business only Standard National Standard International
0 - 2 2,622 1,620 289 4,531
3 - 5 378 517 93 988
6 -10 136 292 66 494
11 - 20 54 186 39 279
21 - 50 24 103 35 162
51 - 100 3 30 11 44
101 - 200 3 18 4 25
201+ 0 1 2 3
Total 3,220 2,767 539 6,526

Source: VOSA - Not National Statistics

Table 1.11 The 20 most popular new cars sold in Scotland 1, 2013
Position Make Range Number of cars sold Market share percent
1 VAUXHALL CORSA 10,996 5.37
2 FORD FIESTA 10,897 5.33
3 FORD FOCUS 6,818 3.33
4 VAUXHALL ASTRA 6,545 3.20
5 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 4,675 2.29
6 VOLKSWAGEN POLO 4,657 2.28
7 NISSAN QASHQAI 4,346 2.12
8 FIAT 500 3,869 1.89
9 RENAULT CLIO 3,815 1.86
10 BMW 1 SERIES 3,141 1.54
11 BMW 3 SERIES 3,097 1.51
12 PEUGEOT 208 2,823 1.38
13 NISSAN JUKE 2,738 1.34
14 KIA SPORTAGE 2,623 1.28
15 TOYOTA YARIS 2,598 1.27
16 MINI MINI 2,493 1.22
17 AUDI A1 2,288 1.12
18 HONDA JAZZ 2,151 1.05
19 SEAT IBIZA 2,103 1.03
20 VAUXHALL MOKKA 2,095 1.02
Total top 20 cars 84,768 41.4
Total all other cars 119,824 58.6
Total cars sold 204,592 100.0

Source: SMMT - Not National Statistics

1. Figures relate to cars sold by members of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd to customers resident in Scotland. Figures differ from the numbers of new registrations of cars in Table 1.1, as the latter may include cars purchased elsewhere.

Table 1.12 Road vehicle testing scheme (MOT) 1
2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2013
Cars 2 thousands Private Passenger (over 12 seats) thousands
Total Tests 2,043.5 2,039.6 2,042.8 2,074.8 Total Tests 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.3
Pass with Rectification at Station 144.7 140.1 141.7 134.8 Pass with Rectification at Station 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Fail 739.3 751.0 745.0 770.9 Fail 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3
Initial Failure Rate 4 43.3% 43.7% 43.4% 43.7% Initial Failure Rate 4 34.2% 31.9% 33.3% 34.6%
Final Failure Rate 5 36.2% 36.8% 36.5% 37.2% Final Failure Rate 5 29.5% 27.6% 28.6% 29.5%
Percentage of vehicles with one or more fail or PRS 3 type RfRs 6 in defect category percent Percentage of vehicles with one or more fail or PRS 3 type RfRs 6 in defect category percent
Body and structure 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 Body and structure 4.9 4.6 5.0 8.8
Brakes 15.5 15.8 16.0 16.3 Brakes 17.0 15.8 16.7 17.3
Drivers view of the road 8.1 7.9 7.5 7.6 Drivers view of the road 6.4 5.2 5.1 5.1
Driving controls 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Driving controls 1.4 1.0 1.0 1.2
Fuel and exhaust 6.6 6.4 6.0 5.9 Fuel and exhaust 3.9 3.5 4.1 3.7
Lighting and signalling 19.1 19.1 19.1 19.2 Lighting and signalling 16.7 14.8 16.4 17.6
Motor tricycles and quadricycles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Reg plates and vin 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.5
Reg plates and vin 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 Road wheels 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1
Road wheels 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 Seat belts 6.1 5.5 5.3 5.3
Seat belts 1.6 1.5 1.4 2.5 Steering 5.3 5.7 5.6 5.3
Steering 5.0 5.6 5.1 4.6 Suspension 7.7 8.7 8.5 8.6
Suspension 15.8 16.5 17.0 17.6 Towbars 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Towbars 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Tyres 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.6
Tyres 8.1 8.1 8.0 8.0 Items not tested 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5
Items not tested 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.8
Defect Items per Initial Test Failure 3.44 3.44 3.40 3.46 Defect Items per Initial Test Failure 4.01 3.98 4.09 4.26
Motor cycles thousands Light goods vehicles 7 thousands
Total Tests 57.2 59.8 54.7 59.4 Total Tests 45.7 46.4 44.4 45.2
Pass with Rectification at Station 3.9 4.1 3.6 3.5 Pass with Rectification at Station 3.2 2.9 2.7 2.7
Fail 7.7 7.5 6.3 6.5 Fail 21.0 21.6 20.7 21.7
Initial Failure Rate 4 20.3% 19.4% 18.1% 17.0% Initial Failure Rate 4 53.0% 52.9% 52.7% 54.0%
Final Failure Rate 5 13.4% 12.6% 11.6% 11.0% Final Failure Rate 5 45.9% 46.6% 46.7% 48.0%
Percentage of vehicles with one or more fail or PRS 3 type RfRs 6 in defect category percent Percentage of vehicles with one or more fail or PRS 3 type RfRs 6 in defect category percent
Body and structure 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.7 Body and structure 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.8
Brakes 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.0 Brakes 28.4 29.0 30.3 31.2
Drive system 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 Drivers view of the road 12.8 12.3 11.6 11.9
Driving controls 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 Fuel and exhaust 6.0 6.0 5.7 5.9
Fuel and exhaust 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 Lighting and signalling 31.2 31.6 32.1 33.9
Lighting and signalling 10.4 10.3 9.8 8.9 Reg plates and vin 2.2 1.9 1.6 1.7
Registration plates and vin 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.0 Road wheels 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Sidecar 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Seat belts 3.9 3.7 3.4 4.6
Steering and suspension 4.4 4.3 4.0 3.6 Steering 9.9 10.8 10.3 10.4
Tyres and wheels 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 Suspension 18.5 19.3 20.4 21.4
Items not tested 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 Towbars 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Tyres 7.2 7.5 7.4 7.4
Items not tested 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2
Defect Items per Initial Test Failure 2.01 2.03 2.03 2.01 Defect Items per Initial Test Failure 4.98 5.10 5.11 5.31

