Scottish road deaths increased to 160 last year

The number of deaths on Scotland’s roads increased last year but the overall number of casualties went down, according to the latest stats.

Provisional figures released by Transport Scotland showed that 160 people died in 2024 – 13 more than the year before.

However, the total number of people injured on the roads dropped from 5,838 to 5,576.

Deaths involving cars and motorbikes increased last year but the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed on the roads reduced.

The latest figures show that 74 people who died on Scotland’s roads last year were in cars – 17 more than 2023.

Motorcycle fatalities increased from 27 to 31 last year.

However, the number of pedestrian deaths dropped from 47 to 41 and cyclist fatalities went down from seven to three.

The number who were described as serious casualties dropped from 1,952 to 1,931 while slight casualties fell from 3,739 to 3,485.

Road casualties were lower in 2020 and 2021 as the Covid pandemic led to less traffic on the roads.

However in 2024, the number of fatalities was the third-lowest recorded in a non-pandemic year.

The Scottish government has a target, set in 2021, to reduce road deaths by half by the end of the decade.

The latest figures showed an 8% reduction against the baseline figure recorded between 2014 and 2018.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures are a painful reminder of the challenge we face, but I remain absolutely determined to save lives and ensure we continue working towards our long-term vision of no-one being killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads by 2050.”