5,000 saved by belts
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
NEARLY 5,000 fatal and serious casualties among light goods vans and other vehicles were saved by seat belts in 1974.
And a further 14,000 casualties would have been avoided if all drivers and frontseat passengers had worn available seat belts.
These figures are revealed in the latest edition of Road Accidents in Great Britain, published by the DoE (HMSO £2) last week.
Three national surveys carried out in 1974 and early 1975 monitored the progress of publicity campaigns aimed at increasing seat-belt use. Results showed that, by 1975, 32 per cent of daytime drivers wore seat belts, especially the younger age group.
In 1974, nearly 325,000 people were killed or injured on Britain's roads—a decrease of eight per cent compared to 1973. The casualty rate per vehicle mile fell by five per cent, and the number of deaths in 1974 was the smallest since 1968.