Scottish Transport Statistics No 33 2014 Edition

Chapter 6: Reported Injury Road Accidents

  • Number and severity of injury road accidents
  • Number and severity of casualties
  • Costs of injury and non‐injury accidents

Chapter 6: Reported Injury Road Accidents

Chapter 6: Reported Injury Road Accidents

REPORTED INJURY ROAD ACCIDENTS

1. Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information on injury road accidents which were reported to the police, such as the number and severity of accidents, the police force area in which the accidents occurred, the types of vehicle involved, the number and severity of casualties resulting from the accidents, and the costs of injury and non-injury accidents.

More information can be found in the Transport Scotland National Statistics publication Reported Road Casualties Scotland: http://bit.ly/TSStats-RRCS.

Key points

  • There were 172 people killed in road accidents in 2013, 6 (3%) less than the previous year and the lowest since current records began.
  • There were 1,672 people recorded as seriously injured in road accidents in 2013, 308 (16%) less than in 2012.
  • Three quarters of casualties in 2013 were car users or pedestrians.  Sixty per cent of casualties were car users and 15 per cent were pedestrians.  Motorcycles and pedal cycles accounted for 7 and 8 per cent respectively.

2. Main Points

Accidents

2.1 There were 8,986 injury road accidents reported in 2013, 800 (8%) fewer than in 2012. The number of reported accidents has been falling over the past ten years, and in 2013 was 35% lower than in 2003; the lowest figure since current records began in 1970. There were 159 fatal accidents in 2013: 5 (3%) less than in 2012. The reported number of accidents in which someone was seriously injured, but no-one died fell by 18% to 1,430 and the number of reported slight accidents (7,397) was 490 (6%) fewer than the previous year. (Table 6.1)

2.2 In 2013, over one third of all reported injury road accidents (3,224: 36%) were on non-built up roads (speed limit of more than 40 m.p.h. - see Notes and Definitions section).  However, such roads accounted for a higher proportion of fatal accidents (115: 72%), partly because speeds tend to be higher on non-built up roads than on built up roads.  There was a decrease in accidents on non-built up roads (down by  11%) between 2012 and 2013 compared to a reduction in accidents on built up roads of 7%.  (Table 6.1)

2.3 The long term trends in the number of injury road accidents reported between 2003 and 2013 varied between the Police Force divisions across Scotland, ranging from a 3% fall (Aberdeen City) to a 66% fall (Eilean Siar). The figures for an area may fluctuate from year to year, especially in smaller areas, although the trends appear to be downwards.  (Table 6.2)

2.4 There were 15,314 vehicles involved in reported injury road accidents in 2013.  Three-quarters of them were cars (11,231: 73%); pedal cycles were the next vehicle type most often involved in accidents (917: 6%), though light goods vehicles are a similar proportion.  (Table 6.3) Up until 2010, the number of motorcycles involved was higher than the number of pedal cycles but since then there has been a fall in motorcycle traffic and an increase in pedal cycle traffic.  The number of vehicles involved in accidents should always be considered alongside the traffic estimates in .      

For example there was an increase of 12 per cent in the numbers of pedal cycles involved in injury accidents between 2009 and 2013, however, over the same period it was estimated that the distance cycled increased by 15 per cent (see chapter 5 table 5.3).

Casualties

2.5 172 people were killed in road accidents in 2013, 6 (3%) less than the previous year and the lowest since current records began more than 50 years ago. This was 41% less than the 2004-08 average, the time period used as the baseline for Scotland's Road Safety Framework. (Table 6.4)  Further analysis of progress against the Road Safety Framework Targets can be found in Reported Road Casualties Scotland.

