Road deaths dropped by more than a third

Road safety campaigners have hailed a drop of more than a third of deaths and serious injuries on Lanarkshire roads in 2020.

Due to lockdowns reducing traffic, this is the first decline in years and heralds renewed efforts to make roads safe for everyone.

Figures highlighted by road safety charity Brake indicate that 98 deaths or serious injuries were prevented due to lighter traffic in 2020, compared with 2019.

That year saw 276 people killed or seriously injured across the two regions of North and South Lanarkshire.

This dropped by 35 per cent to 178 in the year the Covid pandemic hit.

Road deaths and serious injuries declined across Scotland, which saw the biggest drop in the UK, followed by Wales, South West England, and London.

The area with the biggest reductions in those killed or seriously injured in percentage terms was Scotland with 38 per cent.

There were, however, still 143 deaths and more than 1500 serious injuries on roads in 2020, causing devastation to families across the country.

As traffic levels rise again, Road Safety Week, held last month, celebrated the work of road safety heroes across the country who are working to tackle deaths and serious injuries and turn the one-year drop into a downward trend.

This includes government plans for a new road safety strategy; local authorities building cycle paths; companies working to ensure they use vehicles safely; and communities working for important changes where they live, such as 20mph speed limits.

This year’s campaign also celebrated the invaluable efforts of the emergency services, including those who police the roads and save lives, at the roadside and in hospitals, and the work of the National Road Victim Service.