1. Vehicle numbers are for valid, and completed normal tests only. Retests are excluded.

2. Cars, vans and passenger vehicles with up to 12 seats.

3. PRS = Pass with Rectification at Station

4. Initial Failure Rate = (PRS + Failures) / Total Tests

5. Final Failure Rate = Failures / Total Tests

6. Reason for Rejection

7. Over 3,000kg and up to and including 3,500kg.

Table 1.13 Driving licence tests, DVLA receipts1
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Theory 4 thousand
Applications received .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Theory tests conducted 97 98 99 108 100 105 99 103 99 122
Theory test passes 65 71 70 73 68 69 65 66 61 67
percent
Theory test pass rate 68 72 71 68 67 66 66 64 62 54
Practical thousand
Applications received 129 138 139 137 137 132 132 130 119 126
Driving tests concluded 120 133 139 136 130 120 126 125 113 124
Passes 53 59 62 62 61 56 58 59 54 58
percent
Pass rate 45 45 45 46 47 46 47 47 47 47
DVLA receipts £ million
Vehicle licences 3 370.2 395.6 402.7 432.0 446.0 449.7 463.0 479.0 473.0 479.6
Driving licences 5.6 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Total 375.8 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Source: DVLA and DSA - Not National Statistics

1. Figures relate to the financial year which commences in the specified calendar year.

2. The practical test figures are provisional.

3. The vehicle licence figure does not include refunds issued.

4. These figures are for car licence tests only.

Table 1.14 Practical Driving Test - Pass Rate at Test Centres 2013-14
Male Female Overall
Conducted Pass Pass rate Conducted Pass Pass rate Conducted Pass Pass rate
Aberdeen North (Bridge of Don) (M) 2,012 1,046 52.0% 2,285 928 40.6% 4,297 1,974 45.9%
Aberdeen South (Cove) (M) 2,332 1,190 51.0% 2,624 1,130 43.1% 4,956 2,320 46.8%
Aberfeldy (R) 46 20 43.5% 39 17 43.6% 85 37 43.5%
Airdrie (M) 1,961 966 49.3% 2,130 907 42.6% 4,091 1,873 45.8%
Alness (R) 395 253 64.1% 437 237 54.2% 832 490 58.9%
Arbroath (R) 302 190 62.9% 437 253 57.9% 739 443 59.9%
Ayr (M) 1,040 534 51.3% 1,193 517 43.3% 2,233 1,051 47.1%
Ballachulish (R) 27 18 66.7% 22 17 77.3% 49 35 71.4%
Ballater (R) 99 77 77.8% 113 71 62.8% 212 148 69.8%
Banff (R) 145 89 61.4% 149 86 57.7% 294 175 59.5%
Barra (R) .. .. .. .. 9 7 77.8%
Bathgate (M) 2,096 1,118 53.3% 2,381 1,136 47.7% 4,477 2,254 50.3%
Benbecula Island (R) 23 19 82.6% 49 19 38.8% 72 38 52.8%
Brodick (Isle of Arran) (R) 24 17 70.8% 28 21 75.0% 52 38 73.1%
Buckie (R) 139 75 54.0% 141 75 53.2% 280 150 53.6%
Callander (O) 284 130 45.8% 271 127 46.9% 555 257 46.3%
Campbeltown (R) 57 37 64.9% 47 32 68.1% 104 69 66.3%
Castle Douglas (O) 190 111 58.4% 187 108 57.8% 377 219 58.1%
Crieff (R) 85 50 58.8% 120 64 53.3% 205 114 55.6%
Cumnock (O) 389 232 59.6% 551 274 49.7% 940 506 53.8%
Dumbarton (M) 781 385 49.3% 870 413 47.5% 1,651 798 48.3%
Dumfries (M) 814 441 54.2% 914 408 44.6% 1,728 849 49.1%
Dundee (M) 2,107 1,166 55.3% 2,578 1,224 47.5% 4,685 2,390 51.0%
Dunfermline (M) 1,415 655 46.3% 1,551 677 43.6% 2,966 1,332 44.9%
Dunoon (R) 85 54 63.5% 110 54 49.1% 195 108 55.4%
Duns (R) 112 53 47.3% 91 43 47.3% 203 96 47.3%
East Kilbride (M) 355 182 51.3% 514 208 40.5% 869 390 44.9%
Edinburgh (Currie) (M) 3,081 1,418 46.0% 3,324 1,325 39.9% 6,405 2,743 42.8%
