How Britain Built Some of the World's Safest Roads (ourworldindata.org)
- Reference: 0179133658
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/09/10/1533256/how-britain-built-some-of-the-worlds-safest-roads
- Source link: https://ourworldindata.org/britain-safest-roads-history
The UK now ranks among the world's safest countries for road travel at 1.9 deaths per 100,000 people. Key interventions included mandatory breathalyzer tests in 1967 that reduced drunk-driving deaths by 82%, the introduction of motorways beginning in 1958, conversion to roundabouts that cut fatal accidents by two-thirds, and 20-mph speed zones around schools. If global road death rates matched Britain's current levels, approximately one million lives would be saved annually from the current 1.2 million road deaths worldwide.
[1] https://ourworldindata.org/britain-safest-roads-history
Public Transit (Score:3)
Making driving optional seems to be a big component of making driving safer. If driving is the only way to get somewhere, people are more likely to do it when they are impaired, their vehicle is unsafe (bald tires, bad brakes, failing suspension, etc.), when they have poor driving skills, or during inclement weather. When you make driving optional, you can also make it much harder to get a license (requiring more training and making the test difficult to pass), and you filter out the people who don't want to be or shouldn't be on the road in the first place.
Nice idea in theory (Score:2)
Even though London has a comprehensive PT system the tube + rail doesn't go everywhere and even though buses will take you most places it can often involve long waits, multiple changes and still a walk at the end. No one unless they have no option is going to spend an hour or more on one or more buses if they can do the same journey in a car in 15 mins so people still get their licenses and buy cars.
roundabouts (Score:3)
They may save lives but the drivers here in the US can't seem to understand the rules of roundabouts. I've had many close calls on the roundabouts around my house; I steer clear of them now.
Re: roundabouts (Score:2)
Perfectly reasonable. Steering us clear is the roundabout's goal.