6. Casualties by Mode of Transport (Table 3)

6. Casualties by Mode of Transport (Table 3)

6.1 Figures on numbers of casualties by mode should be compared with data on mode use since changes could be due to more or fewer people travelling by a particular mode. Information on mode use is published in the road traffic or personal travel sections of Scottish Transport Statistics (STS). Department for Transport (DfT) traffic estimates in STS showed that car traffic increased by 3% and motorcycle/moped traffic volume decreased by 1% between 2011 and 2015. Over the same period cycling volumes increased by 12%. Latest Scottish data by mode covers 2015, data for 2016 will be published in August 2017 in Transport and Travel in Scotland 2016.

6.2 In 2016 there were 6,683 car users reported injured in road accidents; three fifths of all casualties (61%: 6,683 out of 10,881) and a 0.4% fall on 2015. Of these, 106 were killed and 758 seriously injured (increases of 41% and 19% on 2015 respectively). Non built-up roads accounted for half of all car user casualties (50%: 3,349 out of 6,683) but a much higher percentage of car user fatalities (92%: 98 out of 106) and those seriously injured (73%: 553 out of 758). Again likely due in part to higher average speeds on these types of roads.

6.3 There were 1,663 pedestrian casualties recorded in 2016, a sixth of all casualties (15%: 1,663 out of 10,881) and down by 32 (2%) since 2015. Two per cent of pedestrian casualties were killed (32 out of 1,663) and 24% seriously injured (397 out of 1,663). 96% of pedestrian casualties occurred on built-up roads (1,600 out of 1,663). 44% of pedestrian casualties on non built-up roads were killed or seriously injured (28 out of 63) compared with 25% on built-up roads (401 out of 1,600).

6.4 Together, all other modes of transport accounted for a quarter (23%) of casualties in 2016 (2,535 out of 10,881), for a slightly higher proportion of those killed (28%: 53 out of 191) and a third of those seriously injured (32%: 538 out of 1,693).

6.5 Motorcycle and pedal cycle casualty numbers in 2016 decreased by 3% and 1% respectively. In 2016, 711 motorcycle casualties were reported, of whom 268 (38% and an increase of 4% on 2015) suffered serious injuries, 30 died, an increase of three on 2015. There were 789 pedal cyclist casualties recorded in 2016, 147 (19% and a decrease of 10% on 2015) were seriously injured and 8 died (three more than in 2015).There are now more cyclists on the roads which will likely impact on cycling casualty numbers. There was an increase of 41% in pedal cycle traffic in the last ten years, as shown by the DfT traffic estimates published in Scottish Transport Statistics

6.6 A total of 301 bus and coach users were reported injured (a decrease of 9% on 2015), of whom 42 (7 less than 2015) were seriously injured, three died.