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ROAD ACCIDENTS SCOTLAND 1999

Summary

On Scotland's roads in 1999 there were:

• 15,398 injury accidents in which 20,976 people were injured;
• 4,067 people killed or seriously injured (310 of whom died), the lowest numbers since the current records began over 50 years ago;
• 12,887 casualties in cars, 169 of whom died;
• 3,759 pedestrian casualties, of whom 89 were killed;
• 1,025 motor cyclist casualties (of whom 30 were killed);
• 3,193 child casualties, 625 of whom were killed or seriously injured (25 of them died);
• 1,617 child pedestrian casualties, of whom 430 were killed or seriously injured (17 died).

Between 1989 and 1999:

• The number of fatal accidents fell by 43%, from 496 to 285;
• The total of fatal and serious accidents fell by 45%, from 6,310 to 3,486;
• The total number of accidents (all severities) fell by 25%, from 20,605 to 15,398;
• The number of fatalities fell by 44%, from 553 to 310;
• The total of fatal and serious casualties fell by 46%, from 7,551 to 4,067;
• The total number of casualties (all severities) fell by 24%, from 27,532 to 20,976;
• Car user casualties fell by 10%, from 14,387 to 12,887;
• Pedestrian casualties fell by 37%, from 6,012 to 3,759;
• Pedal cycle casualties fell by 34%, from 1,550 to 1,017;
• Motor cycle casualties fell by 46%, from 1,899 to 1,025;
• Male casualties fell by 29%, from 16,696 to 11,873;
• Female casualties fell by 16%, from 10,836 to 9,103;
• Casualties aged 16-22 fell by 42%, from 6,796 to 3,965;
• Casualties aged 23-59 fell by 11%, from 12,947 to 11,485;
• Casualties aged 60 and over fell by 30%, from 3,283 to 2,290;
• Child fatalities fell from 44 to 25;
• Child fatal and serious casualties fell by 49%, from 1,216 in 1989 to 625 in 1999;
• The total number of child casualties (all severities) fell by 29%, from 4,506 to 3,193;
• Child pedestrian fatalities fell from 28 to 17;
• Child pedestrian fatal and serious casualties fell by 47%, from 818 to 430;
• The total number of child pedestrian casualties fell by 35%, from 2,477 to 1,617;
• The estimated number of drink-drive accidents fell by 38%, from 1,190 to 740 (in 1998), and the estimated number of people killed in such accidents fell from 80 to 50 (in 1998);
• The estimated total cost of all road accidents (including "damage only" accidents) at 1999 prices fell by 39%, from £2,084 million to £1,279 million.

Over the longer-term:

• Between 1950 and 1999 (inclusive), almost 31,500 people were killed, and a total of about 1.3 million people were injured, in accidents on Scotland's roads;
• In 1962 (the earliest year for which a figure is readily available), there were roughly 775,000 vehicles licensed in Scotland, whereas in 1999 the vehicle population stood at 2.1 million. Over the same period, the number of casualties fell from about 26,700 to around 21,000. Thus, whilst the vehicle stock has almost trebled, the number of casualties has actually fallen by over a fifth.

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