Scotland’s Road Casualty Statistics 2025: Why motorcycle safety is still moving in the wrong direction
The headlines tell only part of the story
Whilst overall the number of people killed on Scotland’s roads fell from 160 in 2024 to 134 in 2025, when you delve a little deeper, there are not many reasons to be cheerful.
Motorcycle casualty figures were up 24% and overall casualty figures in the Edinburgh, Fife and Lothian and Scottish Borders are on the increase.
What does this mean and what can we take from the latest figures?
For one, I believe the overall downward trend in casualty figures across the board is not a result of transport policy, but more a result of increased vehicle safety devices.
Advancements in car safety technologies such as lane assist and collision avoidance would, anecdotally at least, have contributed to the downward trend. I wrote about these safety systems for the Scotsman here.
Why are motorcycle casualties increasing?
Motorcycles don’t benefit from these advancements to the same extent, and I consider that is why we are seeing casualty figures amongst that road user group still moving in the wrong direction.
This is compounded by a lack of engagement by Transport Scotland and their partner agencies with the motorcycle community.
Motorcyclists account for a disproportionate number of fatality and casualty statistics and having a Transport Agency show indifference to this road user group is dangerous.
The messaging around motorcycle collisions is dangerously out of date. Campaigns focusing on better training and awareness for motorcyclists or the issue of speed alone are old hat. Motorcyclists are among some of the most highly trained road users in the country. We need to tackle the root cause of the issue, a lack of education.`
Education, not enforcement, is the missing link
In my view, a better approach would be to educate both drivers and motorcyclists about looking out for each other, especially at junctions which are a common collision point.
Why #TakeAnotherLook deserves national support
The #TakeAnotherLook campaign champions this message and ought to be taken up and adopted by Transport Scotland. It’s a simple message that everyone can get behind and understand.
Until Transport Scotland starts to engage with the motorcycle community and other road user groups about motorcycles, we will never see the decrease in casualty statistics we desperately want to see.
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