Road casualties across South Lanarkshire have decreased significantly, according to new provisional figures. A report presented to the Roads Safety forum on June 16 revealed that 286 people were injured on the area's roads in 2025, down from 378 in 2024 — a reduction of 24 percent.
Key Findings from the Report
Fatalities fell from eight in 2023 to six in 2025, while serious injuries decreased from 134 to 107. Slight injuries also saw a notable decline, dropping from 236 to 173. The figures remain provisional until final publication by the Scottish Government later this year.
The reduction marks a positive step forward after two consecutive years in which overall casualty numbers had returned closer to 400 following the disruption caused by the pandemic.
Council Welcomes Progress
Councillor Robert Brown (Rutherglen South) welcomed the report, stating: “I’d just like to make a comment on how good the figures actually are in terms of the general downward trend.” Council officials said the latest figures demonstrate progress but stressed that further work is required to meet ambitious national road safety targets.
South Lanarkshire continues to contribute to Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030, which aims to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads before ultimately achieving a vision of no deaths or serious injuries by 2050.
Child Safety Improvements
There have been no child fatalities for the seventh consecutive year. Councillor Julia Marrs (Clydesdale North) commented: “Thank you for the report, the fact we have no child fatalities is something that should be valued.” However, serious injuries among children rose slightly from eight to 11 during 2025, with most involving pedestrians aged between 11 and 15.
Driver Behaviour Remains Key Factor
The report highlights that driver behaviour remains the biggest contributing factor in road collisions. The most common causes were failing to look properly, careless or reckless driving, loss of control and failing to judge another road user’s speed or path.
Ongoing Safety Measures
The council said it will continue working with partners including Police Scotland, the NHS, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to improve road safety. Planned measures include enhanced road markings, better warning signage, high-friction road surfaces, speed reduction measures and targeted road safety education programmes.