Edinburgh (Musselburgh) (M) 3,657 1,922 52.6% 3,999 1,790 44.8% 7,657 3,713 48.5%
Elgin (M) 779 395 50.7% 855 409 47.8% 1,634 804 49.2%
Forfar (R) 247 149 60.3% 282 159 56.4% 529 308 58.2%
Fort William (R) 164 111 67.7% 169 108 63.9% 333 219 65.8%
Fraserburgh (O) 228 142 62.3% 280 145 51.8% 508 287 56.5%
Gairloch (R) 21 13 61.9% 12 8 66.7% 33 21 63.6%
Galashiels (M) 387 216 55.8% 411 219 53.3% 798 435 54.5%
Girvan (R) 93 61 65.6% 139 76 54.7% 232 137 59.1%
Glasgow (Anniesland) (M) 3,505 1,620 46.2% 3,607 1,582 43.9% 7,112 3,202 45.0%
Glasgow (Baillieston) (M) 3,069 1,475 48.1% 3,233 1,326 41.0% 6,302 2,801 44.4%
Glasgow (Shieldhall) (M) 2,985 1,246 41.7% 3,012 1,080 35.9% 5,997 2,326 38.8%
Glasgow (Springburn Park) (M) 3,255 1,463 44.9% 3,579 1,357 37.9% 6,835 2,820 41.3%
Golspie (R) 26 13 50.0% 43 19 44.2% 69 32 46.4%
Grangemouth (M) 1,608 823 51.2% 1,687 767 45.5% 3,295 1,590 48.3%
Grantown-On-Spey (R) 63 34 54.0% 88 52 59.1% 151 86 57.0%
Greenock (M) 1,014 493 48.6% 971 427 44.0% 1,985 920 46.3%
Haddington (O) 527 330 62.6% 587 321 54.7% 1,114 651 58.4%
Hamilton (M) 2,345 1,131 48.2% 2,776 1,121 40.4% 5,121 2,252 44.0%
Hawick (R) 108 70 64.8% 153 68 44.4% 261 138 52.9%
Huntly (R) 154 88 57.1% 169 76 45.0% 323 164 50.8%
Inveraray (R) 30 19 63.3% 32 15 46.9% 62 34 54.8%
Inverness (Cradlehall Business Park) (M) 1,254 652 52.0% 1,174 538 45.8% 2,428 1,190 49.0%
Inverurie (R 346 215 62.1% 462 261 56.5% 808 476 58.9%
Irvine (M) 1,740 992 57.0% 1,931 925 47.9% 3,671 1,917 52.2%
Islay Island (R) 25 18 72.0% 32 19 59.4% 57 37 64.9%
Isle of Mull (R) .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 8 80.0%
Isle of Skye (Broadford) (R) 31 18 58.1% 26 16 61.5% 57 34 59.6%
Isle of Skye (Portree) (R) 72 53 73.6% 61 43 70.5% 133 96 72.2%
Kelso (R) 145 102 70.3% 191 112 58.6% 336 214 63.7%
Kingussie (R) 57 35 61.4% 34 21 61.8% 91 56 61.5%
Kirkcaldy (M) 1,814 981 54.1% 2,062 1,017 49.3% 3,876 1,998 51.5%
Kyle of Lochalsh (R) 27 19 70.4% 28 18 64.3% 55 37 67.3%
Lairg (R) 23 15 65.2% 42 18 42.9% 65 33 50.8%
Lanark (O) 587 316 53.8% 852 387 45.4% 1,439 703 48.9%
Lerwick (R) 265 163 61.5% 193 113 58.5% 458 276 60.3%
Lochgilphead (R) 73 48 65.8% 73 49 67.1% 146 97 66.4%
Mallaig (R) .. .. .. .. .. .. 22 15 68.2%
Montrose (R) 249 150 60.2% 312 163 52.2% 561 313 55.8%
Newton Stewart (R) 113 65 57.5% 100 52 52.0% 213 117 54.9%
Oban (R) 172 99 57.6% 180 101 56.1% 352 200 56.8%
Orkney (R) 178 110 61.8% 195 114 58.5% 373 224 60.1%
Paisley (M) 2,507 1,130 45.1% 2,996 1,148 38.3% 5,503 2,278 41.4%
Peebles (R) 158 88 55.7% 181 89 49.2% 339 177 52.2%
Perth (M) 913 454 49.7% 1,003 444 44.3% 1,916 898 46.9%
Peterhead (M) 580 376 64.8% 605 320 52.9% 1,185 696 58.7%
Pitlochry (R) 48 34 70.8% 45 25 55.6% 93 59 63.4%
Rothesay (R) 50 26 52.0% 60 30 50.0% 110 56 50.9%
Rutherglen 391 183 46.8% 643 268 41.7% 1,034 451 43.6%
Stirling (M) 1,400 656 46.9% 1,631 633 38.8% 3,031 1,289 42.5%
Stornoway (R) 181 91 50.3% 204 98 48.0% 385 189 49.1%
Stranraer (R) 110 59 53.6% 183 113 61.7% 293 172 58.7%
Thurso (R) 101 71 70.3% 129 64 49.6% 230 135 58.7%
Ullapool (R) 37 26 70.3% 45 25 55.6% 82 51 62.2%
Wick (M) 104 62 59.6% 161 65 40.4% 265 127 47.9%
Scotland 58,412 29,647 50.8% 65,074 28,785 44.2% 123,529 58,463 47.3%

