THERE were 165 deaths on Scotland’s roads last year, new figures have revealed, four more than in the previous years. 

However, the finalised statistics from Transport Scotland revealed that there was a substantial reduction in the number of people injured.

There were 5722 accidents in which someone was killed or injured, down from 6423 the previous year.

The overall number of casualties fell by 9% between 2018 and 2019 from 8424 to 7638 - the lowest number since records began in 1950.

There were 763 child casualties in reported road accidents last year, an increase of 1% on 2018. This included two fatalities, one fewer than in 2018, and 198 children who were seriously injured.

There were 1250 pedestrian casualties last year, a 0.5% decrease on 2018, with pedestrians accounting for 16% of all road user casualties in 2019.

Of these, 486 were seriously injured and 44 were killed.

The number of cyclists killed increased from six in 2018 to 10 in 2019, while the number of motorcyclists who died fell by eight to 25.

The figures also show car driver accident rates per head of population varied markedly by age and sex.

In 2019, the overall rate was 1.6 accidents per 1000 people aged 17 and over.

The highest rate was for males in the 17-25 age group, with a rate of 2.5 per 1000 in 2019 - nearly one-and-a-half times the rate of females of the same age of 1.9 per 1000.

The report says that compared with England and Wales, Scotland’s 2019 casualty rates were "12% higher (killed), 8% lower (serious) and 43% lower (all severities)."

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "Sadly it remains the case that from this lower total number of casualties, more people have died on Scotland's roads.

"Whilst we are on track to exceed our reduction target for fatal collisions, this offers no comfort to the friends and family of those who have tragically lost their lives.

"In September, we began consulting on an ambitious road safety framework for the next decade. It sets out a compelling long-term vision for road safety, Vision Zero, where there are zero fatalities and injuries on Scotland's roads by 2050.

"We're also including ambitious interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads will be halved by 2030.

"The development of the next framework does not mean we pause from taking decisive action to improve road safety.

"Earlier this year we identified new sites that will benefit from safety camera enforcement.

"Our investment of £675,000 will improve speed limit compliance, encourage better driver behaviour and reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured across the road network."