Road fatalities can only go up
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IT WOULD be a little churl
ish to criticise Brian Weatherley (CM 18 March) for his assertion that the number of people killed on Britain's roads has fallen steadily over the past 20 years. Fatalities and casualties can only increase, albeit sometimes at a lower annual rate. Politicians especially
congratulate themselves whenever the rate falls.
Safety can be measured in various ways.The authorities long ago stopped collecting data on non-injury accidents.A mono incident can, in only slightly different ciraunstances,be a major calamity. On a personal level, even minor injuries can have a profound effect on entire families.
Just in this country, the total of all casualties on our roads since 1994 is well in excess of a staggering two and a quarter million.These were all tragedies for those intimately concerned. Politicians, both here and on the Continent, doubtless see themselves in the forefront of this
supposed improvement, mostly because of ever more complex legislation. In reality, far more vehicle occupant lives and injuries have been saved in recent years by the likes of safety campaigner and politician Ralph Nader than by, say,Tom Fraser, who with little consultation introduced the "temporary" national
motorway speed limits which today mostly unenforceable.
Technological advances allegedly make vehicles safer, yet drivers soon acclimatise to such changes. I do not recall tailgating being a problem in the days when we had drum brakes, cross-ply tyres and no seat-belts.
Driving is a skill which requires practice and inspired training. Draconian laws and heavy fines do nothing to improve an individual's driving ability or inculcate personal responsibility. Anthony G Phillips Salisbury, Wilts