Source: Driving Standards Agency - Not National Statistics

(M) - Main Test Centre

(O) - Outstation

(R) - Remote Driving Test Centre

Note: Centres where only one examiner has conducted tests have been removed from the details, though they have been included in the national totals.

Table 1.15 People who hold a full car driving licence 1 by age

Note: This table has been removed as data are no longer available for Scotland . Latest Scottish estimates are given in table 1.16 although this is based on a different source.

Table 1.16 People who hold a full driving licence 1, 2, 2013
Age group All Sample size
17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ 17 +
  percentage of the relevant sub-group number
All people: 26 56 74 80 80 74 60 41 68 9,838
by sex:
Men 24 60 78 84 88 86 76 64 76 4,405
Women 29 52 71 76 72 64 48 26 61 5,433
by annual net household income:
up to £ 10,000 p.a. 23 40 45 40 55 62 55 26 47 1,316
over £ 10,000, up to £ 15,000 12 37 48 61 62 63 55 39 52 1,852
over £ 15,000, up to £ 20,000 20 44 56 71 64 72 58 40 58 1,516
over £ 20,000, up to £ 25,000 27 53 68 67 77 77 61 50 65 1,170
over £ 25,000, up to £ 30,000 28 66 79 81 84 83 70 61 75 896
over £ 30,000, up to £ 40,000 27 71 84 92 88 84 80 76 81 1,232
over £40,000 40 84 92 95 97 91 76 90 90 1,556
by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation:
1 - Most Deprived 14 30 53 56 53 53 33 14 44 1,874
2 21 55 72 71 69 64 54 26 61 2,012
3 21 64 78 85 85 77 60 43 73 2,125
4 42 69 84 91 90 80 73 58 79 2,080
5 - Least Deprived 25 73 87 94 96 91 82 56 84 1,747
by urban / rural classification:
Large urban areas 19 53 67 73 74 64 48 31 61 3,279
Other urban areas 16 50 74 79 79 74 58 39 66 2,977
Accessible small towns 19 70 75 88 82 84 67 37 73 899
Remote small towns 58 54 83 79 79 72 61 62 71 608
Accessible rural areas 47 74 98 91 93 86 78 58 85 1,048
Remote rural areas 75 93 90 92 91 90 77 65 87 1,027
Sample size (age group) 211 1,201 1,337 1,632 1,754 1,703 1,286 714 9,838

1. Source: Scottish Household Survey. The interviewer asks whether the person holds a full driving licence (car or motorcycle). The denominator includes people for whom it was not known, or not recorded, what type of driving licence (if any) was held.

