The Scottish Government

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Key 2001 Road Accident Statistics

1. Introduction

1.1 This bulletin presents provisional statistics of road accidents in which people were killed or injured ("injury road accidents") in Scotland in 2001, which were extracted from the Road Accidents statistical database on 17 May 2002. The final totals for 2001, which will appear later, in "Road Accidents Scotland 2001", may differ slightly from the figures given here, due to (eg) late returns and amendments. For similar reasons, the figures which appear here for 2000 and earlier years may differ slightly from those published previously.

1.2 The main change in this edition is the inclusion of a new section 5 (and three new tables) on progress towards the casualty reduction targets for 2010. The targets are described in section 9.4. The figures for 2001 are compared with the annual averages for 1994-98, because this is the "baseline" period for the road safety targets for the year 2010. The charts show progress towards the casualty reduction targets for 2010: the thick black lines show the figures recorded so far, the horizontal dashed lines show the baseline averages, and the dotted lines going downwards indicate how the figures would have to fall if the targets for 2010 were to be achieved by means of a constant percentage reduction in each year. They imply the following reductions from the 1994-98 averages by 2001:

- therefore, any falls which are greater than these suggest more rapid progress than the relevant indicative lines.

2. Main Points

2.1 The provisional total number of people fatally injured in road accidents in Scotland in 2001 was 347: an increase of 21 (6%) over the figure for 2000, but still the third lowest total since current records began more than fifty years ago (only 1999 and 2000 had lower figures).

2.2 There were 3,405 people recorded as seriously injured in road accidents in 2001, 161 (5%) fewer than in 2000, and the lowest figure since records of the numbers of serious injuries began in 1950.

2.3 There were 16,137 people recorded as slightly injured in 2001, 476 (3%) fewer than in 2000, and the lowest number since 1957.

2.4 The total number of casualties in 2001 was 19,889, which was 616 (3%) lower than in 2000, and the lowest figure since 1954.

2.5 There were 3,752 people killed or seriously injured in 2001, 22% (1,086) below the 1994-98 average of 4,838. The figure for 2001 is below the relevant indicative line, and therefore the reduction so far has been greater than would be needed to achieve the 2010 target fall of 40% by means of a constant annual percentage reduction.

2.6 543 children were killed or seriously injured in 2001, 36% (299) below the 1994-98 average of 842. The figure for 2001 is also below the relevant indicative line, representing rapid progress towards the 2010 target of a 50% reduction.

2.7 At the time of writing, 2000 is the latest year for which there is an estimate of the total volume of traffic for Scotland as a whole. The slight casualty rate of 38.4 casualties per 100 million vehicle kilometres in 2000 was 7% below the 1994-98 baseline average of 41.3. As this is below the relevant indicative line, there has been good progress towards the 2010 target of a 10% reduction.

2.8 Accidents on roads in non built-up areas accounted for nearly three-quarters of all fatalities in Scotland, compared with about two fifths of the total number of casualties, presumably because average speeds are higher on such roads.

2.9 A total of 12,279 car users were injured in road accidents in 2001, 194 of whom died (7% more than the previous year). There were 3,403 pedestrian casualties including 75 fatalities. Because of their greater vulnerability, 27% of all pedestrian casualties were either fatally or seriously injured, whereas only 16% of car users were killed or seriously injured.

2.10 There were 2,955 child casualties in 2001, 44 (1%) fewer than in 2000. They included 20 fatalities: one death fewer than in 2000.

3. Numbers of Accidents ( Table 1)

3.1 Table 1 shows the numbers of injury road accidents recorded by the police in 2001 and some earlier years. As noted earlier, the figures relate only to those accidents in which one or more people were killed or injured. Each accident is classified according to the severity of the most seriously injured casualty who was involved in it.

3.2 Following the trend of most years since 1989, the total number of injury road accidents fell. In 2001, there were 14,707 accidents in which someone was killed or injured, 3% fewer than in 2000. However, the number of fatal accidents in 2001 (308) was 11 (4%) more than the figure for 2000 (297). Although there was an increase, the number recorded in 2001 was the third lowest since records of fatal accidents began in 1970, only the 1999 and 2000 figures being lower. The number of serious injury accidents in 2001 (2,835) fell by 170 (6%) from the figure for 2000 (3,005) to the lowest figure recorded, and the number of "slight injury" accidents in 2001 (11,564) was 2% less than the figure for 2000 (11,816) and also the lowest number recorded since the current records began in 1970.

4. Numbers of Casualties by Severity ( Table 2)

4.1 Numbers fatally injured

Table 2 shows that the provisional total number of people fatally injured in road accidents in Scotland in 2001 was 347. This was 21 (6%) more than the figure for 2000, but, despite this increase, the number of fatalities was the third lowest since the current records began more than 50 years ago (information about road accident fatalities prior to 1947 is not readily available) - only 1999 and 2000 had lower figures. With a few exceptions, there has been a fall in each year since 1978, and for most of that period the figures show a clear, steady long-term downward trend, particularly between 1982 and 1994. From that point, the numbers appear to have been fluctuating around a less pronounced downward trend.

4.2 Numbers seriously injured

There were 3,405 people recorded as seriously injured in road accidents in 2001: 161 (5%) fewer than in 2000. This is the lowest figure since records of the numbers of serious injuries began in 1950. Since the early 1980s, the long-term trend has generally been downward, although there was an apparent levelling-off when the figures for 1996, 1997 and 1998 showed very little change, all being around 4,050. However, since then it appears that the downward trend has resumed, with falls in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

4.3 Numbers slightly injured

There were 16,137 people recorded as slightly injured in 2001: 476 (3%) fewer than in 2000. This is the lowest number recorded since 1957. Between 1970 and 1990, the figures fluctuated in a range which was broadly 17,000 to 21,000. The fall between 1990 and 1995 in the number of people with slight injuries, followed by an apparent levelling-off at around 17-18,000 in each of the years from 1996 to 1999, could have been a continuation of that pattern. However, the figures for 2000 and 2001 were both below the bottom of that range.

4.4 Total numbers of casualties

The total number of casualties (of all severities) in 2001 was 19,889, which was 616 (3%) lower than in 2000. This represented the lowest number of casualties since 1954. Between about 1970 and 1990, the figures appeared to fluctuate greatly around a general downward trend. Subsequently, the total number of casualties fell markedly from the level of the most recent "short-term" peak (which was over 27,000 in both 1989 and 1990), before appearing to level off: the figures for each of the years from 1993 to 1998 were all within 600 (3%) of the average of 22,330 for those six years. However, it appears that the downward trend has resumed: the totals for 1999 and 2000 were both under 21,000, and the figure for 2001 was the first for almost 50 years to be below 20,000.

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