Vehicle fatalities have fallen to an all-time low in the 30 years following the introduction of legislation requiring seat belts to be worn in the front seat, says the RAC.
An analysis of road casualty statistics by the motoring organisation found that 2,245 people lost their lives in vehicles in 1983, the year the law was introduced, and 28,331 were seriously injured. However, by 2012, the number of deaths had fallen to 888 and serious injuries to 9,258.
RAC technical director David Bizley said: “Clearly a number of factors have contributed to the reduction in the number of in-vehicle fatalities in road accidents. Technology and better design have made cars much safer in crash situations than they were 30 years ago and enforcement has also changed dramatically with the introduction of both fixed and mobile speed cameras.
“It’s important to remember that the number of lives lost has decreased dramatically despite the fact we now have 14 million more vehicles on our roads today than we had back in 1983.
However, David Bizley went on to call for further investigations into how further reductions in road-related deaths and injuries can be made, and how to improve the safety record of younger drivers. He described the Government’s decision to delay the green paper on this subject as “particularly disappointing”.
Young drivers aged under 25 make up 25% of all those drivers killed or seriously injured on the road network, but account for only 8% of licence holders. They also drive, on average, less than half as far as those aged over 25.
The RAC has for some time been calling for a reform of driving education for young people and the introduction of graduated driving licences with a minimum supervised learning period and restrictions on the number of passengers permitted in the car.
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