Commentary

Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2018

Commentary

Figure 1: Reported accidents by severity, 1966 to 2018

Figure 1 Reported accidents by severity, 1966 to 2018

Commentary

1. Trends in the reported numbers of Injury Road Accidents and Casualties

1.1 Main Points

Table 1 shows the long-term trends in the reported numbers of injury road accidents and casualties, the population of Scotland, the number of vehicles licensed, the length of the road network and the volume of traffic. Information on the severities of the accidents, and of the injuries suffered by the casualties, is provided in Table 2. The numbers of injury road accidents were first recorded separately in 1966, while the numbers of casualties are available back to 1938 with annual collection of data starting in 1950. Figures 1 to 7 illustrate the trends in the reported numbers of injury road accidents and casualties including (in some cases) indications of the likely range of random year–to-year variations (see section 1.4). As mentioned in the introduction, injury accidents not reported by the public to the police won't appear in the returns. Note that each accident will result in one or more casualties. For example a fatal accident could result in two fatalities and a serious injury which would count as one accident and 3 casualties.

Accidents

  • In 2018, there were 150 fatal accidents, 10 (7%) more than in 2017.
  • Serious injury accidents between 2017 and 2018 decreased by 9 (1%) to 1,369.
  • Slight injury accidents fell by 696 (12%) between 2017 and 2018 to 4,904.

Casualties

  • There were 161 people killed in road accidents in Scotland in 2018, 16 (11%) more than in 2017.
  • 1,582 people were seriously injured in road accidents in 2018, 12 (1%) less than in 2017.
  • 6,668 people were slightly injured in road accidents in 2018, 1,026 (13%) fewer than in 2017.
  • There were a total number of 8,411 casualties in 2018 – 1,022 (11%) fewer than in 2017.

The reductions in the numbers of accidents and casualties in recent years are notable particularly given the rise in vehicle and subsequent traffic e.g. in 2018 the number of vehicles licensed in Scotland was about an eighth higher than in 2008 and traffic on Scottish roads was estimated to have grown by eight per cent since 2008.

1.2 Reported Accidents

In 1966 there were just over 23,200 injury road accidents and the annual total remained around this level until 1973. Numbers then dropped considerably in 1974 and 1975 to about 20,600. This was the time of a fuel crisis when a national speed limit of 50 mph was introduced and the volume of traffic in Great Britain fell by 3% in 1974. Accident numbers increased again in 1976 and reached a peak of nearly 23,100 in 1979.

In the early 1980s numbers began to fall, and did so particularly sharply in 1983 when the total number of injury accidents fell by 7% in a single year to 19,400, serious accidents fell by 13% to just over 6,400, and fatal accidents fell by 11% to 568. The 1981 Transport Act came into force in 1983 and changed the law relating to drink driving, with the introduction of evidential breath testing. Compulsory front seat belt wearing and new procedures for licensing learner motorcyclists were also introduced in 1983. After 1983 the total number of injury accidents increased again to over 20,600 in 1985, and the number of serious accidents rose to just over 6,500 while fatal accidents continued a downward trend.

By 1987 the total number of injury accidents had fallen to under 18,700, but in 1989 it rose to just over 20,600. 1989 was the most recent peak in the total number of injury accidents. Since 1989, the total number of injury accidents has fallen in 26 out of 29 years, and in 2018 it was at the lowest level ever recorded. The 2018 figure of 6,423 was 695 less than in 2017.

Since the late 1980s, the number of fatal accidents has fallen considerably e.g. from 517 in 1987 to 150 in 2018. For serious accidents, the trend has also been downwards. The number of serious accidents has fallen e.g. from 5,814 in 1989 to 1,369 in 2018. The number of slight accidents did not share such a clear downward trend between 1970 and 1998, oscillating between 12,000 and 15,000 with a recent peak level of 14,443 in 1990. However, they fell below 12,000 in 1999, and the 2018 figure of 4,904 was the lowest since slight accident numbers were first recorded in 1970.

1.3 Reported Casualties

As the numbers of accidents have fallen, so have the numbers of casualties. Therefore, this section does not repeat the previous section's detailed analysis of how the numbers have changed. Details can be found in Table 2.

Numbers killed

In 2018 there were 161 people killed in road accidents in Scotland, an increase of 11% on 2017. With a few exceptions, figures fell in each year since 1978, showing a clear, steady long-term downward trend, particularly between 1982 and 1994. Since then, figures have been fluctuating around a less pronounced downwards trend. The number in 2018 was 8% below the average for the previous five years (176).

Numbers seriously injured

In 2018 there were 1,582 people seriously injured in road accidents: 12 (1%) less than in 2017. The long term trend shows that the number of serious casualties peaked in the early 1970s at around 10,000 and generally fell since the early 1980s. The long-term downwards trend appeared to level-off at around 4,050 in the mid to late nineties, but the downward trend subsequently resumed.

Numbers slightly injured

In 2018 there were 6,668 people slightly injured, 1,026 (13%) fewer than in 2017, and the lowest number since records began. Between 1970 and 1990, the figures fluctuated between 17,000 and 21,000. The fall between 1990 and 1995 was followed by an apparent levelling-off at around 17-18,000 in each of the years from 1996 to 1999. However, 2000 to 2018 showed consecutive falls suggesting a continuing downward trend.

Total numbers of casualties

In 2018 there was a total of 8,411 casualties, 1,022 (11%) fewer than in 2017 (the lowest number recorded). Between about 1970 and 1990, the figures fluctuated around a general downward trend. Subsequently, the casualty figures fell markedly from the level of the most recent short-term peak (over 27,000 in both 1989 and 1990), before appearing to level off. However, the downward trend resumed from 1999 to 2018.

Government targets for reductions in the numbers of road accident casualties

Scotland's Road Safety Framework was launched in June 2009. It set out the vision for road safety in Scotland, the main priorities and issues, and included Scotland-specific targets and milestones which were adopted from 2010.

Article 1 provides details of progress against the Scottish national casualty reduction targets for 2020. It contains charts and tables for each of the five targets showing the main trends in casualty numbers in comparison to the 2004-08 baseline averages. It also shows the numbers that might be expected in each year up to 2020 if the targets were to be achieved by means of a constant percentage reduction in each year.

Previous targets

In 1987 the UK Government adopted a target to reduce road casualties by one third from the 1981-85 annual average by the year 2000. The number of people killed on the roads in Scotland in 2000 was 49% below the 1981-85 average number of fatalities per year, and therefore the target of a one-third reduction by the year 2000 was exceeded for fatalities. For seriously injured casualties, the 2000 figure was 57% below the 1981-85 average, so the target was bettered for seriously injured casualties. However, the figure of 16,618 slight casualties in 2000 was only 9% below the 1981-85 average and so the target of a one-third reduction was not achieved for slight casualties. And, the total number of casualties in 2000 was 24% below the 1981-85 average, and therefore the target of a one-third reduction in the total number of casualties was not met.

