Tackling speeding joins drug dealing and violent crime among the biggest worries in Police Scotland’s Public Consultation Survey 2014 for L Division and officers are now making plans to address these concerns over the next financial year.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen House told the Reporter: “More people are killed on our roads than are murdered each year — to me this is unacceptable.

“The impact on families and our communities is nothing less than devastating. Yet as a society we can sometimes be immune to its impact which is why we need to look at our approach to ensure we cover every stage of life, from the very young to the elderly, to influence and encourage positive driving behaviour.” Inspector Adam McKenzie, head of Road Policing for Argyll and West Dunbartonshire, said: “Our goal every day is to positively influence road users through education and increased patrols as well as targeting those who don’t adhere to road safety regulations.

“We work closely with the roads authorities to highlight defects, maintenance and engineering issues to ensure the safety of drivers in the area. Over the last year we have increased our marked and unmarked patrols focusing on the main routes where crashes are most likely to happen. We also regularly set up static check points which focus on speed, vehicle defects as well as the targeting of criminals who use the roads network.

“I am delighted to be able to report a significant drop in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads of Argyll and West Dunbartonshire. Last year, fatal crashes dropped by over 50 per cent and collisions where someone was seriously hurt reduced by 15 per cent, compared to the year before. However, one person killed or injured on our roads is one too many and our goal in the next year is to further reduce these unnecessary casualties.

“Police Scotland works closely with our partners locally, including the local authorities and Scottish Fire and Rescue. We will be continuing to develop these crucial partnerships over the coming year to ensure we maximise all local resources in order to keep people safe on our roads.

“Not forgetting our biggest partner in road safety — the road users themselves — I would personally like to thank all those careful drivers, riders and pedestrians who have helped to make our roads safer for all.”