2.6 There were 1,672 people recorded as seriously injured in road accidents in 2013, 308 (16%) less than in 2012, 36% less than the 2004-08 average and the lowest figure since records of the numbers of serious injuries began in 1950. 9,654 people were recorded as slightly injured in 2013, 909 (9%) fewer than in 2012, and the lowest number since 1950.  There were a total of 11,498 casualties in 2013, 1,223 (10%) lower than in 2012. (Table 6.4)

Chapter 52.7 In the context of the total volume of traffic on the roads in Scotland, the 11,498  total casualties recorded represented 26.23  casualties per 100 million vehicle kilometres. The Road Safety Framework also monitors the numbers of slight injuries per 100 million vehicle kilometres.  The 9,654 people who were recorded as slightly injured in 2013 represented 22.02 casualties per 100 million vehicle-kilometres.  This was 32% below the overall slight casualty rate for the 2004-08 baseline period for Scotland's Road Safety Framework.  (Table 6.4)

Child casualties

2.8 There were 1,062 reported child casualties in 2013, representing 9% of the total number of casualties of all ages.  There were 9 child fatalities, 143 children were seriously injured (56% less than the 2004-08 average), and 910 were classified as slightly injured.  Due to the relatively small number of child fatalities, these are monitored using a three year average to remove the effect of year on year fluctuations.  In the three years to 2013, there was an average of 6 child fatalities. The number of child serious casualties fell by 51 (26%) between 2012 and 2013. Slight casualties were down by 64 or 7%.  (Table 6.4)

Casualty Rates & Costs

2.9 Table 6.5 provides road casualty rates per thousand population by age group and mode of transport.  Overall, there were 2.16 casualties per thousand population in 2013.  The casualty rate for children (0-15 years) was 1.16 per thousand population.  However, the child and young adult pedestrian casualty rates (0.51 and 0.48 per thousand population respectively) were almost double the pedestrian casualty rate for adults (0.26). The young persons' (16-24 years) casualty rate in 2013 was 3.81 per thousand population, just under twice the rate for all ages. The young persons' casualty rate in cars (2.61 per thousand population) was almost double the rate for adults aged 25-59 (which was 1.52 per thousand population).  The 16-24 age group also had higher pedestrian and motor cycle casualty rates than older people. Further information about  the mid-year population estimates used to calculate these rates can be found at the National Records of Scotland, here http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates (Table 6.5)

2.10 The cost of all road accidents (including damage only non-injury accidents) in 2013 is estimated at £1,085 million at 2013 prices.  (Table 6.6)

Table 6.1 Reported accidents by type of road and severity
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Built up roads
Fatal 85 90 76 83 71 82 56 56 61 64 44
Serious 1,389 1,232 1,224 1,264 1,136 1,277 1,033 925 954 984 811
Fatal and Serious 1,474 1,322 1,300 1,347 1,207 1,359 1,089 981 1,015 1,048 855
Slight 7,271 7,386 7,087 6,850 6,575 6,105 5,902 5,360 5,345 5,124 4,907
All severities 8,745 8,708 8,387 8,197 7,782 7,464 6,991 6,341 6,360 6,172 5,762
Non-built up roads
Fatal 216 193 188 210 184 163 140 133 114 100 115
Serious 1,106 1,099 1,028 993 913 965 965 788 722 751 619
Fatal and Serious 1,322 1,292 1,216 1,203 1,097 1,128 1,105 921 836 851 734
Slight 3,850 3,919 3,835 3,710 3,628 3,567 3,460 3,033 2,790 2,763 2,490
All severities 5,172 5,211 5,051 4,913 4,725 4,695 4,565 3,954 3,626 3,614 3,224
All roads
Fatal 301 283 264 293 255 245 196 189 175 164 159
Serious 2,495 2,331 2,252 2,257 2,049 2,242 1,998 1,713 1,676 1,735 1,430
Fatal and Serious 2,796 2,614 2,516 2,550 2,304 2,487 2,194 1,902 1,851 1,899 1,589
Slight 11,121 11,305 10,922 10,560 10,203 9,672 9,362 8,393 8,135 7,887 7,397
All severities 13,917 13,919 13,438 13,110 12,507 12,159 11,556 10,295 9,986 9,786 8,986

 

