Casualties by type of road

Figure 5 shows the number of casualties by road type. Built-up roads are those which have speed limits of up to and including 40 miles per hour (ignoring temporary speed limits on roads for which the normal speed limit is over 40 mph); non-built-up roads have speed limits exceeding 40 miles per hour.

In 2023, non-built-up roads accounted for over two-fifths of the total number of reported casualties (45%: 2,584 out of 5,788). However, they accounted for over almost two thirds of those killed 65%: 100 out of 155) and over two fifths of the total number of seriously injured (46%: 887 out of 1,930). This will be at least in part due to the higher average speed on non built-up roads, and also because these roads make up two-thirds of Scotland’s road network.

Compared with the 2014-18 average (the baseline period for measurements of the current Road Safety Framework) total casualties on non built-up roads have reduced by 37% and built-up roads by 48%. However, whilst fatalities on non built-up roads have decreased by 19% over the same period, fatalities have increased by 9% for built-up roads.