- The number of deaths is at its highest since 2014
- Three pedestrians killed so far this month alone
THE number of pedestrians killed on Scottish roads soared by 40 per cent last year, reaching the highest death rate in a decade.
At the same time, cyclist deaths increased from two to seven, an increase of 250 percent.
These figures, shocking in themselves, are a major blow to the Scottish Government’s ambition to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.
The publication of this grim report comes during a month which saw a number of pedestrians killed. A 53-year-old man died in a collision involving two trucks on Perth’s A9 ring road on Tuesday morning.
A 49-year-old pedestrian was killed in Cumbernauld last Sunday.
And it was confirmed this weekend that an 86-year-old man who was hit by a Mercedes at Clarkston Toll, East Renfrewshire, on May 17 had also died.
French student Emma Burke Newman died last year after being run over by a truck in Glasgow.
Chris Thompson, interim co-director of pedestrian charity Living Streets Scotland, said: “People who walk and ride pose the least danger on our streets, but often pay the price, as this show shows. increase in the number of deaths.
“Scotland’s targets for reducing fatalities will remain out of reach until we invest in measures to increase road safety.
“Better enforcement against dangerous driving, more crossings and slower speeds can all make our streets safer and prevent families from experiencing the nightmare of losing a loved one.”
Figures released by Transport Scotland show the number of pedestrians killed north of the border rose from 34 in 2022 to 47 last year, an increase of almost 40 per cent.
This is the highest death total since 2014, when 59 people died.
The year also saw a significant increase in the number of cyclist deaths, from two in 2022 to seven last year.
Among them was Glasgow School of Art student Emma Burke Newman, who was run over by a truck in the Broomielaw area as she drove away at traffic lights in January 2023.
Truck driver Paul Mowat, 69, later admitted causing the 22-year-old’s death through careless driving. He was given a 12-month driving ban and 100 hours of community service.
Yesterday, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop chose to focus on reducing the overall number of deaths – the total number of road deaths last year was 155, 16 fewer than in 2022.
Ms Hyslop said road safety “remains a top priority”, adding: “We continue to work towards our goal of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.”
Last month it was revealed that hundreds of roadside speed warning signs across the country had not been repaired since the pandemic.
Some councils have blamed the lack of sunlight on the operation of solar-powered units.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “Scotland has adopted an ambitious road safety framework to eliminate casualties on our roads.
“While there has been an overall reduction in the number of deaths, the increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths will need to be re-examined to see what changes, if any, could have been made to prevent them.”
Sturgeon apologizes for A9 failure
Nicola Sturgeon has apologized for the SNP’s failure to upgrade a notoriously deadly road.
The SNP announced in December that the A9 doubling project would not be completed until 2035, ten years later than promised.
The A9 Safety Group said 77 percent of all fatal and serious accidents on the road occurred on single-carriageway sections. Thirteen people died on the roads in 2022, the highest total in 20 years.
Speaking to Holyrood’s public petitions committee yesterday, Ms Sturgeon denied the SNP government had “messed up” the project, but said: “I’m sorry we didn’t double the A9 and I regret that .
She added: “The 2025 goal has always been a huge mountain to climb. »
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