In March 2000, the UK Government, the then Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales announced a new national road safety strategy and casualty reduction targets for 2010. The number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads in Scotland in 2010 was 55% below the 1994-98 average, and therefore the target of a 40% reduction by the year 2010 was exceeded for fatalities. For children killed or seriously injured, the 2010 figure was 73% below the 1994-98 average, a greater reduction than the 2010 target of a 50% fall. The slight casualty rate of 25.67 casualties per 100 million vehicle kilometres in 2010 was 45% below the 1994-98 baseline average of 46.42 – a greater reduction than the 2010 target of a 10% fall.

Figure 2: Scottish fatal reported road accidents: 1972 onwards showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Figure 3: Scottish reported road accident deaths: 1949 onwards showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Figure 3: Scottish reported road accident deaths: 1949 onwards showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

1.4 The likely range of random year-to-year variation in some road accident and casualty numbers for Scotland as a whole (see Figures 2 to 5)

Because road accidents may occur at random, the numbers of accidents, and the numbers of casualties in those accidents, can fluctuate from year to year. Figures 2 to 5 show, for Scotland as a whole, the numbers of:

  • fatal road accidents (1972 to 2018);
  • road deaths (1949 to 2018);
  • people killed or seriously injured (1950 to 2018);
  • children killed or seriously injured (1981 to 2018).

The number of years covered by each chart reflects the availability of the relevant figures. The black dots are the values in each year, and the black lines indicate the year-to-year variation. The grey dashed lines show the likely range of random year-to-year variation in the figures: based on statistical theory, one would expect that only about 5% of years would have figures outwith these ranges. Appendix G describes how these ranges were produced: the limits of the likely ranges of values are calculated in a similar way to 95% confidence intervals. It also explains why they cannot be produced for all years.

Fatal accidents, and deaths in road accidents (see Figures 2 and 3)

Figures 2 and 3 show that the number of fatal accidents is within its likely range of values in every year, and the number of road deaths is within its likely range of values in all but three years. These results are reasonable: one would expect a few years' figures to be outside the likely range of random year-to-year variation, given that there are over 40 years' figures for fatal accidents and over 60 years' figures for road accident deaths. Figures 2 and 3 therefore show that, despite the large percentage changes such as the falls in deaths of 19% between 1998 and 1999, and of 13% between 2001 and 2002, the figures almost always remain within the expected ranges. Hence, one should not put too much weight on a single large percentage change.

Killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties (see Figure 4)

Figure 4 has many years' figures (around a third) outwith the calculated likely range of values. The reason for this is that statistical variability is not the only reason for year-to-year changes – other factors have contributed to sharp falls and rises in KSI casualty numbers. For example, the sharp fall shown in 1983 may be partly due to the introduction of seat belt wearing (for drivers and front seat passengers in most cars and light vans). Similarly, the sharp rise in 1994 may be due in part to the change in hospital practices where more casualties were kept in overnight for observation.

Such factors change the underlying rate of occurrence of accidents and/or casualties, and therefore, in effect, introduce a break into the series of moving average values. The method used to calculate the likely range of random variation cannot take account of the effect of such changes.

Figure 4: Killed and seriously injured reported casualties showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Figure 4: Killed and seriously injured reported casualties showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Figure 5: Reported child (0-15) casualties: killed or seriously injured showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Figure 5: Reported child (0-15) casualties: killed or seriously injured showing likely range of values (see text) around 5-year moving average

Only Figure 4 has figures outwith the calculated interval due to the likely ranges of random year-to-year variation calculated for small numbers being quite wide in percentage terms. This is because, for a Poisson process (see Appendix G), by definition, the greater the frequency of occurrence of events, the smaller the proportion that the standard deviation of the frequency (which is the square root of that number) represents of that number. For example:

  • with 100 cases, the square root is 10 – or 10% of the value;
  • with 400 cases, the square root is 20 – 5% of the value;
  • with 10,000 cases, the square root is 100 – only 1% of the value.

As a result, if a factor (like the introduction of the compulsory wearing of front seat belts) were to cause the same percentage fall in each of the four types of accident and casualty numbers used in the charts, the following might be observed. The percentage fall could be within the relatively wide percentage range of likely random variation around the smaller numbers, but outwith the relatively narrow percentage range of likely random variation around the larger numbers. The ranges in Figures 2, 3 and 5 appear to be sufficiently wide to encompass the effects of changes such as those mentioned above. That is, the effects of the changes in their first years may fall within the likely range of random variation.

Of course, over the longer-term, such changes should make significant contributions to the reductions in casualty numbers and their severity. However, the intervals in Figure 4 include a much smaller than expected proportion of the figures. This is because the likely range of random variation for KSI casualties represents only a small percentage of the total, and factors like those mentioned above appear to have had a greater percentage effect than that in their first years.

Children killed or seriously injured (see Figure 5)

Figure 5 shows that the year-to-year fluctuations in the numbers of children killed or seriously injured (for the years for which figures are readily available) are generally within the expected ranges. The exceptions are around 1994, when health boards' policies changed, with the result that more child casualties were admitted to hospitals for overnight observation. This changed the classification of many injuries from slight to serious.

When changes in operational practice or to administrative processes have a marked effect on the statistics, the resulting year-to-year changes can be much greater than those expected to arise due to normal random year-to-year variation – so it is not surprising that there are figures outwith the expected ranges around 1994.

2. Reported Accidents

2.1 Accidents by road type and severity (see Table 4)

Table 4 shows separate figures for trunk roads and for local authority roads. Trunk roads accounted for a minority of the total numbers of accidents in 2018: 33% of fatal accidents, 20% of serious accidents, and 19% of all accidents. The trunk road network's shares of accident numbers in previous years were broadly similar.

Accident trends for different types of road will be affected by developments in the surrounding area (new city and town bypasses, construction of new roads with high average traffic flows etc.) Therefore, figures do not provide an accurate measure of the comparative change in the road safety performance of different types of road.

Several changes were made to the trunk road network with effect from 1st April 1996. Appendix E refers to them, and explains why the 1994-98 averages for trunk roads and for local authority major roads have been calculated by counting accidents which occurred prior to 1st April 1996 on the basis of whether they occurred on roads which were part of the post- 1 April 1996 trunk road network.

2.2 Accident rates (see Table 5)

Accident rates showing the number of accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres are contained in parts (b) and (c) of table 5. These are calculated by dividing the numbers of accidents on each type of road by the estimated volumes of traffic on those roads, which were provided by the Department for Transport, and which are available for all types of road with effect from 1993. The five year average accident rates were calculated by dividing the total number of accidents which occurred in each five year period by the total of the estimated volumes of traffic for the same period, rather than by calculating the averages of the individual accident rates for the five years.

Accident rates have fallen markedly since the early 1990s. The overall fatal accident rate has dropped from 0.66 per 100 million vehicle kilometres in 2005 to 0.31 in 2018; the serious accident rate fell from 5.12 to 2.84; and the overall accident rate (all severities) reduced from 29.71 per 100 million vehicle kilometres to 13.34. Motorways had consistently lower accident rates than A roads. Leaving aside the relatively low rate for fatal accidents, minor roads (taken together as a group) tend to have higher accident rates than major roads, and accident rates tend to be higher for built-up roads (roads with speed limits of up to 40 mph) than for non built-up roads (ones with higher speed limits).

