Road deaths increased to 174 last year

Last year was the deadliest for road collisions in Scotland since 2016 after an increase in fatalities, figures show.

However, the data from Transport Scotland also shows serious and slight injuries were lower than the pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

There were 5,587 road casualties in 2022.

Of these, 174 people were killed, 1,759 were seriously injured and 3,654 were slightly hurt.

The total casualty figure for 2022 is the third lowest since records began, as the previous two years were affected by pandemic travel restrictions.

But the number of fatalities increased by 33 from 2021, with a rise in deaths among car users and pedestrians, reversing a long-term downward trend.

Deaths among pedal cyclists fell 7%.

Transport minister Kevin Stewart said: “Any increase in road deaths and injuries is deeply concerning.

“Behind every number we see in the statistics today is a loved one who is now tragically no longer with us or a life changed forever.

“To see lives cut short in this way is deeply unfair and I refuse to accept that road casualties are in some way inevitable – they are avoidable and can be stopped.

“One death on our roads is simply one too many.”

He said the Government’s latest budget invested £31 million in road safety, as well as a number of initiatives to promote active travel and alternatives to car journeys.

The minister continued: “Road safety remains an absolute priority for this Government and I’m determined that we continue to make investments which support our Road Safety Framework to 2030, which sets out our vision for Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030 and an ambitious long-term goal where no-one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.”

Last year, then transport minister Jenny Gilruth said the Government was working to “better understand” the increase in fatal accidents, amid calls to fully dual the A9 and A96 roads.

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone said: “These are very sad figures and my heart goes out to all the families who will have been struck down by these deaths.

“174 lives is 174 too many. How many more people are to be left without their partners, children without their parents, siblings or grandparents before the Scottish Government acts?

“Across the Highlands we have seen a steady drumbeat of road deaths this year but progress on tackling dangerous roads like the A9 and the A96 has slowed to a crawl.

“It’s unconscionable for the Scottish Greens in particular to be holding up measures that could make these roads substantially safer for those who travel on them. The SNP came into government in 2007 pledging urgent action to improve trunk roads to the North and North East but next to nothing has happened.

“Practical solutions should not sit at the mercy of Scottish Government deal making.”