Dundee has some of the most dangerous roads in the UK, shocking new figures have revealed.
It is claimed the city has one of the highest rates of pedestrians being struck by cars, with 69.5 people per 100,000 killed or seriously injured between 2010 and 2014 a figure significantly higher than the UK average of 45.6.
According to campaign group pedestriansafety.org.uk, Scottish cities have some of the highest numbers of pedestrians killed or injured as a result of road traffic collisions in the UK.
Despite larger cities like Edinburgh still ranking considerably above the UK average, Dundee is above the capital’s figure of 64.8 pedestrians per 100,000 killed or injured.
Worryingly, the figures compiled for children injured or killed are much higher, with the city’s roads ranking as the seventh most deadly in the UK.
The figures show 130.4 per 100,000 children are killed or seriously injured on roads throughout Dundee.
According to the statistics, children in Aberdeen are most at risk, with 162.8 per 100,000 youngsters killed or injured by cars.
Glasgow and Edinburgh are also well above the UK average of 64.49 per 100,000 population at 112.0 and 79.2 respectively.
Dundee City Council’s latest statistics show 36 people were killed or seriously injured in Dundee during 2014.
A spokesman for road safety charity Brake said: “Councils can assist in making our roads safer, particularly at this time of year, by implementing 20mph limits and correct traffic management solutions.
“Drivers need to be extra cautious on our roads throughout the winter months.
“The clocks going back adds to the dangers on our roads, that’s why Brake is part of a coalition of organisations calling for our clocks to be put forward by an hour year-round. It would be a life saver.”
A senior solicitor in pedestrian law has demanded that more be done to protect pedestrians at both a local and national level.
Jodi Gordon, lead solicitor for Pedestrian Law Scotland, said: “It is a sad fact in Scotland that walking is more dangerous than driving a car.
“We live in a world where the roads are perceived to ‘belong’ to the car.
“We all have a responsibility for our safety and the safety of others when sharing road space, but we must remember pedestrians are the most vulnerable of all road users and deserve our protection.
“Children are particularly vulnerable and, of course, unpredictable when crossing the road and the courts have stated on many occasions that a very high standard of care is needed when motorists drive by young children.
“Pedestrians, unlike drivers, have no external protection and if hit by a car they are likely to suffer serious injury.”’We cannot afford any more accidents’Dundee’s alarming statistics come after a local councillor urged the council to do more to protect pedestrians in the most built-up areas of the city.
Speaking after a spate of collisions in the Lochee area, Councillor Tam Ferguson said: “We cannot afford any more of these sort of accidents. Luckily, the accidents haven’t been more serious.
“Lochee is a main artery into the city but there is a real dearth of signage in the area. I’ve asked the council in the past to provide 30mph signs which illuminate when drivers are going too fast.
“There are quite a few traffic management sites in Dundee needing attention. Sites like Harefield Road, where there are children’s nurseries and an old folk’s home, and dangerous roads like South Road and Ancrum Road, give me cause for concern.
“At peak time, queues in Lochee are getting larger and someone should be picking up on this.”
Meanwhile, West End councillor Fraser Macpherson is working to improve pedestrian safety on Blackness Road, with a stretch between Elm Street and Balgay Road of particular concern.
He said “several” local people had raised concerns about the speed of “a minority” of vehicles on the road and had raised the matter with the city’s head of transportation.
A recent speed survey indicates that the average speed of motorists is around 27mph, which indicates that most are driving within the limit, but council chiefs have said investigations are being undertaken to assess whether “low-cost engineering measures” could be implemented to improve safety.
Conceding that more has to be done to improve road safety throughout the city, Councillor Will Dawson, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said: “Each year the number of accidents in which people are killed or seriously injured on Dundee’s roads is reported to the committee.
“A single incident in which someone is killed or seriously injured is one too many and there is a real human grief and suffering experienced by the people involved, as well as their family and friends.
“Although significant casualty reduction has been achieved, 36 people killed or seriously injured in Dundee during 2014 is still far too high a figure.”