The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has reacted with disappointment to the big increase in fatalities on Scotland’s roads as announced this morning by Transport Scotland, stating it made the Scottish government’s mid-term review of its Road Safety Plan all the more urgent.

Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2014 figures show of the total of 11,240 road casualties reported in 2014 there were 200 fatalities - 16% more than 2013.

There were also 1,694 seriously injured, some 22 or 1% more than 2013. Figures show there was a 44.6% increase in motorcycle casualties including 31 fatalities (see reference 1 for all figures).

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “While in many areas figures are falling, in some very important ones they have risen alarmingly.

“There has been a lot going on in road safety in Scotland with projects such as the A9 average speed cameras coming on stream but the challenge of breaking the link between rising traffic and crashes remains a huge one.

“Alongside the government the IAM want to see more incentives for individuals and companies to improve the quality of their driving and riding. New roads and new cars have delivered year on year death reductions for decades but the underlying human factors involved must now receive even higher priority.”

The IAM’s Manifesto addresses what the charity believes need to happen to reduce the numbers of those killed and seriously injured on the roads. You can download it here