1. Introduction
1.1 This chapter provides information about the numbers of road transport vehicles, such as new registrations, numbers licensed by taxation group and council area, ages, cylinder sizes, gross weights of heavy goods vehicles, and seating capacity of public transport vehicles. It also provides statistics of driving tests, driving licence holders, households with the regular use of a car, the number of Orange Badges issued and information about motor vehicle offences recorded by the Police.
1.2 The main changes in this edition are as follows:
2. Main Points
2.1 New vehicle registrations in 1999 were around 209,300, slightly fewer than in the previous year, when they were around 209,900. The 1999 total was the second highest number since 1989, when there were some 212,600 new vehicle registrations. (Table 1.1)
2.2 New registrations of cars, on the other hand, increased slightly over the previous year. In 1999 there were around 176,400, about 0.4% higher than in the previous year, when they were about 175,700. (Table 1.1)
2.3 The total number of vehicles licensed was around 2,131,000 in 1999, 3% more than in the previous year and is estimated to be about 26% higher than the number in 1989. The number of private and light goods vehicles in 1999 was about 1,878,000, which is estimated to be roughly 27% higher than in 1989. The percentage changes since 1989 are estimates because of the effect of the change in the source of the statistics after 1992, which is described in section 4 "Sources", below. (Table 1.2)
2.4 The average age of private and light good vehicles in 1999 was 5.9 years. This is lower than the figure which is given for the previous year (6.4 years) - but the apparent drop is a result of a change to the method that the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) uses to estimate the ages of vehicles, which is described in the "Notes and Definitions". When account is taken of changes in the methods of estimating average ages, it is clear that there has been a steady increase in the average age of these vehicles over the past ten years: the average age rose from 5.1 years in 1989 to 5.4 years in 1992. The change in the source of the statistics in 1993 seems to have affected the calculation of the average age, which was 6.0 years in 1993. Since then, it has risen and stood at 6.4 years (on the old basis) in 1998. Historically, the average age of private and light goods vehicles has been lower in Scotland than for Great Britain as a whole, and this continues to be the case. In 1999, the average age of these vehicles in Great Britain was 6.7 years (on the new basis). (Table 1.5)
2.5 Analysis of changes in the number of public transport vehicles are affected by changes in the arrangements for the taxation of those vehicles which have 8 or fewer seats. Considering only those public transport vehicles which have 9 or more seats, the number of smaller vehicles has increased substantially in recent years at the expense of a decrease in larger vehicles. Public transport vehicles with 16 to 32 seats have more than doubled in number from 1,183 in 1989 to 2,657 in 1999. In contrast, larger public transport vehicles, with 49-56 seats, have decreased in number from 2,955 in 1989 to 2,313 in 1999, a decrease of around 22%. (Table 1.8)
2.6 There were 98,000 driving tests concluded in Scotland in 1999, of which 50,000 resulted in passes. Although these numbers were higher than the corresponding figures for the previous two years, they were significantly lower than in each of the years leading up to 1996 (the introduction of the written theory test in July 1996 may have contributed to this fall in numbers): the number of passes in 1999 was only just over half the figure for 1989. The pass rate was 51% in 1999, about the same as in the previous few years, but less than the 56% pass rate in 1989. (Table 1.9)
2.7 National Travel Survey results, which are based on a sample of a few hundred households per year in Scotland, suggest that in 1985/86 about 49% of people aged 17 and over held a full car driving licence, increasing to 62% in 1996/98. Most of the rise is due to an increase in the number of female driving licence holders, from 34% of women in 1985/86 to 51% in 1996/98. Over the same period, the percentage of men with a driving licence rose from 68% to 75%. Over three-quarters of all people aged 30 to 49 held a driving licence in 1996/98. Because of the small size of the National Travel Survey's Scottish sample, these results could be subject to large sampling errors, and (e.g.) apparent falls in some cases may be due to sampling variability. (Table 1.10)
2.8 The new Scottish Household Survey, which started in 1999, has a much larger sample, and therefore provides more detailed and more reliable results. The SHS results for 1999 show that the difference between the sexes in the percentage holding a full driving licence increases with age, from 6 percentage points for those aged 17-20 (38% of men and 32% of women hold full driving licences) through 16 percentage points for those aged 30-39 (men: 86%; women: 70%) and 26 percentage points for those aged 50-59 (men: 83%; women: 57%) to 43 percentage points for those aged 70+ (men: 62%; women: 19%). (Table 1.11)
