Drop in pedestrians killed on north roads

Safety: But campaigners say government must do more to help

The number of pedestrians killed on roads across the north and north-east is declining but safety campaigners believe more must be done.

There were 28 pedestrians hit by vehicles in Aberdeen last year, with an additional 17 in Aberdeenshire, 17 in the Highlands and three in Moray. Sadly four of those casualties died.

The figures, obtained through a freedom of information request, are a reminder of the dangers ever present on the road, despite proof that the figures have been falling in the last three years. In 2016, there were 146 collisions involving pedestrians in the north-east and Highlands – of which six were fatal.

In 2017, this had dropped to 109 incidents, seven of which were fatal and the number of incidents continued to fall in 2018.

While the decline in numbers is positive, road safety charities have warned that more still needs to be done.

A spokesman from national road safety charity Brake said: “It is positive to see the number of crashes involving pedestrians decreasing.

“Pedestrians are among some of the most vulnerable road users and we would encourage drivers to be aware of their safety at all times.

“We need the Scottish Government to take action too and reduce national default speed limits to create a safer environment.”

Earlier this month, police confirmed that a pedestrian had been killed as a result of a collision with a van on the A96 Forres bypass.

The pedestrian was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital

“It is a fast bit of road and it is hard to judge how fast traffic is going”

in Elgin, but pronounced dead a short time later.

Local councillor George Alexander described it as a “dangerous” stretch of road, pointing out it was the second fatality at almost the same spot.

Popular Forres Academy pupil Michael Campbell, 15, died after being hit by a van in 2002 after leaving his part-time job at Christie Elite nursery.

Mr Alexander said of the latest death: “This is a great tragedy and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

“It is not the first time there has been a death at that same scene as a number of years ago a young schoolboy was killed by a vehicle there.

“It is a fast bit of road and it is hard to judge how fast traffic is going there.”

In December last year a pedestrian died following a crash on the A835, with police launching an investigation into the Highland crash. A reconstruction took place in Aberdeen in the autumn after a pensioner was killed by a lorry in King Street.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is wholeheartedly committed to improving the safety of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, which is why they were identified in 2016 as a priority area in the mid-term review of Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020.”

Highlands and Islands MSP and road safety campaigner, David Stewart, said: “I am pleased to note that the number of pedestrian casualties on our roads is decreasing, but any casualty is a casualty too many.”

David Duguid, Tory MP for Banff and Buchan said: “These figures suggest a marked decline in the number of serious or fatal injuries suffered by pedestrians. We need to be clear on the evidence of what has led to this reduction in fatalities.”