Part C of the table shows that estimated accident rates vary considerably by police force area. Some of this variation may be attributed to the distribution of traffic by road type within individual areas.

2.3 Accidents by month by road type (see Table 6)

The numbers of injury accidents over the years 2014-2018 were fairly evenly spread throughout the year, with minor peaks in August and November. Serious accidents varied a little more between the months, and their peak, which occurred in June, was 17% above the monthly average. (Months are standardised to 30 days to allow comparison)

On average, there were 13 fatal accidents per month in the years 2014 to 2018. The number did not vary greatly between the months: the lowest average was 10, and the highest was 16.

2.4 Accidents by light condition and road surface condition (see Table 7)

The light and road surface conditions and the type of road (e.g. built-up) contribute to the severity of an accident. Severity rates are higher on non built-up roads than on built-up roads, likely due to the higher average speed. Severity rates are also higher in darkness than in daylight, likely due to poorer visibility.

Figure 6: Reported casualties: Total and Slightly injured - from 1950

Figure 6: Reported casualties: Total and Slightly injured - from 1950

For example, taking the annual averages for 2014-2018, 4.9% of injury road accidents on non built-up roads in darkness (35 out of 720) resulted in one or more deaths compared with 1.4% of accidents on built-up roads in darkness (19 out of 1,318) and 3.7% of accidents on non built-up roads in daylight (76 out of 2,082). However, the percentage of accidents classified as serious is lower for built-up roads in darkness than for built-up roads in daylight.

Severity rates did not appear to be higher when the road surface condition was wet, damp or flooded, or affected by snow, frost or ice. For example, taking the annual averages for 2014 to 2018, the percentage of accidents on non built-up roads classified as serious when the road surface condition was dry was 23.7% (345 out of 1,453) compared with 20.2% (235 out of 1,162) when the surface was wet and 15.2% (28 out of 184) when it was affected by snow, frost or ice.

2.5 Car driver accident rates (see Table 18b)

This table includes all car drivers involved in injury accidents regardless of whether they were injured or not, on the basis of whatever information is known about their ages and their sex. For example, someone whose sex was known, but whose age was not known, will be included in the all ages total for the appropriate sex. The grand total includes those for whom neither the age nor the sex was known.

As the car driver accident rates that are shown for each sex and age group are on a per head of population basis, rather than being based upon the numbers of driving licence holders or upon the distance driven, they can provide only a general indication of the relative accident rates for each group. The statistics do not provide a measure of the relative risk of each group as car drivers, because they do not take account of the differing levels of car driving by each group.

Age & Gender

Car driver accident rates per head of population vary markedly by age and sex. In 2018, the overall rate was 1.7 accidents per thousand population aged 17+. The peak occurs for males in the 17-25 age group, with a rate of 3.0 per thousand population in 2018. This rate is almost one and a half times those of females of the same age (2.0 per thousand in 2018).

The overall male car driver accident rate in 2018 was 2.2 per thousand population; slightly lower than 2017 with rates for all age groups except 60+ being lower than the previous year. The overall female car driver accident rate in 2018 was 1.4 per thousand population and all age groups except 60+ showing decreases from the previous year.

Between 2008 and 2018, the male car driver accident rate fell from 4.4 to 2.2 per thousand population, while the female car driver accident rate has declined slowly from 2.5 per thousand population to 1.4 per thousand in 2018. As a result, the overall, ratio of male to female car driver accident rates has fallen from 1.8 : 1 for 2008 to 1.6 : 1 in 2018.

3. Reported Casualties

3.1 Casualties by type of road (see Table 23)

In 2018, non built-up roads accounted for two-fifths of the total number of casualties (42%: 3,499 out of 8,411). However, because speeds are higher on non built-up roads than elsewhere (the definition is roads with a speed limit of more than 40mph), they accounted for almost three quarters of those killed (73%: 118 out of 161) and for just under half of the total number of seriously injured (49%: 782 out of 1,582).

Compared with 2008, the fall in the total number of casualties has been 47% for non built-up roads and 45% for those elsewhere. The difference in the numbers killed on non built-up roads is lower than those on built-up ones (down by 37% for non built-up roads compared with a reduction of 48% elsewhere). Over the years, some traffic will have been transferred away from built-up roads by the opening of city and town bypasses, and by the construction of non built-up roads with higher average traffic volumes. Therefore, these figures do not provide an accurate measure of the comparative change in the road safety performance of built-up and non built-up roads.

3.2 Casualties by mode of transport (see Table 23)

A total of 5,079 car users were injured in road accidents in 2018, representing 60% of all casualties. Of these car users, 75 died. There were 1,253 pedestrian casualties (15% of the total), of whom 34 died, 637 pedal cycle casualties (8% of the total), of whom 6 died, and 640 motorcycle casualties (8% of the total), of whom 33 died. Because of the numbers of car user, pedestrian, pedal cyclist and motorcyclist casualties, the figures for each of these four groups of road users are the subject of separate sections, which follow this one, and are followed by a section on child casualties, which gives details of their modes of transport.

Together, all the modes of transport other than the four mentioned above accounted for 802 casualties in 2018 (10% of the total), and for smaller percentages of the numbers of seriously injured. These included 230 bus and coach users injured in 2018, of whom 35 suffered serious injuries (two died). There were also 319 casualties who were travelling in light goods vehicles, 73 people in heavy goods vehicles, 104 users of taxis, 20 users of minibuses and 56 people with another means of transport.

3.3 Car user casualties

A total of 5,079 car users were injured in road accidents in 2018, representing 60% of all casualties. Of these people, a total of 667 were seriously injured, 75 died. Non built-up roads accounted for just over a half of all car user casualties (52%: 2,669 out of 5,079). Perhaps because average speeds are higher on non-built up roads, they accounted for much higher percentages of the total numbers of car users who were killed (88%: 66 out of 75) or were seriously injured (71%: 472 out of 667). (see Table 23)

The number of car users killed in 2018 was 17% more than the 2017 figure. The number who were seriously injured rose by 1% and the total number of casualties of all severities was down by 11%. Since 2008, the number killed has dropped by 51%, and there have been falls of 45% in the number who were seriously injured and of 47% in the total number of car user casualties. (see Table 23)

Looking at annual averages over the years 2014-2018, the casualty rate for 16-22 year old car users was 2.43 per thousand population. This was much higher than the rate for car users in the older age groups, which varied from 0.73 to 2.05 per thousand population. (see Table 32)

On average, over the years 2014-2018, 71% of car user fatalities occurred on roads with a speed limit of 60mph. Such roads accounted for 58% of those car users who were seriously injured, but for only 36% of the total number of car user casualties of all severities, where more casualties occurred on roads with a 30 mph limit (41%). (see Table 33)

Figure 7: Reported casualties: 5 year moving average (1947-51 to 2014-18)

Figure 7: Reported casualties: 5 year moving average (1947-51 to 2014-18)

