Road fatalities fall to lowest ever recorded

WORK to reduce road casualties has seen accident fatality rates fall to their lowest level since records began.

Transport Scotland said "good progress" was being made by the road safety community in Scotland, as the target for reduction in road deaths set out in Scotland's Road Safety Framework to 2020 begins.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "Reported road casualty statistics for 2009 show that Scotland achieved the lowest road accident fatality rates since records began - and continues to exceed the UK road safety targets.

"However, a single death or serious injury on our roads is one too many and that is why we have set the first ever Scottish targets for reductions in road deaths and serious injuries from 1 January 2011."

Kevin Smith, head of ACPOS Road Policing Business Area, said: "The number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads continues to fall and we should take encouragement that our combined approach, through the Road Safety Strategic Partnership Board, is working - but we must keep doing more."