Table 6.2 Reported accidents by police force division and local authority area
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Aberdeen City 366 369 431 393 408 514 445 350 364 387 354
Aberdeenshire & Moray 734 735 772 715 807 886 884 740 655 667 590
Aberdeenshire 556 558 606 552 632 692 687 599 518 536 468
Moray 178 177 166 163 175 194 197 141 137 131 122
Tayside 1,047 1,072 977 1,021 927 931 909 741 750 742 641
Angus 271 315 306 280 284 286 232 192 220 202 178
Dundee City 316 326 270 332 253 270 281 219 237 227 185
Perth & Kinross 460 431 401 409 390 375 396 330 293 313 278
Argyll & West Dunbartonshire 545 545 550 535 469 436 455 436 376 344 350
Argyll & Bute 316 299 323 310 268 288 282 275 231 211 208
West Dunbartonshire 229 246 227 225 201 148 173 161 145 133 142
Forth Valley 759 683 657 701 675 680 634 538 545 568 559
Clackmannanshire 106 86 83 102 88 85 77 69 64 84 69
Falkirk 349 308 310 285 297 310 303 240 261 270 251
Stirling 304 289 264 314 290 285 254 229 220 214 239
Dumfries & Galloway 447 440 497 443 475 419 388 360 319 320 299
Ayrshire 891 934 853 807 766 698 706 576 654 580 540
East Ayrshire 272 308 261 256 240 230 215 201 205 173 163
North Ayrshire 319 353 308 280 264 248 225 177 230 205 190
South Ayrshire 300 273 284 271 262 220 266 198 219 202 187
Greater Glasgow 2,435 2,430 2,271 2,197 2,052 1,901 1,761 1,581 1,540 1,527 1,283
East Dunbartonshire 184 192 190 186 149 141 147 141 140 114 104
East Renfrewshire 171 152 127 138 119 109 103 104 116 97 98
Glasgow City 2,080 2,086 1,954 1,873 1,784 1,651 1,511 1,336 1,284 1,316 1,081
Lothians & Scottish Borders 1,365 1,368 1,370 1,304 1,180 1,257 1,152 1,083 994 1,029 944
East Lothian 204 215 206 217 210 193 174 199 159 170 154
Midlothian 243 231 233 236 210 221 207 193 177 216 164
Scottish Borders 442 456 448 371 336 383 363 307 274 263 256
West Lothian 476 466 483 480 424 460 408 384 384 380 370
Edinburgh 1,465 1,548 1,405 1,445 1,330 1,285 1,192 1,179 1,181 1,167 1,158
Highlands & Islands 800 799 784 747 738 702 724 574 568 594 512
Eilean Siar 59 49 41 41 44 60 39 42 35 28 20
Highland 678 680 657 621 626 586 616 475 488 514 444
Orkney Islands 32 34 40 40 27 36 27 27 13 22 23
Shetland Islands 31 36 46 45 41 20 42 30 32 30 25
Fife 719 754 701 677 606 576 588 556 448 422 421
Renfrewshire & Inverclyde 752 681 640 654 631 565 458 485 509 473 374
Inverclyde 224 196 172 199 206 195 146 165 155 136 120
Renfrewshire 528 485 468 455 425 370 312 320 354 337 254
Lanarkshire 1,592 1,561 1,530 1,471 1,443 1,309 1,260 1,096 1,083 966 961
North Lanarkshire 796 777 791 750 754 639 664 585 569 512 504
South Lanarkshire 796 784 739 721 689 670 596 511 514 454 457
Scotland 13,917 13,919 13,438 13,110 12,507 12,159 11,556 10,295 9,986 9,786 8,986

Note: Detailed figures for casualties by local authority area can be found in Reported Road Casualties Scotland table B

Table 6.3 Reported vehicles involved by type of vehicle
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Pedal cycle 840 794 808 801 740 768 821 810 855 935 917
Motor cycle1 1,153 1,033 1,098 1,091 1,109 1,050 1,038 859 828 890 777
Car 17,726 17,718 16,770 16,398 15,585 15,061 14,578 12,805 12,403 12,221 11,231
Taxi 487 477 469 474 413 367 391 355 387 334 327
Minibus 111 109 84 87 74 65 79 57 52 54 39
Bus/coach 1,069 1,131 1,040 979 836 796 697 611 618 521 469
Light goods 795 976 912 923 924 918 760 752 783 808 875
Heavy goods 929 800 739 697 643 654 554 546 464 453 406
Other 348 365 556 509 480 541 469 447 365 326 273
Total 23,458 23,403 22,476 21,959 20,804 20,220 19,387 17,242 16,755 16,542 15,314