2. Estimates based on smaller sample sizes may be subject to larger levels of variation and therefore may see relatively large fluctuations over time.

Table 1.17 People who hold a full driving licence 1, 2003-2013
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
All people percent of population
Age group
17-19 28 26 21 30 28 32 25 27 26 28 26
20-29 58 61 60 59 58 56 58 58 54 58 56
30-39 80 79 79 76 78 78 77 76 77 75 74
40-49 81 79 79 79 80 83 80 81 80 80 80
50-59 74 74 75 76 76 78 78 78 78 79 80
70-79 45 48 49 51 55 53 55 54 57 59 60
80+ 27 28 27 29 35 31 37 37 35 37 41
All aged 17+ 66 66 66 66 67 68 68 68 67 68 68
Sample size 13,850 14,660 13,970 14,075 12,152 12,267 12,447 12,361 12,801 9,828 9,838
Men
Age group
17-19 35 31 25 32 27 32 28 28 33 35 24
20-29 64 66 62 61 61 62 61 64 58 59 60
30-39 85 84 84 81 82 81 81 80 81 78 78
40-49 86 85 86 85 86 87 86 86 84 86 84
50-59 85 82 85 85 87 84 85 85 87 85 88
60-69 80 82 83 84 83 84 86 84 86 83 86
70-79 69 71 72 73 76 77 78 74 79 79 76
80+ 49 52 47 56 61 55 60 59 60 63 64
All aged 17+ 77 76 76 76 76 76 76 76 76 76 76
Sample size 5,909 6,222 5,920 6,056 5,211 5,289 5,400 5,450 5,515 4,377 4,405
Women
Age group
17-19 19 21 16 28 29 33 21 25 17 19 29
20-29 52 56 57 56 54 50 56 51 51 57 52
30-39 75 74 73 72 75 76 73 73 73 71 71
40-49 75 74 73 74 75 78 74 76 77 74 76
50-59 63 67 64 68 66 73 71 72 70 75 72
60-69 49 51 51 55 57 57 64 62 63 65 64
70-79 28 31 32 33 40 37 38 40 43 43 48
80+ 16 15 16 14 21 16 22 21 19 22 26
All aged 17+ 56 57 56 58 59 60 61 60 60 62 61
Sample size 7,941 8,438 8,050 8,019 6,941 6,978 7,047 6,911 7,286 5,451 5,433

Source: Scottish Household Survey.

1. Source: Scottish Household Survey. The interviewer asks whether the person holds a full driving licence (car or motorcycle). The denominator includes people for whom it was not known, or not recorded, what type of driving licence (if any) was held.

Table 1.18 Households with the regular use of a car

Note: This table has been removed as data are no longer available for Scotland . Latest Scottish estimates are given in table 1.19 although this is based on a different source.

Table 1.19 Households with a car available for private use1, 2003-2013 2
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Cars available for private use: percent of households
None 32.7 33.7 31.7 32.0 30.3 30.2 30.7 30.3 30.1 31.0 30.2
1 44.5 43.0 44.5 43.6 44.3 43.9 43.7 44.0 44.5 43.0 44.0
2 19.8 19.9 20.5 20.5 21.4 21.8 21.5 21.6 21.0 21.3 21.3
3+ 3.0 3.4 3.3 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.6 4.6
1+ 67.3 66.3 68.3 68.0 69.7 69.8 69.3 69.7 69.9 69.0 69.8
2+ 22.8 23.3 23.8 24.4 25.3 25.8 25.6 25.7 25.4 26.0 25.8
Sample size 14,880 15,942 15,392 15,616 13,414 13,821 14,190 14,214 14,358 10,644 10,652