2.9 SHS results also show that the percentage holding a full driving licence varies between different types of areas. The survey uses the MOSAIC neighbourhood classification system, which is described in Chapter 12. In 1999, 84% of adults aged 17+ living in "high income areas" and 83% of those living in "country dwellers" areas held a full driving licence, compared with only 39% of adults aged 17+ living in neighbourhoods which are described as "families in council flats" areas and only 42% of those living in "renting singles" areas. (Table 1.11)
2.10 The percentage of Scottish households with the regular use of a car (or a van) has increased from 53% in 1988 to 62% in 1998. In 1998, an estimated 41% of Scottish households had the regular use of one car, 17% had two cars, and 4% had three or more cars. (Table 1.12)
2.11 Scottish Household Survey results show how the percentage of households with a car available for private use varies between different types of area (vans are not counted in this analysis). In 1999, 88% of households in "high income areas", and 87% of those living in "country dwellers" areas, had one or more cars available for private use, compared with only 33% of households living in "families in council flats" areas and 34% of those living in "renting singles" areas. (Table 1.13)
2.12 There were almost 170,000 Orange Badges on issue at the end of March 1999. Just over half of them (87,000) were issued to recipients of allowances or grants which provide an automatic entitlement to an Orange Badge, 65,000 were issued on a discretionary basis to other people with a permanent or substantial disability, and about 2,600 were issued to institutions. The reason for issue was not reported for over 14,000 badges. (Table 1.14)
2.13 The number of motor vehicle offences recorded by the police in each of the years 1993 - 1999 include offences in respect of which either the police or the procurator fiscal made a conditional offer of a fixed penalty (mainly moving vehicle offences). They do not include stationary vehicle offences which are dealt with by the police, traffic wardens or City Councils by means of police fixed penalty notices (mainly parking offences).
2.14 The total number of motor vehicle offences recorded in 1999 was 353,400, a decrease of 2 per cent on the 1998 total. In recent years, motor vehicle offences have accounted for a growing proportion of all crimes and offences recorded by the police. In 1999 they represented 38 per cent of all crimes and offences recorded compared with 33 per cent in 1993. (Table 1.15)
2.15 Changes in the number of motor vehicle offences recorded can arise largely as a result of changes in the level of enforcement or police deployment, including the impact of national campaigns in relation to issues such as seat belt and speeding offences. For example, the increase of 9 per cent between 1998 and 1999 in the number of recorded speeding offences can be attributed to police forces actively targeting speeding during 1999, e.g. national campaigns such as Speedwatch. There were also marked increases for driving licence offences (up 13 per cent to 13,700), driving while disqualified offences (up 11 per cent to 4,400) and third party insurance offences (up 8 per cent to 23,500). In 1999 there were decreases in the number of offences recorded for neglect of traffic direction offences (down 16 per cent to 14,600), vehicle excise licence offences (down 6 per cent to 20,000) and lighting, construction and use offences (down 17 per cent to 52,900). The decrease in the latter category was the major contributing factor to the overall decrease in the total number of motor vehicle offences recorded by the police. (Table 1.15)
3. Notes and Definitions
3.1 Motor Vehicles: There are two types of classification of motor vehicles:
(a) "Taxation Group": this classification is based on the amount of tax placed on a motor vehicle according to its ‘vehicle type’ e.g. ‘Private and light goods’, ‘Public transport’, ‘Goods’ etc; and
(b) "Body Type": this classification is based on the ‘look’ of a vehicle e.g. "Body type" ‘cars’ covers all cars, including those which are exempt from tax.
3.2 Private and Light Goods Vehicles: the bulk of this group consists of private cars (whether owned by individuals or companies) and vans and light goods vehicles (goods vehicles which do not exceed 3,500 kgs gross weight). The group also contains a number of other types of vehicle including private buses and coaches, private heavy goods vehicles, and some vehicles which before 1 July 1995 were taxed in a specialised taxation class but which now fall into the PLG group.
3.3 Motorcycles: no distinction is made between motorcycles, scooters and mopeds for taxation purposes, and therefore "motorcycles" includes all two wheeled vehicles.
