Executive Summary

As we are approaching the midpoint of the Road Safety Framework to 2030 (RSF2030), we remain committed as ever to achieving our goal for Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030 and an ambitious long-term goal, Vision Zero, where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.

We fortunately saw a reduction in road fatalities in 2023 with 155 (9% decrease from 2022). However, the total number of casualties rose by 3% and the number of people seriously injured rose by 9%. We recognise that priority actions with a focused and disciplined approach are required to strengthen on the delivery of our commitments set out in Scotland’s RSF2030.

The increase in the number of casualties on Scotland’s roads has strengthened the resolve of all delivery partners to be more bold and ambitious in bringing forward innovation and opportunities to minimise preventable casualties.

Our commitment to ongoing actions and new ambitious activity will aim to give confidence to road users that actions are being prioritised, to address emerging casualty trends, as well as continuing to build on previous outcomes.

Appropriate and relevant resourcing is fundamental to progress and delivery of the framework, and in the current economic climate, we will need to be pro-active in making evidenced and informed choices that will support streamlined approaches to build capacity to support the delivery of priority actions.

The Safe System approach remains very much embedded within our framework which is regarded as international best practice in road safety delivery. The strategy puts people at its centre, and aims for a more forgiving road system that takes human vulnerability and fallibility into account; people are fragile and make mistakes that can lead to collisions, however, no one should be killed or seriously injured as a result. This includes improved safety aspects of the road, its surrounding environment, vehicle technology, enforcement and education for all road users.

Transport Scotland is continuing to work on a Safe System training framework for decision makers, designers, engineers, planners and practitioners, to name a few, to help establish and embed Safe Systems in how Scotland designs, maintains and operates its various transport modes. We will look to roll this out to partners in 2024 and are currently developing a Safe System implementation manual.

Finally, we would like to offer a personal thanks to all road safety partners for their work carried out this year. Looking ahead, there is undoubtedly much still to do. We all have a part to play in improving Scotland’s roads and delivering our national casualty reduction targets, whether at a national, local or individual level, to make Scotland’s roads safer.