Adult car users

On weekdays, the peak time for adult car user casualties was from 4pm to 6pm. The 5pm to 6pm average of 399 (the average over the years 2014-2018) was 36% higher than the average of 294 in the morning 8am to 9am peak. (see Table 28)

Adult car user casualties varied by month, with fewest in September and most in November. November had 16% more adult car user casualties than September (annual averages over the years 2014-2018; months standardised to 30 days). (see Table 29)

Friday had the peak numbers of adult car user casualties over the years 2014-2018 with 14% more than the average daily number of adult car user casualties. (see Table 30)

3.4 Pedestrian casualties

There were 1,253 pedestrian casualties in 2018: 15% of all casualties. Of these, 362 were seriously injured and 34 died. Presumably due to the number of pedestrians and because of their greater vulnerability, a higher proportion of the total number of people who were killed (21%) and seriously injured (23%) were pedestrians. In addition, 29% of pedestrian casualties were seriously injured (362 out of 1,253) compared with serious for all modes of 19% (1,582 out of 8,411). 95% of pedestrian casualties occurred on built-up roads (1,196 out of 1,253) in 2018. (see Table 23)

The number of pedestrians seriously injured was 4% lower than 2017 and the overall number of pedestrian casualties was 8% lower. Since 2008, the number of pedestrians killed has fallen by 43%, the number who were seriously injured has dropped by 44%, and there has been a 52% reduction in the total number of pedestrian casualties. Looking at the annual average for the period 2014 to 2018, the pedestrian fatality rate was highest for those aged 70+ (0.02 per thousand population). However, the 12-15 age-group had the highest 'serious' and 'all severities' pedestrian casualty rates (0.19 and 0.84 per thousand population, respectively). The corresponding casualty rates for the 5-11 age-group were slightly lower. (see Tables 23 & 32)

The overall pedestrian 'all severities' casualty rate for males was 0.34 per thousand population, compared with 0.24 per thousand for females, using the averages for the period 2014 to 2018. (see Table 34)

Adult pedestrian casualties

On average in the period 2014 to 2018, the peak time for adult pedestrian casualties during the week was from 4pm to 6pm; at weekends it was from 4pm to 7pm. (see Table 28)

November and December were the peak months for adult pedestrian casualties, with each having 41-42% more than the monthly average. Adult pedestrian casualties in the four winter months, November to February, were 32% more than the monthly average (annual averages over the years 2014-2018; months standardised to 30 days). (see Table 29)

Thursday and Friday have the highest numbers of adult pedestrian casualties; respectively 3% and 29% more than the daily average over the period 2014 to 2018. (see Table 30)

3.5 Pedal Cycle Casualties

There were 637 pedal cycle casualties in 2018, 91 less than the previous year. The number of seriously injured pedal cycle casualties in 2018 was 156, 9% lower than in 2017. There were 6 pedal cycle fatalities in 2018, one more than 2017. Since 2008 there has been a 13% decrease in all pedal cycle casualties, the number who were seriously injured has increased by one, and the number of fatalities has fluctuated between 5 and 13. In 2018, 87% of pedal cycle casualties were on built-up roads (see Table 23). But 59% of all fatalities over the last five years were on non-built up roads. It should be noted that pedal cycle traffic 1 is estimated to have increased by 15 per cent since 2008.

In terms of the averages for the period 2014 to 2018, the pedal cycle casualty rate per head of population was highest for those aged 30-39 and 40-49 (both 0.24 per thousand population) and 23-25 and 26-29 (0.19 and 0.21 per thousand respectively). Of course, it must be remembered that, as noted earlier, per capita casualty rates do not provide a measure of the relative risk, because they do not take account of the levels of usage of (in this case) pedal cycles. (see Table 32)

Adult pedal cycle casualties

Using the averages for the period 2014 to 2018, on weekdays, the peak numbers of adult pedal cycle casualties were from 4 pm to 7 pm and from 7 am to 9 am. At weekends the numbers were smaller, but appear to peak between 11 am to 12 mid-day. (see Table 28)

The peak months of the year for adult pedal cycle casualties were August and September which were 23-27% more than the monthly average (2014-2018 annual averages standardised to 30 days). (see Table 29)

The day of the week with the peak numbers of adult pedal cycle casualties was Wednesday, 27% higher than the daily average, over the years 2014-2018. There were substantially fewer adult pedal cycle casualties on Sunday, 43% less than the daily average. (see Table 30)

1 Scottish Transport Statistics chapter 5 table 5.3

3.6 Motorcyclist casualties

A total of 640 motorcyclists were injured in road accidents in 2018, representing 8% of all casualties. Of these, 283 were seriously injured and 33 died. 53% of all motorcyclist casualties occurred on non built-up roads but (perhaps because of their higher average speeds) such roads accounted for almost 66% of those seriously injured, and 85% of those killed. (see Table 23)

The number of motorcyclist casualties in 2018 was 3% higher than in the previous year. The number killed rose by 4 and the number seriously injured increased by 2. The total number of motorcycle casualties rose each year from 1999 to a peak in 2001; since then, it has tended to decline. As a result, the figure for all casualties in 2018 was 39% lower than in 2008. One less motorcyclist died in 2018 than in 2008. (see Table 23)

On average, over the years 2014 to 2018, the motorcyclist casualty rate was highest for the 16-22 and 23-25 age groups (both 0.25 per thousand population) followed by the 26-29 and 40-49 year old age groups (both 0.21 per thousand population respectively); other age-groups had smaller casualty rates. (see Table 32)

Looking at the averages for the period 2014 to 2018, the peak time of day for adult motorcyclist casualties was 4pm to 6pm on weekdays (see Table 28), the peak month of the year was June (94 casualties), amidst a general peak from May to September (see Table 29) and there were more casualties at the weekend than on any of the other days (see Table 30).

3.7 Child (0-15) casualties

There were 753 child casualties in 2018, representing 9% of the total number of casualties of all ages. Of the child casualties, 142 were seriously injured, and 3 died (see Table 24).