1. Source : Scottish Household Survey. Vans are not counted in this table.

2. From 2012 Q4 the question was changed to ask about access to cars / vans instead of just cars.

Table 1.20 Households with a car or van available for private use 1, 2013
Number of cars or vans available for private use Sample (=100%)
size
None 1 2 3 + 1+ 2 +
percent of households
All households: 30 44 21 5 70 26 10,652
by household type:
Single adult 48 47 4 1 52 5 1,858
Small adult 20 44 33 4 80 36 1,687
Single parent 49 47 4 0 51 5 590
Small family 12 44 41 2 88 44 1,348
Large family 11 38 39 12 89 51 552
Large adult 13 30 32 24 87 57 820
Older smaller 15 56 26 2 85 29 1,767
Single pensioner 59 39 1 0 41 2 1,810
by annual net household income:
up to £10,000 p.a. 61 34 4 1 39 5 1,381
over £ 10,000, up to £ 15,000 52 39 7 2 48 9 1,955
over £ 15,000, up to £ 20,000 37 50 10 2 63 12 1,622
over £ 20,000, up to £ 25,000 21 60 15 4 79 19 1,250
over £ 25,000, up to £ 30,000 12 59 24 4 88 29 998
over £ 30,000, up to £ 40,000 7 47 38 8 93 46 1,377
over £40,000 3 31 54 12 97 65 1,739
by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation:
1 - Most Deprived 54 36 9 1 46 10 2,021
2 38 46 13 3 62 16 2,142
3 26 47 23 4 74 27 2,316
4 17 45 30 7 83 37 2,263
5 - Least Deprived 14 45 33 8 86 41 1,910
by urban / rural classification:
Large urban areas 40 42 15 3 60 17 3,567
Other urban areas 29 45 22 4 71 26 3,229
Accessible small towns 24 47 23 6 76 29 971
Remote small towns 24 50 21 4 76 25 648
Accessible rural areas 11 44 34 10 89 44 1,154
Remote rural areas 13 43 35 9 87 44 1,083

1. Source : Scottish Household Survey.

Table 1.21 Number of blue badges1 on issue, time series and 2014 breakdown
Time series2 (Totals) as at 31st March Badges on issue as at 31st March 2014:
Council 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Organisat-ions Individuals - Automatic 3 Individuals - Discretionary 4
Aberdeen City 8,564 8,313 8,044 8,032 7,887 5,183 69 2,627 2,487
Aberdeenshire 5 9,240 15,601 16,288 13,358 12,166 8,155 83 3,263 4,809
Angus 5,738 5,991 5,969 5,581 4,892 5,451 111 2,498 2,842
Argyll & Bute 5,013 4,828 4,438 4,314 3,867 3,433 18 1,481 1,934
Clackmannanshire 2,430 2,439 2,511 2,518 2,377 2,572 23 1,344 1,205
Dumfries & Galloway 3,508 3,606 2,922 3,369 3,212 3,096 41 1,401 1,654
Dundee City 6,428 6,086 6,199 6,766 5,776 5,252 79 2,847 2,326
East Ayrshire 7,141 6,976 6,819 6,787 6,098 5,735 46 2,776 2,913
East Dunbartonshire 5,168 5,421 4,738 5,175 2,905 4,847 55 2,028 2,764
East Lothian 4,769 5,059 5,059 4,328 5,131 5,293 10 2,665 2,618
East Renfrewshire 4,182 4,269 4,318 5,756 4,375 4,020 38 1,484 2,498
Edinburgh, City of 10 20,895 22,093 22,921 23,470 17,502 16,922 290 7,036 9,596
Eilean Siar 825 813 969 918 961 922 6 454 462
Falkirk 8,583 9,156 9,821 8,108 8,256 7,332 45 3,781 3,506
Fife 22,388 22,045 21,574 21,021 19,750 18,877 105 9,865 8,907
Glasgow, City of 6 28,668 29,522 24,761 27,317 23,692 19,350 246 11,186 7,918
Highland 7 11,508 11,282 7,445 12,967 9,938 10,855 122 4,301 6,432
Inverclyde 4,851 5,123 5,312 5,183 5,099 4,955 106 2,155 2,694
Midlothian 4,642 4,677 4,654 4,673 3,164 4,716 61 2,151 2,504
Moray 4,647 4,628 4,849 4,485 4,033 3,687 6 1,736 1,945
North Ayrshire 7,818 8,263 8,531 7,379 6,040 6,157 15 3,183 2,959
North Lanarkshire 18,878 19,804 19,019 18,013 16,957 18,352 95 10,289 7,968
Orkney Islands 8 1,299 1,216 1,143 1,281 1,108 1,050 22 399 629
Perth & Kinross 5,831 5,603 5,551 6,169 5,975 6,814 107 2,662 4,045
Renfrewshire 8,036 8,761 8,569 8,358 7,873 8,326 90 5,521 2,715
Scottish Borders 9 6,987 6,456 5,980 71 2,572 3,337
Shetland Islands 328 340 383 381 800 953 13 380 560
South Ayrshire 5,752 5,857 5,958 6,356 5,212 5,475 60 2,497 2,918
South Lanarkshire 17,539 18,217 19,245 15,274 15,602 15,826 86 11,295 4,445
Stirling 5,265 5,034 4,649 4,273 4,374 4,082 42 1,768 2,272
West Dunbartonshire 4,544 4,781 4,730 4,625 4,221 4,936 66 3,007 1,863
West Lothian 9,424 9,506 9,691 9,823 9,529 9,615 153 5,760 3,702
Total 9 253,902 265,310 257,080 263,045 245,035 228,219 2,380 116,412 109,427

