This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Road Accident Scotland 2003
23/11/2004
Road Accidents Scotland 2003 published today provides final statistics for road accidents and casualties in 2003. Provisional figures were released in June 2004.
Figures are compared with the average levels for 1994-1998 which is the "baseline" period for Executive road safety targets for the year 2010.
Scottish figures are also compared with those for England and Wales, and 31 countries in Western Europe and elsewhere.
On Scotland's roads in 2003 there were:
- 2,940 people seriously injured - 9 per cent fewer than in 2002, and the lowest number since the current records of serious injuries began in 1950
- 15,435 "slight" casualties, 2 per cent below the previous year's number, and the lowest figure since 1955
- 298 fatal accidents - 9 per cent more than in 2002 (more than one person may die as the result of one fatal accident - e.g. if the drivers of both cars involved in an accident die, that is one fatal accident and two deaths).
- 331 deaths - 9 per cent more than in the previous year, but the fourth lowest figure for more than 50 years
- 431 children killed or seriously injured, of whom 17 died (3 more than in 2002)
- 2,474 child casualties, 10 per cent fewer than in 2002
- 18,706 casualties in total - 3 per cent fewer than in 2002 and the lowest figure since 1953
- 13,884 injury accidents - 3 per cent fewer than in 2002 and the lowest number since recording the of the number of injury accidents began in 1966
Between 1993 and 2003:
- vehicle numbers increased by over a quarter from 1.874 million to 2.383 million
- the number of road deaths fell by 17 per cent, from 399 to 331
- killed and seriously injured casualties (combined) fell by 33 per cent, from 4,853 to 3,271
- the total number of casualties fell by 17 per cent, from 22,414 to 18,706
- child casualties fell by 33 per cent, from 3,691 to 2,474
Compared with 1994-98 averages, in 2003:
- 32 per cent fewer people were killed or seriously injured. The reduction so far has been greater than would be needed to achieve the Executive target of a fall of 40 per cent by 2010, by means of a constant annual percentage reduction
- 49 per cent fewer children were killed or seriously injured, therefore the Executive target of a 50 per cent reduction by 2010 has almost been achieved
- the slight casualty rate (per 100 million vehicle kilometres) was 21 per cent lower, so the 2010 Executive target of a 10 per cent reduction has been achieved
Other notable statistics include:
- 11,722 car user casualties in 2003, 1 per cent fewer than in 2002 and 12 per cent below the 1994-98 average level
- 2,979 pedestrian casualties in 2003, 10 per cent fewer than in 2002 and 32 per cent below the 1994-98 average level
- about 1,270 casualties in drink-drive accidents in 2002 (the latest year for which an estimate is available), 3 per cent more than in 1992, around 50 of whom died
- in 2003, the number of car drivers involved in accidents was 4.2 per thousand of the population aged 17 and over, but 10.0 per thousand population for males aged 17-22
- in 2003, 3.6 per cent of drivers involved in injury accidents who were asked for a breath test registered a positive reading or refused to take the test
- the total volume of traffic on all roads increased by 20% from 35.2 billion vehicle kilometres in 1993 (the first year for which estimates are available) to 42.0 billion in 2003
Compared with England and Wales, in 2003:
- Scotland's casualty rates were 9 per cent higher (killed), 1 per cent higher (killed and serious) and 28 per cent lower (all severities)
- in all three cases, this represented an improvement in Scotland's relative position compared with the 1994-98 averages
- Scotland's child casualty rates per head of population were 21 per cent higher (killed), 29 per cent higher (killed and serious) and 8 per cent lower (all severities) than those of England & Wales
- in all three cases, this represented an improvement in Scotland's position compared with the 1994-98 averages
Compared with 31 countries in Western Europe, and elsewhere for figures for 2002 (the latest year for which they are available):
- Scotland's overall road death rate of 60 per million population was the fifth lowest
- Scotland's pedestrian fatality rate of 14 per million population was the sixteenth lowest
- Scotland's child fatality rate of 14 per million population was the fifth lowest
- Scotland's fatality rate for people aged 65+ was 68 per million population, the lowest of all of the countries involved in the comparison
Fatality rates by age-group are available for 29 countries.
Road Accidents Scotland 2003 costs £10 and may be purchased from Blackwell's Bookshop, 53 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1YS.