3.4 Public Transport: all vehicles classified for taxation in class 34 - Bus (introduced 1 July 1995). These are vehicles used for public conveyance, with more than 8 seats. Prior to 1 July 1995 public transport vehicles were taxed in class 35 Hackney, used similarly for public transportation but with no lower limit on seating capacity. Buses and coaches not licensed for public conveyance, and operated and used privately, are excluded and are classified for excise licensing with private and light goods. Taxis and private hire cars are now included in the private and light goods group.
3.5 Goods Vehicles: the totals for this group (goods vehicles which exceed 3,500 kgs gross weight) for the earlier years include both the now-discontinued formerly separate "Farmers Goods" and "General Goods" groups, which were shown separately in some of the previous editions of "Scottish Transport Statistics".
3.6 Crown and Exempt Vehicles: the ‘exempt’ vehicles include a number of distinct sub-groups and classes, of which the most important are: ‘Emergency vehicles’, ‘Disabled driver and disabled passenger carrying vehicles’, ‘Vehicles now over 25 years of age previously in PLG, motorcycle or tricycle tax groups’, and ‘Personal export and direct export vehicles’.
3.7 Special Concessions: this group of vehicles pays Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) at £40 per annum, and includes agricultural tractors, combine harvesters, and mowing machines. This taxation class also includes electric vehicles, gritting vehicles and snow ploughs, and steam powered vehicles.
3.8 Special Vehicles: this group consists of vehicles over 3,500 kgs which do not pay VED as heavy goods vehicles nor qualify for taxation in the special concessionary group. Vehicles in this group include road rollers, work trucks, digging machines and mobile cranes.
3.9 Average ages of vehicles: with effect from the estimates for 1999, The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) has improved its method of estimating the age of the vehicle fleet. The estimated ages on the new basis are therefore not directly comparable with the estimated ages on the old basis. For the years 1993 to 1998 inclusive, DETR estimated vehicles’ ages by counting them as being one year old at the end of the calendar year in which they were first registered, as being two years old at the end of the calendar year following the year in which they were first registered, and so on. So, the old method counted a vehicle that was first registered in 1998 as being one year old at the end of 1998. For 1999, DETR estimates vehicles’ ages by counting them as being 6 months old at the end of the calendar year in which they were first registered, as being 18 months old at the end of the calendar year following the year in which they were first registered, and so on. So, the new method counts a vehicle that was first registered in 1999 as being 0.5 years old at the end of 1999. Overall, therefore, the change in DETR’s method reduces the estimated averages of vehicles’ ages by 0.5 years.
3.10 Households With the Regular Use of a Car: In the analysis of the results of the National Travel Survey, the term "car" is used for all three or four wheeled vehicles with a car body type, and also light vans, land rovers, dormobiles and motorcaravans. Such vehicles are regarded as household cars if they are either owned by a member of the household, or available for the private use of household members. Vehicles used only for the carriage of goods, as public service passenger vehicles, or solely for hire by other people are excluded. Company cars provided by an employer for the use of a particular employee (or director) are included, but cars borrowed temporarily from a company pool are not.
3.11 Households with Cars Available for Private Use: In the analysis of the results of the Scottish Household Survey, the term "car" is used only for cars: Vans are not included in the analysis. The interviewer asks whether any motor vehicles are normally available for private use by members of the household. For the purpose of this analysis only cars (including four wheeled drives and Land Rovers) are counted
3.12 Scottish MOSAIC is a neighbourhood classification system which uses information about types of housing, housing densities and household characteristics to identify types of neighbourhoods with similar characteristics. All households within a given postcode are regarded as being in the type of neighbourhood that is assigned to that postcode as a whole. The MOSAIC classification is used to select the sample for the Scottish Household Survey, in order to ensure that it covers a representative cross section of areas. Further information about MOSAIC is given in the SHS publications.
3.13 Motor Vehicle Offences: those offences classified as motor vehicle offences in The Scottish Executive Justice Department’s classification of crimes and offences. Certain crimes related to motor vehicles, namely causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs and reckless driving (common law), are excluded primarily because information on these crimes is not collected on the same basis as other motor vehicle offences. In 1998, the police recorded 39 crimes of causing death by dangerous driving, 3 crimes of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs and 19 crimes of reckless driving (common law). In 1998, there were 17 prosecutions where the main offence was causing death by dangerous driving, 14 of which resulted in a conviction including 9 custodial sentences. There were 3 prosecutions for causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, all of which resulted in a conviction and a custodial sentence. There were no prosecutions for reckless driving (common law) in 1998.