There was one more child killed in 2018 than in 2017 and a fall of 7% in the number of children seriously injured. The total number of child casualties fell by 16% since 2017. Since 2008, the number of children killed has fallen by 17 and there has been a reduction of 49% in child seriously injured casualties. (see Table A and Table 25)

In terms of the averages for the period 2014 to 2018, on weekdays, the peak time for child casualties was from 3pm to 5pm, with 29% of all weekday casualties in those two hours. A further 27% occurred in the three hours between 5pm and 8pm There was a smaller peak in the morning, between 8am and 9am There was no real clear peak at weekends: the numbers of casualties were very broadly the same each hour from 12 noon to 7pm (see Table 27)

August was the peak month for child casualties, with 19% more than in an average month. February had 8% and September 12% more than an average month. (2014-2018 annual averages standardised to 30 days). (see Table 29)

Using the averages for 2014 to 2018, Thursday was the peak day of the week for child casualties, with 17% more than an average day. Sunday, on the other hand, had 22% less than an average day. (see Table 30)

Child (0-15) casualties by mode of transport

In 2018, there were 334 child pedestrian casualties. They accounted for 27% of all pedestrian casualties of all ages (334 out of 1,253). Of the child pedestrian casualties, 96 were seriously injured and 2 died. (see Table 24)

There were 64 child pedal cycle casualties in 2018 (10% of the total of 637 pedal cycle casualties of all ages). The child pedal cycle casualties included 15 who were seriously injured, none died. (see Table 24)

In 2018, there were 316 child casualties in cars, 6% of the total number of car user casualties of all ages (316 out of 5,079). Of the child casualties in cars, 29 were seriously injured (none died). (see Tables 23 and 25)

Child (0-15) casualty rates (per head of population)

Children's casualty rates (per head of population) increase with age: using the averages for the years 2014-2018 taken together, for children aged 0-4 the rate was 0.49 per thousand population, whereas it was 1.08 per thousand for those aged 5-11 and for the 12-15 age group it was 1.59 per thousand. The pedestrian casualty rate for younger children (0-4 years) was 27% of that for 5-11 and 17% of the 12-15 year old rate. (see Table 32)

The pedestrian casualty rate for boys seriously injured in the 0-4 age group was three times that for girls. The difference between the sexes was even more pronounced in the case of the driver or rider casualty rates. (see Table 34)

The overall child pedestrian casualty rate at 0.48 per thousand child population was almost two times higher than the corresponding rate for adult pedestrian casualties. (see Table 32)

3.8 Casualty rates for local authority roads by local authority area, and the likely range of random year-to-year variation in these figures(see Appendix H)

There can be some large percentage year-to-year fluctuations in the numbers of some types of casualty for local authority areas. In order to illustrate this, the table and charts in Appendix H were initially prepared in 2006 and published in Road Accidents Scotland 2005. They have now been updated using data for 2014 to 2018. They provide the following overall casualty rates (calculated per 100 million vehicle kilometres) for local authority roads in each local authority area for 2018:

  • (all ages) killed casualty rate;
  • (all ages) seriously injured casualty rate;
  • child killed and seriously injured casualty rate(combined in one chart due to small numbers);
  • slight casualty rate

These figures were calculated (or taken) from the data in two of the tables in this publication:

  • the numbers of children killed and seriously injured, and the total number of people killed and seriously injured – Table 40; and
  • the number of slight casualties, the estimated volume of traffic (in millions of vehicle kilometres) and the resulting slight casualty rate – Table 41.

The table in Appendix H also shows the likely upper and lower limits of the ranges within which these casualty rates would be expected to fall, given the likely random statistical variation that might affect the number of casualties in that year. Based on statistical theory, one would expect that the actual figures would be outwith these ranges in only about 5% of cases. The text in Appendix H describes how the ranges were calculated, using the annual averages for 2014 to 2018, as that is the five year period centred on 2018 (the year to which the casualty rates relate). That is why the table and charts are not for 2018: the calculation of ranges for 2018 would require the annual averages for 2018 to 2020. When the table and charts were prepared, 2018 was the latest year for which data were available.

The charts which accompany the Appendix H table show the actual casualty rates for 2018, casualty rates based upon the 2014-2018 annual averages, and the likely ranges of values within which the 2018 rates might fall, given the likely levels of random statistical variation in that year (calculated from the 2014-2018 annual averages). The 2018 rates are identified by black diamonds, the rates based upon the 2014-2018 annual averages by small circles, and the likely ranges of values by the thin bars which extend to either side of the small circles. (In any case where the 5 year average is zero, there is no likely range of values as, by definition, the value for 2018 could only be zero). For example, the slight casualty rate chart shows that (for local authority roads in 2018):

  • Moray had the lowest slight casualty rate (8.3 per 100 million vehicle-kilometres) and Glasgow the highest (60.9 per 100 million vehicle kilometres), as can be seen from the table;
  • Orkney and North Ayrshire had the widest likely ranges of values. This is due to their having relatively few slight casualties (2014-2018 annual averages of 15 and 140, respectively). The smaller the casualty numbers are, the greater in percentage terms the potential random year-to-year variation (this is discussed in Section 1.4 and Appendix G). Edinburgh and Glasgow have much narrower likely ranges of values, because their numbers of slight casualties on local authority roads are much larger (2014-2018 annual averages of 980 and 1,114 respectively). The Scotland figure (at the foot of the chart) has a very narrow likely range of values, because it is based on an annual average of 6,775 in 2014-18.
  • Few local authorities had slight casualty rates that were markedly outwith the likely range of values;
  • Glasgow had a slight casualty rate (61 per 100 million vehicle-kilometres) which was above the higher limit (of 57 per 100 million vehicle-kilometres) of the estimated likely range of values – in other words, the slight casualty rate that year was unusually high, compared with what would have been expected on the basis of the casualty numbers for the five-year period.

4. Motorists, breath testing and drink-driving

4.1 Breath testing of drivers (see Tables 19, 20 and 21)

These tables cover all motorists who were known to be involved in injury road accidents (excluding, for example, those untraced drivers involved in hit and run accidents). Here, a motorist is defined as the driver or the rider of a motor vehicle (including, for example, motorcyclists)

In 2018, 55% of motorists involved in injury accidents were asked for a breath test (this ranged from 41% to 75% across the police force divisions). The breath test proved positive (or the motorist refused to take the test) for 3% of those drivers breathalysed. This represented 1.6% of the total number of motorists involved in accidents (including those who were not asked for a breath test). There has been a general downward trend in these percentages in the last couple of years as seen in table 19.

Tables 20 and 21 show the time and day of the accident (Table 20) and for a number of years (Table 21). Table 21 shows that, in 2018, of the 176 positive / refused cases, 35% occurred between 9 pm and 3 am [19% between 9 pm and midnight, plus 16% between midnight and 3 am.] Table 20 shows that, using 2014 to 2018 averages, the number of positive / refused cases, expressed as a percentage of motorists involved in accidents, was highest (at around 25%) between midnight and 6 am, but varied depending upon the day of the week, from 7% (the average for 3 am to 6 am for Mondays to Thursdays) to 18-19% (3 am to 6 am on Saturdays and Sundays). Table 20 shows that although the period from 9 pm to midnight had the second highest number of positive / refused cases, the equivalent percentages were not as high, because between 9 pm and midnight there were many more motorists involved in accidents than between midnight and 3 am.

4.2 Drink-drive accidents and casualties (see Table 22)

Table 22 shows the estimates (made by the Department for Transport) of the numbers of injury road accidents involving illegal alcohol levels. They are higher than the number of drivers with positive breath test results (or who refused to take the breath test) because they include allowances for the numbers of cases where drivers were not breath tested because of the severity of their injuries, or because they left the scene of the accident. Information about the blood alcohol levels of road users who died within 12 hours of being injured in a road accident is supplied by the Procurators Fiscal.

