Public consultation on improving road safety in Scotland

Zero fatalities and injuries on Scotland’s roads by 2050. That’s the Scottish Government’s long-term road safety strategy.
Have your say...Michael Matheson is asking readers to help develop a strategy that will save lives on our roads.Have your say...Michael Matheson is asking readers to help develop a strategy that will save lives on our roads.
Have your say...Michael Matheson is asking readers to help develop a strategy that will save lives on our roads.

And it is now consulting the public on its ambitious Vision Zero, containted in the Road Safety Framework to 2030.

The journey to achieving that goal includes interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads is halved by 2030.

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Views are being sought to inform proposals for achieving the targets which will be crucial to Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Matheson launched the consultation while announcing a £675,000 package to support 24 newly-identified safety camera sites.

Mr Matheson said: “Our Road Safety Framework to 2020 has supported a reduction in the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in Scotland’s roads.

“It’s remarkable that even with a 27 per cent rise in traffic since 1995, we’ve seen a 61 per cent decrease in road collisions across the same period.

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“Even though we are on track to meet the 2020 target for reductions in the number of people killed on our roads, this brings no consolation to the family and friends who have been left completely devastated by the death of loved ones on our roads. We must do more.

“The improvements we’ve made stem from a collective belief by all road safety partners in Scotland that road deaths are not an inevitability. We believe that they are preventable.

“Our ambition for Vision Zero by 2050 is achievable, and I believe can be made a reality, by fully embedding the Safe System approach to road safety.

“Our framework will put people at its centre and will provide a more forgiving road system that takes human fallibility into account.

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“It intends to recognise that people are fragile and make mistakes that can lead to collisions but it should result in no death or serious injury.

“It also focuses on supporting our National Transport Strategy and net-zero aspirations in allowing people to make informed choices to travelling in a safe, active and sustainable way.

“We all have a collective responsibility to look out for each other on our roads – so have your say through our consultation and let’s deliver a framework that will save lives across the next decade.”

The development of the next framework does not mean the government has stopped taking decisive action to improve road safety.

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An exercise has just been completed to identify new sites that would benefit from safety camera enforcement.

And £675,000 is being spent to improve speed limit compliance, driver behaviour and reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in these areas.

Mark Williams, assistant chief constable at Police Scotland, said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy. We are committed to working closely with our road safety partners to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

“We regularly conduct road safety operations to improve driver behaviour, educate motorists and other road users, as well as carrying out enforcement activity.

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“We really welcome the public consultation and would urge all road users to help shape how we deliver safer roads in the years to come.”

The consultation closes on December 1. Have your say at consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/road-safety-framework-to-2030.

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