Key 2007 Road Accident Statistics

This bulletin presents provisional statistics of injury road accidents (i.e. road accidents in which one or more people were killed or injured) in Scotland in 2007. Final figures will be published in autumn 2008.

1. Main Points

1.1 There were a total of 16,063 road casualties reported in 2007, (1,200 or 7% fewer than 2006), the lowest since 1950. Of which there were:

• 282 fatalities - 32 (or 10%) fewer than 2006
• 2,316 seriously injured - 310 (or 12%) fewer than 2006
• 13,465 slightly injured - 858 (or 6%) fewer than 2006 [Table 2]

1.2 In 2007 there were 1,809 child casualties reported, 212 (10%) fewer than in 2006. This included 9 fatalities: 16 less deaths than in 2006, and the lowest since records began. [Table 4]

1.3 In 2007 there were 9,953 car users injured in road accidents, 160 of whom died. There were 2,682 pedestrian casualties (including 61 killed), 1,039 motorcyclist casualties (40 of whom died), 706 pedal cyclist casualties and 616 bus and coach user casualties in 2007. [Table 3]

1.4 There were 9,196 male casualties in 2007 (incl. 208 fatalities), compared to 6,840 females (incl. 74 fatalities). 21% ( 3,362) of all casualties were aged 16 -22, of which 2,008 were male (13% of all casualties) and 1,352 were female (8% of all casualties). [Tables 10 & 11]

1.5 There are 3 national targets for casualty reductions by 2010 - a larger reduction in casualties has been achieved in each case:

• 2,598 people were killed or seriously injured in 2007, 46% below the 1994-98 baseline average level (target of 40%) [Table 2]
• 271 children were killed or seriously injured in 2007: 68% below the 1994-98 average (target of 50%). [Tables 4 & 6]
• A slight casualty rate of 32.64 casualties per 100 million vehicle kilometres in 2006 (the latest available traffic volume estimate): 30% below the 1994-98 average (target of 10%). [Table 7]