The estimates show that the numbers of drink-drive accidents fell by 60% and the number of casualties by 49% between 2007 and 2017 (the latest year for which estimates are available): from a rounded estimate of 670 to roughly 270 (accidents) and from around 940 to some 410 (casualties). While fluctuating from year to year, the number of people killed as a result of drink-drive accidents is estimated to be the a third of the number in 2017 as it was in 2007 at 10. The number of serious casualties is estimated to have dropped by almost half (from roughly 150 in 2007 to some 80 in 2017).

5. Comparisons of Scottish figures against those of other countries

5.1 Casualty rates: against England & Wales (see Tables C to F on the pages which follow)

Historically, killed casualty rates per head of population in Scotland have been above those for England & Wales, whereas the serious and total casualty rate is usually lower in Scotland than in England & Wales. In 2018, Scotland's casualty rates were 8% higher (killed), 28% lower (serious) and 40% lower (all severities).

Child rates

In 2018, the Scottish rates were 10% lower (serious) than those in England and Wales and 31% lower (all severities). In the case of serious and all casualties this represented an improvement in Scotland's figures relative to England & Wales (compared with the 2004-08 average).

Due to the relatively small number of fatalities a 5 year average is used for comparison here. In the period 2014-2018, child fatality rates in Scotland were on average 40% higher than England and Wales, however, in 3 of the five years the rates were lower.

It should be noted that the ratio of the fatality rates for Scotland and for England and Wales can fluctuate markedly from year to year, particularly for the child fatality rates due to the relatively small numbers in Scotland, (which may be subject to year-to-year changes which are large in percentage terms). Therefore, subsequent paragraphs do not refer to the fatality rates for children using different modes of transport. In addition, it should be remembered that the rates for some other sub-groups may be affected by year-to-year fluctuations: for example, the numbers are relatively small for most categories of child killed and seriously injured casualties in Scotland.

Mode of transport

The casualty rates of car users in Scotland have for many years been substantially higher than those of England & Wales for killed and seriously injured casualties, while for all severities the rate has been much lower. However, in 2018, although Scotland's car user fatality rate was 17% higher than that of England & Wales, the seriously injured rate was 16% lower and the all severity car user rate was 38% lower. For child car users, the seriously injured rate was 6% higher in Scotland and the all severities rate was 32% less than that of England and Wales.

In 2018, the pedestrian killed rate per capita was 13% lower in Scotland than England & Wales, and the serious and all severities rates were 27% and 36% lower respectively. The child pedestrian casualty rates in Scotland were lower for killed (5%), seriously injured was the same and it was lower for all severities (19%) compared to those for England & Wales.

Pedal cyclists casualty rates (all ages) in Scotland were substantially lower than in England & Wales in 2018 for seriously injured (52% lower) and for all severities (59% lower). The child pedal cycle casualty serious and all severities rates were also lower in Scotland than in England & Wales. These differences may reflect the fact that, according to the National Travel Survey, on average, people in Scotland do not travel as far by bicycle as people in England and Wales.

Further information about the numbers of casualties in England and Wales, and for Great Britain as a whole, can be found in Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2018, which is published by the Department for Transport.

5.2 Road deaths: International comparison 2017 & 2018 (provisional) (see Tables G and H)

Introduction

This section compares Scotland's road death rates in 2017 and 2018 (provisional) with the fatality rates of some countries in Western Europe and some developed countries world-wide. The comparisons involve a total of up to 44 countries (including Scotland, and counting each of the UK, Great Britain, England, Wales and Northern Ireland as an individual country). The fatality rates were calculated on a per capita basis (the statistics given are rates per million population), and the countries were then listed in order of their fatality rates in Table G sections (a), (b), (c) and (d). In cases where two countries appear to have the same rate, the order takes account of decimal places which are not shown in the tables. A table of car user fatality rates which were calculated on a per motor vehicle basis is no longer shown due to a lack of consistent data.

Tables G and H were provided by the Department for Transport, which obtained the figures for foreign countries from the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) Web site, the address of which is: http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?r=528201&erroCode=403&lastaction=login_submit#

In accordance with the commonly agreed international definition, most countries define a fatality as being due to a road accident if death occurs within 30 days of the accident. However, the official road accident statistics of some countries limit the fatalities to those occurring within shorter periods after the accident. The numbers of deaths, and the death rates, which appear in the IRTAD tables take account of the adjustment factors used by the Economic Commission for Europe and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport to represent standardised 30-day numbers of deaths.

Latest Results

In 2018, Scotland's provisional overall road death rate of 30 per million population was the fifth lowest of the 42 countries surveyed (counting each of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a separate country, but not counting the overall GB and UK figures).

Pedestrians

In 2017, Scotland's pedestrian fatality rate was 7 per million population. Scotland ranked thirteenth of the 41 countries for which figures are available (again counting Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland separately, and again not counting the GB and UK figures).

Car Users

When the car user fatality rate is calculated on a per capita basis, Scotland has a car user fatality rate of 12 per million population: the fifth lowest of 40 countries, again not counting the GB and UK figures.

Age

The fatality rates per head of population for up to 34 countries (including Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland as separate countries, but not counting the overall GB and UK figures) are shown, for each of four broad age-groups, in Table H. Again, the ordering takes account of decimal places not shown in the table. In most cases, Scotland has one of the lowest rates per capita. The Scottish rate is the second lowest for casualties aged 0-14. It was the third lowest for those aged 15-24, sixth lowest for those aged 25-64 and fourth lowest for 65+ (in each case, not counting the overall GB and UK figures).

International comparisons of road safety are based on road death rates, as this is the only basis for which there is an international standard definition. As indicated above, the OECD IRTAD tables provide comparable figures for each country, after making adjustments to the data for countries which do not collect their figures on the standard basis. One should not try to compare different countries' overall road accident casualty rates (i.e. the total numbers killed or injured, relative to the population of each country) because there is no internationally-adopted standard definition of an injury road accident. There are considerable differences between countries in the coverage of their injury road accident statistics. For example, many countries count only accidents which result in someone being admitted to hospital – so their figures would not include the kinds of accident which, in Britain, are classified as causing only slight injuries or certain types of serious injury. Because many countries' definitions of injury road accidents are much narrower than the definition used in the UK, their reported numbers of injury road accidents will appear low relative to ours – so comparing the reported numbers of people injured in road accidents may provide a misleading impression of different countries' road safety records.

