How Britain built some of the world’s safest roads
2 days ago
- #transportation
- #road-safety
- #public-health
- Britain's road safety has improved dramatically since the 1920s, with the death rate per mile driven declining 22-fold since 1950.
- Early roads were chaotic, with no seatbelts, weak headlights, poor brakes, and minimal traffic rules, leading to 5,000-7,000 annual deaths in the 1920s-30s.
- Key safety interventions included the introduction of motorways (highways) in the 1950s, which are safer due to fewer road users and physical barriers.
- Roundabouts, introduced in the 1960s, reduced collisions by 35-70% by minimizing high-speed head-on crashes and improving traffic flow.
- The UK's war on drunk driving, starting in 1967 with strict laws and public campaigns, reduced drunk-driving deaths by 82%.
- Mandatory motorcycle helmets (1973) and seatbelts (1983) significantly reduced fatalities, alongside safer car designs like airbags and crumple zones.
- Stricter speed limits, especially 20 mph zones near schools, reduced pedestrian deaths by 75% since 1990.
- Public awareness campaigns, like emotional ads highlighting the dangers of speeding and drunk driving, shifted social norms.
- Globally, 1.2 million die annually in road accidents, but adopting UK-style policies could save nearly 1 million lives each year.