Scotland’s key road safety partners have met in Edinburgh to discuss plans to tackle the post pandemic rise in road casualties and injuries.
Transport Scotland hosted the event yesterday (28 February), bringing together representatives from across the sector, including Police Scotland, Road Safety Scotland and local authorities.
It’s hoped the summit will help partners identify new initiatives to help deliver the target of Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “We must never lose sight of the fact that one death on our roads is one too many. My thoughts are with the families and friends who have tragically lost a loved one, and those whose lives are changed forever. A post pandemic rise in casualties was anticipated as more road users got back on the road after lockdowns, but we cannot get away from the fact that the rise that we saw in 2022 was alarming.
“This Road Safety Summit is bringing partners together to look at how we can work collectively to tackle this rise and help reach our ambitious road safety targets. The contribution made by the people and organisations represented at this Summit is greatly valued and we need to ensure everyone continues to play their part in creating a safer Scotland.
“I want to be clear that road safety remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and I am determined that we continue to make investments which support our Road Safety Framework to 2030. That is why we have earmarked a record £36m for road safety in the next Scottish Budget.
“I am resolute in my determination to save lives and meet the long term vision set out in the Framework, where no-one is killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads by 2050.”
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, Head of Road Policing, said: “Road safety is a priority for Police Scotland and we are part of a crucial partnership approach. Our officers are out every day educating road users and carrying out enforcement.
“We have dedicated intelligence-led patrols on targeted routes to take action against dangerous drivers and respond to community concerns. We also support a national calendar of road safety activity, deliver campaigns and work with partners to develop prevention.
“Police Scotland is committed to supporting the Scottish Government’s Road Safety Framework to reduce road deaths and injuries. We will continue to make sure we are doing all we can to improve road safety.”
Ewan Wallace, Chair of the Society of Chief Officers for Transportation in Scotland said: “SCOTS has always had collaboration at the heart of what we seek to achieve. It is in our DNA. Teams across the Local Authority family have seen how collaboration can make a real difference and with the post pandemic rise in road casualty numbers causing real harm in our communities the need to work together has never been more pressing.
“We have worked proactively with all the key partners since 1996 to try and to deliver reductions in road casualties and will absolutely step up as a key partner in getting that reduction back on track.“
(Picture – Yay Images)
