Are Britain’s roads safer now?

The answer appears to be yes. In 1965 there were 398,000 casualties (including fatalities) on our roads. In 2008 this figure reduced to 231,000.

Indeed, in pre-war and wartime Britain the risk of been killed on the road was 3 times higher than it is today.

2,538 people were killed on Britain’s roads in 2008. Of those, 6% were motorway fatalities.

Car accidents account for 65% of road casualties according to 2008 official statistics. 19% of those killed on the roads were motorcycle riders or passengers.

Most accidents on the road occur when the roads are busiest. In 2008, it was recorded that 71% of road casualties and 58% of road deaths took place during the hours of 4am and 6pm.

In 2008, 6,642 pedestrians were either killed or seriously injured.

Pedal cyclists killed or seriously injured in 2008 numbered 2,565.

Another interesting statistic shows that, in 2008, of the 236,923 car drivers involved in accidents, 132,708 were required to undertake a breath test. Of those tested only 2% actually failed. It is estimated that the likelihood of a drunk driver causing an accident today is at or around one-in-fifty.