1. Includes all two wheeled motor vehicles.

Table 6.4 Reported child casualties and all casualties, by severity; and the slight casualty rate
Child casualties All casualties1 Total Slight casualty rate

per 100 million veh-kms
Killed Serious injury Killed & Serious Slight injury Total Killed Serious injury Killed & Serious Slight injury
2004-08 average 15 325.4 341 1,678 2,019 292 2,605 2,897 14,200 17,097 32.47
2003 17 415 432 2,048 2,480 336 2,957 3,293 15,463 18,756 36.78
2004 12 372 384 2,011 2,395 308 2,766 3,074 15,428 18,502 36.13
2005 11 357 368 1,804 2,172 286 2,666 2,952 14,933 17,885 34.96
2006 25 350 375 1,647 2,022 314 2,635 2,949 14,320 17,269 32.46
2007 9 269 278 1,539 1,817 281 2,385 2,666 13,573 16,239 30.39
2008 20 279 299 1,390 1,689 270 2,575 2,845 12,747 15,592 28.66
2009 5 253 258 1,215 1,473 216 2,287 2,503 12,540 15,043 28.36
2010 4 223 227 1,150 1,377 208 1,969 2,177 11,161 13,338 25.66
2011 7 203 210 1,106 1,316 185 1,880 2,065 10,723 12,788 24.71
2012 2 194 196 974 1,170 178 1,980 2,158 10,563 12,721 24.26
2013 9 143 152 910 1,062 172 1,672 1,844 9,654 11,498 22.02
Per cent change: 2013 on 2004-08 average -42 -56 -55 -46 -47 -41 -36 -36 -32 -33 -32

1. Including those casualties whose age was not known.

Table 6.5 Reported casualties by mode of transport and age group, 2013
Numbers Rates per 1,000 population
Age not known Children 0-15 Young Persons 16-24 Adults 25-59 Older Adults 60+ Total Children 0-15 Young Persons 16-24 Adults 25-59 Older Adults 60+ Total
Pedestrian 4 464 303 659 317 1,747 .51 .48 .26 .25 .33
Pedal cycle 0 110 122 605 46 883 .12 .20 .24 .04 .17
Motorcycle 0 6 193 519 55 773 .01 .31 .21 .04 .15
Car 12 414 1,629 3,841 1,065 6,961 .45 2.61 1.52 .84 1.31
Taxi 0 3 25 99 26 152 .00 .04 .04 .02 .03
Minibus 0 5 8 31 9 53 .01 .01 .01 .01 .01
Bus/Coach 1 51 37 142 163 394 .06 .06 .06 .13 .07
Light goods 1 6 45 244 33 329 .01 .07 .10 .03 .06
Heavy goods 0 0 3 88 17 108 .00 .00 .03 .01 .02
Other1 1 3 14 59 20 98 .00 .02 .02 .02 .02
Total 19 1,062 2,379 6,287 1,751 11,498 1.16 3.81 2.49 1.39 2.16

1. Including any casualties whose mode of transport is not known

Table 6.6 Costs of injury accidents by type of road, and of 'damage only' accidents
Injury Accidents All injury accidents Damage only accidents All accidents
Motorway Non Built-up Built-up
£ million at 2013 prices
2003 50.3 799.0 620.6 1,469.9 411.7 1,881.6
2004 40.3 746.5 595.6 1,382.3 411.2 1,793.6
2005 45.4 703.8 565.1 1,314.3 396.8 1,711.1
2006 39.4 736.3 571.6 1,347.2 387.3 1,734.5
2007 42.9 666.3 516.3 1,225.5 369.0 1,594.5
2008 43.0 635.3 551.9 1,230.2 357.5 1,587.7
2009 45.0 568.4 458.8 1,072.2 338.6 1,410.8
2010 29.5 521.0 418.4 968.9 302.9 1,271.8
2011 36.5 434.8 431.2 902.5 296.3 1,198.8
2012 29.4 436.3 441.1 906.8 289.6 1,196.4
2013 32.3 424.0 361.3 817.7 267.1 1,084.8