Transport Secretary comments on reported road casualty statistics 2023
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said:
"While the drop in the number of fatalities on our roads is welcome, we must never forget that behind every one of these statistics is a person or a household that has been changed forever. One death on our roads is one too many and my thoughts go out to those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured in road traffic incidents. I do not accept road casualties are inevitable and it is vital we continue to work to bring overall casualty numbers down.
"I want to be clear that road safety remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and we continue to work towards our target of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world by 2030. To underline this commitment, we have put a record £36m towards road safety in this year’s Scottish Budget and will outline how that money will support our efforts throughout the financial year. This will include funding to help councils improve safety on local roads, campaigns to tackle the behaviours identified as causing most harm on our roads, and continued development of learning resources for children and young people.
"I am also asking our road safety partners to continue to play their part in helping us reach these important targets. Their contributions are greatly valued and only by working together will we be able to achieve our goal. I met many of those partners at Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Summit and Road Safety Scotland’s Annual Seminar this year and made a commitment to work with them to help create a safer Scotland.
"I remain resolute in my determination to save lives on Scotland’s roads and help us work towards our long-term vision of no-one being killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads by 2050."