Table C: Reported casualties in Scotland, England & Wales by severity
Number of casualties  :  All ages and child casualties
Scotland            England & Wales
  Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities
1.  All Ages
(a)  Numbers
2004-08 ave 292 2,605 17,097 3,016 28,513 257,789
2014 203 1,701 11,302 1,575 21,113 183,237
2015 168 1,602 10,977 1,568 20,547 175,239
2016 191 1,697 10,897 1,601 22,407 170,501
2017 145 1,594 9,433 1,647 23,242 161,566
2018 161 1,582 8,411 1,624 23,931 152,203
2014-2018 ave 174 1,635 10,204 1,603 22,248 168,549
(b)  Per cent changes:
2018 on 2017 11.0 -0.8 -10.8 -1.4 3.0 -5.8
2018 on 2004-08 ave. -44.8 -39.3 -50.8 -46.1 -16.1 -41.0
2014-18 ave. on 04-08 ave -40.5 -37.2 -40.3 -46.8 -22.0 -34.6
2. Reported child casualties1
(a)  Numbers
2004-08 ave 15 325 2,019 144 3,169 26,090
2014 7 171 1,029 46 1,858 15,703
2015 4 140 971 49 1,771 15,133
2016 12 167 999 57 1,864 14,963
2017 2 153 900 46 1,945 14,808
2018 3 142 753 45 1,948 13,502
2014-2018 ave 6 155 930 49 1,877 14,822
(b)  Per cent changes:
2018 on 2017 50.0 -7.2 -16.3 -2.2 0.2 -8.8
2018 on 2004-08 ave. -80.5 -56.4 -62.7 -68.8 -38.5 -48.2
2014-18 ave. on 04-08 ave -63.6 -52.5 -53.9 -66.3 -40.8 -43.2
Table D: Reported casualties in Scotland, England & Wales by severity
Rates per 1,000 population  :  All ages and child casualties      
Scotland England & Wales Scotland % of England & Wales
Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities
1.  All Ages percentages
(a)  Rates per 1,000 population
2004-08 ave .06 .51 3.33 .06 .53 4.78 102 96 70
2014 .04 .32 2.11 .03 .37 3.19 138 86 66
2015 .03 .30 2.04 .03 .35 3.03 115 84 67
2016 .04 .31 2.01 .03 .38 2.90 129 82 69
2017 .03 .29 1.74 .03 .40 2.75 95 74 63
2018 .03 .29 1.55 .03 .40 2.57 108 72 60
2014-2018 ave .03 .30 1.89 .03 .38 2.89 117 79 65
(b)  Per cent changes:
2018 on 2017 10.8 -1.0 -11.1 -2.0 2.3 -6.4
2018 on 2004-08 ave. -47.8 -42.6 -53.5 -50.8 -23.4 -46.1
2014-18 ave. on 04-08 ave -43.3 -40.2 -43.2 -50.8 -27.8 -39.5
2. Reported child casualties1 percentages
(a)  Rates per 1,000 population
2004-08 ave .02 .35 2.18 .01 .31 2.51 119 115 87
2014 .01 .19 1.13 .00 .17 1.45 181 110 78
2015 .00 .15 1.06 .00 .16 1.38 98 95 77
2016 .01 .18 1.10 .01 .17 1.37 253 108 80
2017 .00 .17 .98 .00 .17 1.32 53 96 74
2018 .00 .15 .82 .00 .17 1.19 82 90 69
2014-2018 ave .01 .17 1.02 .00 .17 1.34 140 100 76
(b)  Per cent changes:
2018 on 2017 49.7 -7.4 -16.5 -3.2 -0.9 -9.7
2018 on 2004-08 ave. -80.3 -55.9 -62.3 -71.3 -43.6 -52.5
2014-18 ave. on 04-08 ave -63.1 -51.8 -53.3 -68.4 -44.5 -46.8      

1 Child 0-15 years

Table E: Reported casualties in Scotland, England & Wales by mode of transport and severity, 2018
Scotland            England & Wales
  Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities
1. All ages
Pedestrian 34 362 1,253 423 5,420 21,185
Pedal cycle 6 156 637 93 3,551 16,914
Car 75 667 5,079 699 8,661 88,784
Bus/coach 2 35 230              6 309 3,571
Other 44 362 1,212 403 5,990 21,749
Total 161 1,582 8,411 1,624 23,931 152,203
2. Child casualties1
Pedestrian 2 96 334 26 1,180 5,088
Pedal cycle 0 15 64 5 311 1,891
Car 0 29 316 14 338 5,685
Bus/coach 0 0 19 0 24 558
Other 1 2 20 0 95 280
Total 3 142 753 45 1,948 13,502
Table F: Reported casualties in Scotland, England & Wales by mode of transport and severity, 2018
Rate per 1,000 population :  All ages and child casualties
Scotland            England & Wales Scotland % of England & Wales
  Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities Killed Serious All severities
1. All ages percentages
Pedestrian .01 .07 .23 .01 .09 .36 87 73 64
Pedal cycle .00 .03 .12 .00 .06 .29 70 48 41
Car .01 .12 .93 .01 .15 1.50 117 84 62
Bus/coach .00 .01 .04 .00 .01 .06 362 123 70
Other .01 .07 .22 .01 .10 .37 119 66 61
Total .03 .29 1.55 .03 .40 2.57 108 72 60
2. Child casualties1
Pedestrian .00 .10 .36 .00 .10 .45 95 100 81
Pedal cycle - .02 .07 .00 .03 .17 n/a 59 42
Car - .03 .34 .00 .03 .50 n/a 106 68
Bus/coach - - .02 - .00 .05 n/a n/a 42
Other .00 .00 .02 - .01 .02 n/a 26 88
Total .00 .15 .82 .00 .17 1.19 82 90 69

1 Child 0-15 years

Table G: Fatality rates per capita, for (a) All road users 2017 and 2018 provisional;
(a) All road users 2018 (Provisional 3 ) (a) All road users 2017
  Per million population   Per million population
  Numbers killed  Rate Index   Numbers killed  Rate Index
Norway 108 20 69 Norway 106 20 75
England 1,521 27 92 Sweden 252 25 94
Switzerland 233 27 93 Scotland 146 27 100
Great Britain 1,785 28 93 Switzerland 230 27 102
United Kingdom 1,840 28 94 England 1,544 28 103
Northern Ireland 55 29 99 Great Britain 1,793 28 104
Scotland 161 30 100 United Kingdom 1,856 28 104
Denmark 175 30 102 Denmark 175 30 113
Ireland 148 31 103 Wales 103 33 122
Sweden 324 32 108 Irish Republic 159 33 123
Wales 103 33 111 Northern Ireland 63 34 125
Japan 4,166 33 111 Japan 4,431 35 130
Israel 316 36 120 Netherlands 613 36 133
Malta 18 38 128 Estonia 48 36 136
Spain 1,806 39 131 Germany 3,180 39 143
Netherlands 678 39 133 Spain 1,830 39 146
Germany 3,275 40 134 Malta 19 41 153
Finland 225 41 138 Israel 364 42 155
Slovakia 229 42 142 Luxembourg 25 42 157
Slovenia 91 44 149 Finland 238 43 161
Australia 1,145 46 155 Austria 414 47 175
Austria 409 46 157 Iceland 16 47 176
Canada 1,804 49 164 Australia 1,225 50 185
France 3,259 49 164 Slovenia 104 50 187
Estonia 67 51 172 Canada 1,841 50 187
Iceland 18 52 174 Slovakia 276 51 189
Belgium 604 53 179 France 3,448 52 192
Italy 3,310 55 185 Belgium 609 54 199
Portugal 606 59 199 Cyprus 46 54 200
Luxembourg 36 60 202 Czech Republic 577 55 203
Lithuania 170 61 204 Italy 3,378 56 207
Cyprus 53 61 207 Portugal 602 58 217
Czech Republic 656 62 209 Hungary 625 64 237
Greece 690 64 217 Lithuania 192 67 250
Hungary 629 64 217 Greece 731 68 252
Republic of Korea 3,781 73 247 Latvia 136 70 259
Poland 2,862 75 255 Poland 2,831 75 277
Latvia 148 77 258 New Zealand 379 79 294
Croatia 317 77 261 Croatia 331 80 296
New Zealand 380 78 263 Republic of Korea 4,182 81 302
Serbia 546 78 263 Serbia 579 82 306
Romania 1,867 96 323 Bulgaria 682 96 357
Bulgaria 682 97 327 Romania 1,951 99 369
USA 36,750 112 379 United States of America 37,133 114 424