Source: Scottish Government - Not National Statistics

1. Blue Badges for display on motor vehicles used by disabled persons were introduced on 1 April 2000.

2. Totals relate to the number of badges on issue as at 31st March that year. Data prior to 2008 not available.

3. The automatic category includes badges issued to individuals in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, a lump sum (tariffs 1-8) of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, or to blind or registered blind people. (Not subject to further assessment.)

4. Badges issued in the discretionary category to people with a substantial permanent or temporary disability who are unable or virtually unable to walk (Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 as amended).(May be subject to further assessment.)

5. Aberdeenshire introduced an electronic data capture system in 2010; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.

6. Glasgow changed data capture process in 2011; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.

7. Highland Council, in April 2010, introduced a fee for the first time which may have contributed to the decline in number of badges issued.

8. Orkney introduced an electronic system in 2009; therefore figures may not be comparable with previous years.

9. Scottish Borders data was reviewed in 2012. Data is not available for previous years and is therefore excluded from the totals. Scottish Borders is included in the 2012 totals

10. City of Edinburgh Council advised of error in 2013 total. Revised figure down from 27,309 to17,502

Table 1.22 Motor vehicle offences recorded by the police by type of offence

Discontinuities in the table

2013-14 is the first full reporting year since the establishment of Police Scotland. As a result, data is no longer returned by the eight legacy police force areas and instead comes from one central unit within Police Scotland, using their new performance management reporting tool. To ensure that the dataset produced from this new system is consistent with data returned from legacy police forces, an extensive quality assurance exercise has been carried out to closely compare the data held by the Scottish Government with that extracted from the new force system.

This exercise has identified a number of anomalies affecting comparability of the time series resulting in breaks in the series. Vertical lines between figures represent these breaks and comparisons should not be directly made between the two series. The Scottish Government is investigating these issues further and seeking a resolution. Should this be possible, the web tables on the Transport Scotland website will be updated with revised figures for the table below. Further information about these discontinuities can be found in the Scottish Government Official Statistics publication: Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2013-14 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/11/6350.

Table 1.22 Motor vehicle offences recorded by the police by type of offence
Type of offence 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
Serious Driving Offences
Dangerous driving 3,002 2,873 3,044 2,898 2,780 2,567 2,387 2,422 2,476 2,957
Careless driving 10,060 10,083 10,557 10,066 8,739 8,506 7,452 7,431 8,054 8,567
Drunk Driving of which: 11,061 11,257 11,704 10,697 9,800 8,504 7,563 7,445 6,433 6,079
Driving while unfit through drink/drugs 769 809 761 651 547 488 502 584 459 490
In charge while unfit through drink/drugs 17 102 111 107 88 78 59 63 52 92
Driving with excess blood alcohol 7,465 7,337 7,652 7,177 6,774 5,840 4,979 4,889 4,223 3,819
In charge with excess blood alcohol 548 693 754 640 566 471 484 433 445 419
Failing to provide breath specimen at the roadside 941 946 1,041 931 779 643 633 577 495 517
Failing to provide breath, blood or urine specimen at a police station 1,321 1,370 1,385 1,191 1,046 984 906 899 759 742
Failing to stop after accident 8,382 8,244 7,225 6,769 6,881 6,552 6,586 5,955 6,804 5,921
Driving while disqualified 4,002 3,853 3,676 3,075 2,659 2,048 1,640 1,466 1,311 1,208
Speeding Offences
Speeding in restricted areas 123,926 93,495 70,758 65,420 52,146 50,788 50,890 53,068 62,188 38,400
Other speeding offences 2,3 86,642 74,749 93,068 72,956 65,984 63,438 63,948 73,078 62,079 44,350
Signal and Direction Offences
Traffic direction offences 24,399 24,396 22,911 24,477 26,995 31,281 34,195 31,786 34,404 26,539
Pedestrian crossing offences 5,542 4,511 3,767 3,120 3,499 4,137 3,944 4,317 4,537 3,776
Lighting, Construction & Use Offences
Lighting offences 2 11,884 9,876 8,134 9,009 11,638 12,791 8,910 10,120 10,934 9,284
Construction & use regulations 2 15,138 14,056 13,036 13,319 13,642 13,452 12,271 12,681 11,884 11,639
Documentation Offences
Vehicle excise licence offences 18,050 17,966 17,699 17,954 15,654 14,688 11,673 12,710 11,812 6,601
No test certificate 2 9,668 9,007 8,399 10,264 11,640 11,836 10,788 11,650 12,380 18,546
Driving licence offences 2 15,940 15,288 14,232 12,205 10,895 9,051 7,424 7,264 7,474 9,492
Third party insurance offences 2 25,202 25,140 25,228 24,093 23,171 20,610 17,860 17,407 17,228 18,998
Registration/identification offences 3,814 3,866 3,824 6,064 5,222 5,397 4,520 3,879 3,375 2,934
Other Offences
Failure to provide information to identify driver 2 656 728 852 1,088 1,082 1,069 1,206 1,230 971 1,528
Tachograph etc offences 2,405 1,894 2,603 3,954 5,440 3,779 2,437 1,972 2,025 1,635
Seat belt offences 2 29,653 27,308 28,859 26,917 26,225 29,324 29,171 31,505 33,047 37,880
Mobile phone offences 10,328 15,981 18,876 18,218 23,957 26,146 27,736 29,110 30,875 35,764
Parking offences 485 389 382 328 298 332 171 177 158 143
Other offences 3,997 5,407 4,260 3,024 2,651 2,787 2,403 2,528 2048 1,850
Total offences 1 424,236 380,367 373,094 345,915 330,998 329,083 315,175 329,201 332,497 294,091

