Economist Article

[Kimosabe]

"STAND at a corner of a busy British road and you will probably see examples of poor or lazy driving. Policy-makers fear the problem is worsening. From June 5th the police have powers to issue fixed penalty notices to “careless drivers” who natter on mobile phones, get too close to the car in front or lazily hog the middle lane of a motorway. The change comes a week after the announcement that JD Wetherspoon, a pub chain, is opening its first branch in a motorway service station in Beaconsfield off the M40. Campaigners against drink-driving worry this will make bad driving worse.

Their concerns are overblown. The most recent statistics from the Department of Transport for the third quarter of 2012 show that, on the whole, British drivers are becoming more careful. Fatalities dropped by 7% in comparison with the same period in 2011, while the number of fatal accidents on major roads fell by 9%. Between 2010 and 2011 the percentage of all accidents on motorways declined, while the biggest increase in accidents was noted on 20mph roads (where there are more cyclists).

Boozy drivers are vanishing. In 1980 a third of drivers and riders killed were over the alcohol limit. Now it is just a fifth. Fuzziness caused by alcohol accounted for 9% of fatal road accidents in 2011. In contrast, driving too quickly for the road conditions caused 12% of fatal accidents, while not looking properly accounted for 25%. In 2010 the figure of alcohol-related deaths was the lowest since records began. (A slight increase in the amount since then has been explained in part by snowy roads and adverse weather conditions, rather than a sudden surge in soaked drivers.)

Several things account for the decline in alcohol-related accidents. Most obviously, people are drinking less. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, consumption of alcohol per head has fallen by 16% since 2004. Those who do drink are more likely to do so at home rather than at their local. And fewer people are on the roads. Traffic has fallen 19% between 2011-12 according to Inrix, a traffic data firm. Combined with better protection in cars and improvements in roadside engineering, fewer people are at risk of accidents, says Luke Bosdet at the Automobile Association. Britons may also be more responsible. “There’s been a fundamental change in public attitudes,” says Stephen Glaister of the RAC. Excessive drinking and driving is no longer socially acceptable, he says.

This may not appease politicians. On June 6th Stephen Hammond, the road safety minister, launched a new drink-drive campaign with police providing extra checks on drivers over the summer. They could start in Beaconsfield. But even there they may find that the cheap meals available at Wetherspoons are more of a draw than a pint."

[7db]

IIRC the fall in traffic deaths often is influenced by economic prosperity. In the poor times deaths fall as road usage drops.

[Kimosabe]

IIRC the fall in traffic deaths often is influenced by economic prosperity. In the poor times deaths fall as road usage drops.

This thread has been merged with 'hamlet with 8 speed limits'. I didn't want your comment to go unnoticed, so perhaps you could say more about this in that thread?