More work needed to reduce road injuries

Figures released by Transport Scotland show there were17 people seriously injured in road accidents in East Renfrewshire last year, and a further 100 people suffered less serious injuries.

These figures are similar to those the four-year average figures for 2012-16.

During this period, there was an average of one death each year, 14 serious injuries and 102 other injuries.

However, while the downward trend is encouraging locally, across Scotland there was a rise in the number of deaths from road accidents.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf says the Scottish Government and road safety partners will “redouble our efforts in order to reach our ambitious and challenging casualty reduction targets set out in Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020”.

He added: “I am resolute in my determination to save lives and to meet the ultimate vision set out in the Framework, where no one is killed on Scotland’s roads.”

Sandy Allan, road safety manager for RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Scotland, stressed it was important to look behind the figures.

He said: “What we must remember is that these are not just statistics, but real people who have been killed and hurt on our roads, and real families whose lives have been irrevocably changed due to an accident that didn’t have to happen.”

Jason Wakeford, spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity, added: “While progress is being made, there is far more work to be done.

“We urge the Scottish Government to implement a default 20mph limit in built up areas, accompanied by additional speed enforcement on roads by the police.”