Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has expressed concerns at statistics which show an alarming rise in the number of motorists caught speeding and driving without a seatbelt in Perth and Kinross.
The politician, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, was reacting to the figures which have been released by Perth and Kinross Council ahead of a meeting of the local authority’s housing and communities committee on Wednesday.
The figures show that there has been a rise from 1,518 motorists caught speeding in Perth and Kinross in the 2017/18 financial year to 2,067 in the 2018/19 financial year. And the statistics also show that the number of motorists caught not wearing their seatbelts also rose from 56 to 79 in the same period.
Meanwhile, road traffic casualty statistics – provided in the same papers – show that the number of fatalities on Perth and Kinross roads also rose from 12 in 2017/18 to 14 in 2018/19.
The number of people seriously injured remained at quite a high level – 71 in 2018/19, compared to 73 in 2017/18.
Mr Fraser said he found the figures “very concerning” and called for motorists to adhere to speed limits.
Commenting, he said: “These figures are alarming and reveal there are definite links between speeding and the level of road traffic collisions.
“They indicate that we need motorists to act responsibly and take heed of the speed they are driving and think about the consequences of having an accident at very fast speeds.
“We also need better enforcement from the police, while recognising the pressure forces are under due to cuts to their budgets from the SNP Scottish Government.”