More than 150 people killed in road collisions in Scotland last year, data says

More than 150 people lost their lives in road collisions in Scotland last year, according to data.

Transport Scotland statistics revealed on Wednesday say 155 people died in collisions last year, a decrease of 16 when compared with 2022.

There was a 3% increase in the number of casualties between 2022 and 2023, from 5,630 to 5,788.

The number of people seriously injured also rose by 9%, increasing from 1,778 to 1,930.

Despite the overall drop in fatalities for last year, the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths increased when compared with 2022.

Pedestrian fatalities rose from 34 to 47 and cycling deaths from two to seven.

All casualties dropped in 2020 and 2021 when pandemic restrictions were still in place.

The number of casualties in 2023 was the fourth lowest on record, with 2020 and 2021 also two of the lowest.

Compared with 2022, there was a fall in reported casualties of 16% for pedal cyclists.

However, there was an increase of 6% in car casualties and an increase of 3% in pedestrian casualties.

Cabinet secretary for transport Fiona Hyslop welcomed the drop in fatalities, but said every statistic is a “person or a household that has been changed forever”.

The minister said: “One death on our roads is one too many and my thoughts go out to those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured in road traffic incidents.

“I do not accept road casualties are inevitable and it is vital we continue to work to bring overall casualty numbers down.

“I want to be clear that road safety remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and we continue to work towards our target of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.

“To underline this commitment, we have put a record £36m towards road safety in this year’s Scottish Budget and will outline how that money will support our efforts throughout the financial year.

“This will include funding to help councils improve safety on local roads, campaigns to tackle the behaviours identified as causing most harm on our roads, and continued development of learning resources for children and young people”.

Transport Scotland was approached for comment.