THE Scottish Government is to consult on changing the speed limit for drivers amid concerns about rising road deaths.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the move as she revealed road fatalities in 2024 so far are “tracking 26% above the same period last year”.
It comes after statistics from Transport Scotland showed a decrease in road deaths in 2023, down 16 from the previous year to 155.
However last year’s figures also revealed a 3% rise in the number of casualties, with these going from 5630 in 2022 to 5788 in 2023.
READ MORE: Scottish Government urged to follow Wales's 20mph speed limit
Stressing that “one death on our roads is one too many”, Hyslop said a record £36 million is being spent on road safety in 2024-25.
The Scottish Government said the cash will fund national campaigns aimed at encouraging drivers to change their behaviour, in a bid to reduce speeding and increase seat-belt use.
The Government also plans to use technology to detect those driving while using phones and other handheld devices, and those not wearing seat-belts.
After the 2023 figures showed a rise in deaths amongst pedestrians and cyclists – to 47 and seven respectively – more than £4 million will be used in a bid to reduce casualties amongst these groups.
Meanwhile, a £10 million road safety improvement fund will support work by local councils to reduce casualty rates and risks on roads in their areas.
In addition, Hyslop said the Government will “carry out a public consultation to explore views on potential changes to national speed limits on Scotland’s roads”.
Ministers have set the target of achieving 50% reductions in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads by 2030, and the Transport Secretary stressed the issue of road safety is a “priority”.
READ MORE: Two Palestinians died waiting for Home Office to waive ‘cruel’ fingerprint rules
She said: “We remain absolutely committed to working together to reach our ambitious goals.
“However, despite our best efforts, I am aware of the challenges we face in meeting casualty reduction targets for 2024 and that the number of fatal casualties for 2024 is tracking 26% above the same period last year.
“That is why a record £36 million is being invested this financial year to deliver a wide range of initiatives aimed at improving driver behaviour and ultimately reducing the number of casualties on our roads.
“This includes campaigns to encourage a change in behaviours regarding speeding and seat-belt use, funding to help local authorities enhance road safety performance on local roads, and advancing the use of technology to tackle issues around driver distraction.
“I want to restate the Scottish Government’s unwavering commitment to achieving its goal of making Scotland’s roads amongst the safest in the world by 2030.
“This comprehensive package of measures over the coming financial year is aimed at helping to deliver this.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel