The number of people who died on north-east roads in the last year has soared – prompting police to urge drivers to take responsibility for their actions.
A total of 26 people from across Aberdeenshire and Moray were killed in the last 12 months, up 10 from the previous year.
The number of children injured in accidents has also increased, from 12 to 22, while the number of people seriously injured has fallen from 233 to 219.
Now police have launched a new campaign to reduce the number of crashes, but yesterday warned there was only so much the force and its partner agencies – such as the fire service and local councils – could do to get the message across.
Operation Cedar (Challenge, Education, Detect and Reduce) will involve a more visible patrols, with officers tackling poor driving and health issues that effect people behind the wheel.
Superintendent George MacDonald said: “From the outset we’ve identified 26 people killed on roads in Aberdeen and Moray, an increase in 10. It’s really important to acknowledge that we’re talking about real people here, people whose family, friends and work colleagues are dealing with upset and loss.
“The majority of collisions are preventable. But there’s a responsibility on everyone to do what they can to reduce them – not just the police, local authorities or the fire service. The public have to take responsibility.
“Speed and driver error accounted for 14 of the 26 people who have been killed. That’s preventable.
“Eight of those that have been killed has been due to eyesight, health, age or other medical reasons which mean they may have been unable to drive.”
Supt MacDonald encouraged people to have the “difficult” conversation with loved ones if they feared they should not be behind the wheel to prevent families going through an even harder, more tragic time.
He added: “Road safety has always been a significant focus for us in Aberdeenshire and Moray. We’ve got a significant road network made up of dual-carriageways, A and B roads, single track roads but it’s not the roads that cause collisions – it’s how we drive on them.”
Council leader Jim Gifford, who attended the launch of the campaign, added: “We all need to do our bit to make our roads safer. If people would drive appropriately for the conditions, most of the issues we have wouldn’t be there.”
