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Summary

Sumary Chart 1 reported injury Accidents (Fatal, Serious, Slight, and All severities) and Vehicles Licensed ¹

Summary

On Scotland's roads in 2005 there were:

• 13,397 reported injury accidents in which 17,821 people were reported as being casualties;
• 2,938 people reported killed or seriously injured (286 of whom died);
• 10,955 casualties in cars, 153 of whom died;
• 3,033 pedestrian casualties, of whom 66 were killed;
• 1,082 motor cyclist casualties (of whom 34 were killed);
• 2,166 child casualties, 368 of whom were killed or seriously injured (11 of them died);
• 1,094 child pedestrian casualties, of whom 243 were killed or seriously injured (5 died).

Between 1995 and 2005:

• The number of fatal accidents fell by 27%, from 361 to 264;
• The total of fatal and serious accidents fell by 43%, from 4,432 to 2,509;
• The total number of accidents (all severities) fell by 19%, from 16,534 to 13,397;
• The number of people killed fell by 30%, from 409 to 286;
• The total of killed and serious casualties fell by 45%, from 5,339 to 2,938;
• The total number of casualties (all severities) fell by 20%, from 22,194 to 17,821;
• Car user casualties fell by 16%, from 12,974 to 10,955;
• Pedestrian casualties fell by 35%, from 4,635 to 3,033;
• Pedal cycle casualties fell by 41%, from 1,323 to 780;
• Motor cycle casualties increased by 11%, from 971 to 1,082;
• Male casualties fell by 21%, from 12,874 to 10,178;
• Female casualties fell by 18%, from 9,320 to 7,620;
• Casualties aged 16-22 fell by 17% from 4,274 to 3,528;
• Casualties aged 23-59 fell by 13% from 11,414 to 9,894;
• Casualties aged 60 and over fell by 14% from 2,571 to 2,204;
• Children killed fell from 30 to 11;
• Child killed and seriously injured casualties fell by 61% from 950 to 368;
• The total number of child casualties (all severities) fell by 45% from 3,935 to 2,166;
• Child pedestrians killed fell from 16 to 5;
• Child pedestrians killed and seriously injured casualties fell by 62% from 638 to 243;
• The total number of child pedestrian casualties fell by 47% from 2,048 to 1,094;
• The estimated number of drink-drive accidents fell by 10%, from about 790 (in 1995) to roughly 710 (in 2004 - the latest year for which estimates are available), and the estimated number of people killed in such accidents fell from about 50 to around 40 in the same period;
• The estimated total cost of all road accidents (including "damage only" accidents) at 2005 prices fell by 32%, from £2,042 million to £1,382 million.

Over the longer-term:

• Between 1950 and 2005 (inclusive), 33,389 people were killed, and a total of about 1.414 million people were either killed or injured, in accidents on Scotland's roads;
• In 1962 (the earliest year for which a figure is readily available), there were roughly 775,000 vehicles licensed in Scotland, whereas in 2005 the vehicle population stood at 2.531 million. Over the same period, the number of casualties fell from about 26,700 to around 17,800. Thus, whilst the vehicle stock has more than trebled, the number of casualties has actually fallen by a third.

Summary Chart 2 reported Casualties: 5 year moving average (1947/51 to 2001/05)

Summary reported road injury accident and reported casualty statistics: 1995 to 2005

1. "Built-up" roads have a speed limit of up to 40mph; "Non built-up" roads have a speed limit of over 40mph
2. Estimates, adjusted for under-reporting as described in the text accompanying Table 22. The latest year's estimates are not yet available.
3. Estimated total costs (including "damage only" accidents) at 2005 prices, calculated as described in the text accompanying Tables 9 to 11.

Summary of reported injury accidents and reported casualties by police force area, council and severity: 2005

* The total for Lothian and Borders is slightly greater than the sum of the figures for the Councils in its area because Lothian and Borders Police returns included a few accidents which were outwith its area. At the time the figures for the publication were extracted, the details of these accidents had not been transferred to the Police Forces in whose areas they occurred. The Scottish Executive's computer system does not allow accidents which were included in one Police Force's returns to be counted against Councils which are in another area.

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