How many foreign-registered vehicles have been involved in road traffic accidents in each year since 1999.

Data about injuryroad accidents are collected by the Police and reported to the ScottishExecutive using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover onlyroad accidents in which one or more people were injured and which become knownto the police. The returns do not cover damage only accidents or accidents ofwhich the police are unaware because they were not reported by the public.
The method ofidentifying foreign vehicles in the Stats 19 returns changed at the start of2005. Up until the end of 2004, Police Forces were asked to identify foreignvehicles by means of special code in the "Vehicle Registration Mark"field. The following table shows the numbers identified using this old method.
Year
| Foreign Vehicles identified in Stats 19 returns as being involved in injury accidents

1999
| 41

2000
| 33

2001
| 29

2002
| 30

2003
| 41

2004
| 37


Following areview of the Stats 19 specification, with effect from January 2005, police forceshave been asked to identify foreign vehicles by means of a new "ForeignRegistered Vehicle" field. The following table shows the numbersidentified using this new method.
Year
| Foreign Vehicles identified in Stats 19 returns as being involved in injury accidents

2005
| 157

2006
| 138

It is clear thatthe new method has resulted in the identification of more foreign vehicles inthe Stats 19 returns.