1 In accordance with the commonly agreed international definition, most countries define a fatality as one being due to a road accident where death occurs within 30 days of the accident. The official road accident statistics of some countries however, limit the fatalities to those occurring within shorter periods after the accident. Numbers of deaths and death rates in the above table have been adjusted according to the factors used by the Economic Commission for Europe and the International Transport Forum (ITF) (formerly known as ECMT) to represent standardised 30-day deaths:  Italy (7 days) +8%; France (6 days) +5.7%;  Portugal (1 day) +14%; Republic of Korea (3 days) +15%.

2 Source: International Road Traffic and Accident Database (OECD), ETSC, EUROSTAT and CARE (EU road accidents database).

3. The 2018 figures presented for Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom use Scotland’s finalised fatality numbers.

Table G: Fatality rates per capita, for (c) Pedestrians and (d) Car users - 2017;
(c) Pedestrians (d) Car users 
Per million population Per million population
Numbers killed  Rate Index   Numbers killed  Rate Index
Iceland 0 0 0 Japan 928 7 61
Norway 10 2 27 Switzerland 78 9 77
Denmark 20 3 50 Norway 56 11 89
Sweden 37 4 53 Netherlands 194 11 95
Netherlands 64 4 53 Scotland 65 12 100
Slovenia 10 5 69 England 669 12 100
Finland 27 5 70 Great Britain 787 12 102
Switzerland 47 6 80 Israel 107 12 102
Germany 483 6 84 United Kingdom 823 12 104
Ireland 30 6 90 Sweden 130 13 109
Luxembourg 4 7 97 Republic of Korea 793 15 129
Australia 167 7 97 Wales 53 17 142
Scotland 38 7 100 Spain 799 17 143
Wales 22 7 100 Denmark 99 17 144
France 484 7 103 Germany 1,434 17 145
Great Britain 470 7 105 Ireland 89 19 155
United Kingdom 485 7 105 Northern Ireland 36 19 161
England 410 7 105 Portugal 204 20 165
Spain 351 8 108 Estonia 27 21 171
Estonia 10 8 109 Austria 182 21 173
Northern Ireland 15 8 114 Luxembourg 13 22 184
New Zealand 39 8 116 Slovenia 48 23 194
Canada 299 8 117 Australia 593 24 201
Belgium 95 8 119 Italy 1,464 24 202
Austria 74 8 120 Finland 133 24 202
Italy 600 10 141 Belgium 285 25 210
Greece 118 11 156 Czech Republic 279 26 220
Czech Republic 129 12 174 France 1,767 26 221
Portugal 130 13 180 Greece 286 27 222
Israel 112 13 183 Iceland 9 27 222
Japan 1,637 13 184 Hungary 277 28 236
Croatia 56 13 192 Latvia 59 30 253
Cyprus 14 16 234 Lithuania 87 31 255
Hungary 170 17 248 Canada 1122 31 256
USA 5977 18 262 Poland 1,295 34 285
Serbia 141 20 286 Serbia 271 38 321
Poland 873 23 328 USA 13363 41 343
Lithuania 68 24 341 Romania 812 41 345
Latvia 51 26 373 Croatia 187 45 376
Republic of Korea 1675 33 465 New Zealand 252 53 439
Romania 733 37 533
Table H: Road accident fatality rates per capita, by age group, ranked by respective rates - 2017;
Per million  Per million 
(a) 0-14 years pop Index (b) 15-24 years pop Index
Luxembourg 0 0 Norway 19 63
Scotland 1 100 Japan 26 84
Portugal 2 180 Scotland 31 100
Denmark 3 270 Netherlands 33 108
Great Britain 4 317 Sweden 35 113
England 4 327 England 39 125
United Kingdom 4 329 Great Britain 39 125
Norway 4 369 United Kingdom 39 127
Sweden 5 393 Switzerland 41 132
Japan 5 393 Korea 41 133
Switzerland 5 413 Spain 45 144
Spain 5 432 Denmark 46 148
Italy 5 454 Portugal 47 153
Netherlands 5 466 Germany 54 174
Germany 6 477 Wales 54 176
Wales 6 492 Lithuania 57 183
Austria 6 547 Italy 63 205
Australia 7 596 Serbia 64 206
Belgium 7 628 Iceland 64 206
Czech Republic 7 630 Austria 66 212
Greece 8 667 Belgium 68 219
France 8 732 Israel 70 227
Finland 9 773 Finland 71 230
Korea 9 784 Czech Republic 71 230
Slovenia 10 840 Canada 71 231
Poland 10 844 Slovenia 71 231
Israel 11 982 Australia 74 240
Canada 13 1103 France 84 271
New Zealand 14 1203 Luxembourg 85 276
Lithuania 14 1228 Chile 100 323
Serbia 17 1451 Greece 101 326
United States 19 1624 Poland 101 327
Chile 21 1808 New Zealand 119 385
Iceland 30 2587 United States 153 493
(c) 25-64 years (d) 65+ years
Norway 21 70 Norway 37 93
Japan 24 82 England 39 100
Switzerland 24 83 Sweden 39 100
Sweden 25 84 Scotland 40 100
Netherlands 29 98 Great Britain 40 101
Scotland 29 100 United Kingdom 40 101
Denmark 29 101 Wales 45 114
England 30 101 Switzerland 46 116
Great Britain 30 101 Denmark 47 118
United Kingdom 30 102 Luxembourg 48 120
Wales 32 109 Spain 53 133
Germany 36 125 Slovenia 54 136
Israel 38 129 Germany 57 144
Finland 40 135 Canada 60 152
Spain 43 146 Netherlands 60 152
Luxembourg 44 150 Austria 62 157
Iceland 45 154 Iceland 63 160
Austria 49 167 Finland 63 161
Australia 50 171 France 68 171
Canada 53 180 Japan 71 180
France 53 182 Belgium 72 182
Italy 55 186 Czech Republic 75 191
Slovenia 56 192 Australia 80 202
Czech Republic 58 197 Italy 82 208
Belgium 58 198 Greece 83 210
Portugal 65 223 Portugal 84 212
Korea 67 229 Lithuania 91 230
Greece 71 243 Israel 95 241
Lithuania 74 253 New Zealand 95 242
Poland 77 263 Poland 107 271
New Zealand 86 295 Serbia 121 307
Serbia 89 305 United States 133 338
Chile 121 413 Chile 151 383
United States 132 450 Korea 250 633

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