Newly-released figures from Transport Scotland reveal that two hundred people lost their lives to road accidents in Scotland last year.
The number of fatalities, which rose from 172 in 2013, means that no comfort can be taken from the fact that the total number of RTA personal injuries fell by two percent, particularly as the number of road accident serious personal injuries also rose, up one percent to 1,694.
The number of people injured in bus accidents fell; however, there were rises in the injury rates for all other modes of transport.
"While in many areas figures are falling, in some very important ones they have risen alarmingly," commented Neil Greig, the Institute of Advanced Motorists' director of policy and research.
"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."
Greig also said the figures made it all the more important that the Scottish government undertook its mid-term review of its Road Safety Plan with seriousness and urgency.
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