Motorcycle deaths in Scotland down 50% in 2026
The #TakeAnotherLook campaign, backed by Outlander star Sam Heughan, has helped spread a life-saving message to drivers beyond the motorcycle community and there are signs it may be working.
The number of motorcycle deaths in Scotland has dropped by 50% in the first 9 months of 2026 when compared to the same time last year. This has led to a renewed call from Sam and others to #TakeAnotherLook for motorcyclists.
Figures provided by Motorcycle Law Scotland show that 16 motorcyclists were killed on Scottish roads between January and September 2026. Last year over the same period 32 motorcyclists died.
This is positive news for the campaign which has been running for over 2 years. #TakeAnotherLook has been championed by many road safety organisations and it would appear the message is starting to take hold.
Motorcycle Law Scotland are urging people to take this as a positive step but remind us that there are many factors which could have contributed to this drop and any death is one too many.
How it all started
#TakeAnotherLook started after three widows, Tracey Marsh, Maureen Rutherford, and Jacqueline Dickson all lost their husbands when they were riding their motorcycles and a driver pulled across their path at a junction.
These brave women didn’t want others to go through the tragedy they faced so teamed up with Motorcycle Law Scotland to change the way road users think about motorcyclists. They needed a simple and memorable message which would stick in the mind of all road users. A message that creates empathy, a message that could be easily understood, a message that would make a difference, and so the #TakeAnotherLook campaign was formed.
Endorsed by Sam Heughan, the message took hold and spread throughout the Scottish motorcycle community. Many other organisations got involved including Honda UK, IAM Roadsmart, BMF, MAG and Biker Down Scotland, fully supporting the safety campaign .
Sam commented:
"I got involved with #TakeAnotherLook to share my enthusiasm for discovering what Scotland has to offer on two wheels and because of these three amazing women who want to prevent other families suffering the loss of a loved one unnecessarily.
I’m a keen motorcyclist and know how exposed we are when riding. We also need to play our part and I urge all motorcyclists to ride carefully and with respect. Sometimes, however, drivers just don't seem to see us.
It's heartening to see the fall in motorcycling deaths in Scotland this year and I’d like to encourage everyone to take another look.
I'm delighted to have spread this important message and support the petition that all started the campaign.
16 deaths is 16 too many. We need to keep spreading the message to help save lives.
Please look out for motorcyclists #TakeAnotherLook"
Is it working?
Thomas Mitchell from Motorcycle Law Scotland highlighted the drop in motorcycle deaths in an article he wrote for The Scotsman on the 19th of October.
He asked if we should only be measuring success by casualties or are there other ways to measure road safety.
Motorcycle Law Scotland has been running Motorcycle Road Safety Roadshows across Scotland in 2025 and 2026. These have been held in conjunction with Police Scotland, IAM Roadsmart, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service/Biker Down Scotland and other road safety organisations.
The roadshows cover various subjects such as advanced riding, hazard perception and how to avoid collisions.
Thomas Mitchell from Motorcycle Law Scotland said:
"We have seen a rise in motorcycle deaths year on year. From 27 deaths in 2023 to 31 in 2024 and 34 in 2025. So, a 50% drop in the first 9 months of 2026 is encouraging.
We do however need to carefully consider the figures and clearly understand the many reasons for this fall in fatal casualties. There may be many factors which have led to fatality numbers finally trending downward, so I would be cautious to attribute that solely to the #TakeAnotherLook campaign
However, I do believe that continued education can change driver behaviours. We have been educating drivers to #TakeAnotherLook for over 2 years and encouraging motorcyclists to better equip themselves for the perils they face on the roads through our Motorcycle Road Safety Roadshows.
If one driver stops at a junction and takes an extra look because they saw something Sam shared, we may just have saved a motorcyclist’s life.
We will never know how many collisions have been prevented, but it's important to keep spreading the message."
Keeping the momentum going
Although Motorcycle Law Scotland is happy to see the fall in motorcycle deaths, they believe there is still more to be done.
Road safety should be everyone's responsibility. Drivers need to look out for motorcyclists and we need to continue to educate riders on how to become safer motorcyclists.
Motorcycle Law Scotland will continue to promote #TakeAnotherLook and will run more Motorcycle Road Safety Roadshows in Feb 2027.