Safety call after 67 injured on East Dunbartonshire roads

Absent-minded drivers are the most common cause of road accidents in East Dunbartonshire, figures reveal.

Road safety charity Brake has called for a radical overhaul of road safety measures to 
prevent “needless, preventable” deaths from dangerous driving.

Last year, no people were killed and 10 seriously injured on East Dunbartonshire’s roads.

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This was fewer than in 2017, when police recorded no deaths and 14 serious injuries.

Overall casualties, which include slight injuries, fell from 114 to 67 over the period.

The latest Department for Transport statistics show drivers or riders failing to look properly contributed to 24 accidents in East Dunbartonshire last year.

The figures, which report contributory factors for accidents as recorded by police, also show that 11 accidents were caused by pedestrians failing to look properly.

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Officers can choose one or more reasons for any accident where at least one person suffers a slight injury in an incident with a vehicle.

These do not have to involve cars and could, for example, include a cyclist falling over or a motorbike colliding with a pedestrian.

Samuel Nahk, senior public affairs officer at Brake, said: “These figures clearly highlight that driver error is one of the main causes of crashes on our roads, all too often leading to death and serious injury.

“Yet every death and injury on our roads is a needless, preventable tragedy.

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“We can mitigate the impact of driver error through a safe systems approach with safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and safer road use, enabling people to move around in safe and healthy ways.

Drivers can also reduce their chances of causing a crash.

“They should ensure they stick well within the speed limit, take more time to look carefully at junctions, and giving the road their full attention at all times.”

Across Britain, 1,784 people were killed on the roads in 2018, while 25,500 suffered serious injuries.