“We do not accept that road casualties are inevitable and are determined to do everything we can to ensure these numbers come down as we work towards our long term target of no one being seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.”
That’s the verdict of Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s minister for transport, after the publication of the nation’s casualty stats for 2022.
The data shows that in 2022, the number of people killed rose by 32, from 141 to 173.
This equates to a year-on-year increase of 23%.
The number of people seriously injured rose by 10% and the number of people slightly injured rose by 9%.
By way of context, motor traffic volume increased by 9% in Scotland in 2022 compared with 2021.
Fiona Hyslop said: “One death on our roads is simply one too many. My thoughts are with the families and friends who have tragically lost a loved one, and those whose lives are changed forever.
“Road safety remains an absolute priority for this government and we are determined to continue working towards our goal of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.”
Looking longer term, the number of road deaths in 2022 was nearly identical to those a decade ago.
Additionally, the number of people killed in 2022 is the highest since 2016.
However, the total number of casualties recorded is the third lowest since annual records began in 1950.
I agree 100%. One is bad enough. 26,000 KSI’s in the UK in 2022 is, in my opinion, a wholly unacceptable number. I’d like to recommend the DVSA reviews the driving test’s depth; is it too easily passed? I have developed a product designed to help instructors better prepare learners for it that has been in use for the past two years. Instructor comments may be accessed on the http://www.6sg.co.uk web site. Other instructor users include Newbury Ambulance training centre and, in the US, the Seattle Fire Department.
Mike Knight, Ascot
+2
While this is undoubtedly terrible news, Scotland is not an outlier regarding road danger. This is a UK wide problem: KSIs in Scotland in 2022 rose by exactly the same %age as in the UK as a whole. We need a completely different approach to road safety in the UK, one which a) does not accept a single death as acceptable and b) uses a safe systems approach
Adrian Berendt, TUNBRIDGE WELLS
+3