Dallas McMillan's Blog

Recent research by the Scottish Government has found that over 70% of drivers in Scotland admit to taking risks whilst driving, and just over half confess to speeding.

The Scottish Government has launched a new campaign with Road Safety Scotland (part of Transport Scotland) encouraging drivers to consider how they can reduce their ‘risk factor’ on country roads.

Among the risks Scottish drivers admit to taking are:

• Phoning or texting while driving
• Driving too fast for the conditions
• Speeding
• Carrying on driving while tired

Statistics show that three out of four road fatalities occur on Scotland’s country roads resulting in an average of 190 deaths per year.

A series of new adverts is being shown across Scotland during March as part of the campaign to make drivers aware of how even minor distractions and driving a bit too fast to read the road properly can cause serious accidents on country roads.

Risk-taking is strongly related to gender and age, and the riskiest drivers on Scotland’s roads are men under 45. Three quarters of those killed on rural roads are males, and one third are young drivers aged between 17-25.

In an overhaul of victims’ services, up to £50 million would be generated from offenders to help create a speedier, more supportive system for victims of serious crime.

Criminals will be forced to fund victims' support services and those with unspent convictions could be banned from claiming compensation, under new proposals announced by Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke.

The planned shake-up, which is now out to public consultation, includes:

• Ending payments for minor injuries such as sprained ankles, cuts and grazes and speeding up payments for serious injuries;
• Greater funding for victims' support services, better targeted at those most in need;
• Stopping criminal injuries compensation payments to people with unspent convictions - totalling at least £75million over the past decade;
• Banning criminal injuries compensation payments to people who have been resident in the UK for less than 6 months (except for UK and EU/EEA nationals);
• A simpler route of complaint and redress for victims;
• Giving new Police and Crime Commissioners a key role in deciding the priorities for local victims' services;
• Ensuring more voluntary victims' organisations have access to long-term funding.

The Government will also, for the first time, compensate British victims of terrorist atrocities abroad on the same basis as victims of terrorism in Britain. Those with ongoing disabilities from attacks after 2002 will also receive financial support.