Source: Recorded Crime, Scottish Government

Notes:

1. The full time series is no longer comparable, the vertical lines in the table represents the break in the series. Direct comparison between the period on either side of the break in the series should not be made. Further information can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubRecordedCrime/TechnicalReport

2 A number of historic figures in these categories have been revised as a result of the quality assurance process noted above and will not match the figures presented in earlier editions of STS, further information can be found at the link in note 1.

3. Includes motorway and clearway offences, which previously appeared as a separate category under Other offences.

Table 1.23 Households with a car or van available for private use by gender, 2011
Total Number
None 1 2+ (=100%)
percent of people in households
All people in households: 23 40 37 5,196,386
Men 20 40 39 2,521,307
Women 25 40 35 2,675,079

Source: Scottish Census 2011, National Records of Scotland

Table 1.24 Households with a car or van available for private use, 2011
None 1 2+ Total Number (=100%)
percent of people in households
All households: 31 42 27 2,372,777
by selected household type:
Single adult (aged under 65) 48 48 4 511,447
Married or cohabiting family with dependent children 8 36 56 409,369
Married or cohabiting family with no children 11 44 44 413,022
Single parent 43 45 12 263,360
All students 63 27 10 20,928
Single pensioner 64 35 1 311,867
by tenure:
Owned outright 8 38 54 652,675
Owned with a mortgage or loan 6 38 56 1,585,110
Social rented (council) 49 38 13 372,920
Social rented (other) 53 37 10 317,812
Private rented (private landlord or letting agency) 41 40 18 421,264

Source: Scottish Census 2011, National Records of Scotland

Table 1.25 Households with a car or van available for private use by disability and ethnicity, 2011
None 1 2+ Total Number (=100%)
percent of people in households  
All people in households: 23 40 37 5,196,386
by disability:
Day-to-day activites limited a lot 46 40 14 472,795
Day-to-day activites limited a little 34 42 23 523,272
Day-to-day activites not limited 19 40 42 4,200,319
by ethnicity:
White: Total 22 40 38 4,995,665
White: Scottish 22 40 38 4,382,131
White: Other British 16 41 43 403,604
White: Irish 27 40 33 52,086
White: Gypsy/Traveller 35 41 24 4,029
White: Polish 31 52 17 60,324
White: Other White 32 42 26 93,491
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups 26 42 32 19,068
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Total 27 38 35 133,506
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Pakistani, Pakistani Scottish or Pakistani British 16 36 48 48,968
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Indian, Indian Scottish or Indian British 29 38 33 31,442
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Bangladeshi, Bangladeshi Scottish or Bangladeshi British 32 41 27 3,710
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Chinese, Chinese Scottish or Chinese British 36 36 28 29,596
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Other Asian 36 44 19 19,790
African 51 36 13 28,170
Caribbean or Black 39 39 22 6,279
Other ethnic groups: Total 34 43 23 13,698
Other ethnic groups: Arab, Arab Scottish or Arab British 36 42 21 8,959
Other ethnic groups: Other Ethnic Group 31 43 25 4,739

Source: Scottish Census 2011, National Records of Scotland