Trunk roads in Argyll and West Dunbartonshire are the most dangerous in Scotland, new statistics have revealed.
There were 0.8 fatal accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres between 2018 and 2022 – more than twice the Scottish average of 0.3 and a 14% increase on the previous four years.
The statistics were contained in the Transport and Travel in Scotland report which was published this week.
it also shows that there were 4.8 serious accidents on the same measure – again more than twice the national average.
Trunk roads in the area include the A83 and A82.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “One death on our roads is simply one too many.
“Road safety remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and that is why a record £36m has been earmarked for road safety in the 24/25 Scottish budget.
“Transport Scotland, through its operating companies, undertakes a review of collisions on the trunk road network each year to identify locations or routes with recorded collisions that may be worthwhile of further investigation.
“Through this process, investigations are being progressed at a number of locations, including on the A83 between Ardrishaig and Kennacraig and at the A815 (Dunoon) junction east of Cairndow, as well as the A85 at Dunollie Road in Oban.”
Overall the survey of Scotland’s found that there was a reduction in travel in 2022 compared to 2019.
It showed that in 2022, 61% of people had travelled the day before their survey interview. This is well below the 2019 figure of 74%, and the lowest figure recorded since the current version of the survey was introduced in 2012.
The average number of journeys made the day before the survey interview dropped from 1.9 in 2019 to 1.5 in 2022.
When people did travel, the survey found that the journeys made were similar to previous years:
- The share of journeys made by each transport mode in 2022 was broadly similar to 2019. 55% of journeys were made by driving a car or van, up slightly from 53% in 2019. Walking was the next most popular mode of transport (23% of journeys), followed by 11% as car passenger, 6% by bus, 2% by cycling, and 2% by rail.
- The share of journeys made for each purpose in 2022 was broadly similar to 2019. Shopping was the most frequent reason for travel (23% of journeys). Commuting was the next most common at 21% of journeys.
The survey also found changes in levels of homeworking and commuting habits. 31% of employed people reported that they currently worked from home in 2022. This compares to 16% in 2019.
The proportion of people who reported travelling to work five days a week dropped from 62% in 2019 to 38% in 2022.
In other findings, the survey recorded a drop in satisfaction with public transport.
The proportion of all survey respondents stating that they were very or fairly satisfied with public transport in 2022 was 58%, a ten percentage point drop from 2019 (68%).
Satisfaction with public transport was higher amongst actual users of public transport (those that had used bus or train in the past month), with 67% of users reporting that they were satisfied in 2022. However, this also represented a drop in satisfaction compared with 2019 (76%).
Additionally, there was an increase in respondents who owned an electric vehicle. 4.1% of driving licence holders reported owning an electric vehicle. This is an increase from 1.6% in 2019 and 0.3% in 2016.
In 2022, there was an increase in respondents giving the costs surrounding electric vehicles as a reason for not considering buying an electric car/van. The proportion of respondents giving the cost of vehicle purchase as a reason not to consider buying increased from 36% in 2019 to 52%, and the proportion of respondents highlighting running costs as a reason not to buy increased from 7% to 13%.
The full statistical publication is available on the Transport Scotland website.
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