SNP ministers oversee 12% increase in road deaths

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverness and Nairn Neil Alexander has today said that Scotland deserves better than the SNP’s neglect of dangerous roads, as new figures showed that road deaths in 2024 were up by 11.8% compared to 2023.

The figures from Transport Scotland show that in 2024:

• 161 people were killed on Scotland’s roads- an 11.8% rise from 2023.
• 24 of these deaths happened in the North East (the highest number of road deaths of anywhere in the country), while 18 were in the Highlands.
• There were 5,734 total road casualties.
• 1,978 were seriously injured and 3,595 were slightly injured in road collisions.
• There were 495 child casualties, with 3 children killed and 160 seriously injured.  

Neil Alexander said:

“I don’t want to see any more families left without loved ones because the SNP government keeps dragging its heels in tackling dangerous trunk roads.

“It has been eighteen years since the SNP came to power pledging action to improve trunk roads in the North and North East, yet next to nothing has happened.  People deserve so much better.

“As a long-time campaigner for upgrading the A9, A96 and A82, I know that fixing these roads will have a real impact on road safety.

“Like me, there will be lots of people out on our roads who were too young to vote when the SNP first made these promises. Next May, they can vote to upgrade unsafe roads and get change with fairness at its heart by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats.”