1700+ killed in transport tragedy but no coverage?

[Markymark]

I'm sure that's correct and they would certainly account for the general trend downwards..

I'm really interested in the sharp decline after 1990 - does anyone know what other factors are credited with this sharp fall?

Mobile phones. There is an issue of accidents caused by drivers on the phone but massively outweighed by the positive effect of faster emergency response times which is a critical factor in saving lives.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Yes, a clear downward trend in KSIs, but I wonder whether a graph of pedestrian and cyclist KSIs over the same period would reflect the same downward trend. Looking at encap safety tests shows that danger has largely been exported to the exterior of the vehicle

 

[w00hoo_kent]

[QUOTE 3608586, member: 9609"]when did the ambulance service change from being a basic scoop and lift to highly trained paramedics ?

I would guess death rates have reduced for a whole host of measures (although they did go up last year) better car design, better health care etc - but we won't see the carnage reduced to more acceptable levels until we start rigorously enforcing our traffic laws and reduce speed limits, 20mph in built up areas, 40mph everywhere else. Our whole transport system needs overhauling.[/QUOTE]
I believe they are moving back to primarily scoop and lift. Talking to a friend in the service a few years ago he said that statistics were suggesting time spent working on a casualty by the road side was generally less use than having them quickly in a hospital. Although naturally the ability to get them in a good condition to be moved, and treating them on the way all has its bonuses.

 

[mjr]

Motorway pile ups get coverage!!

Ah, well, there aren't any motorways in Norfolk...

Yes, a clear downward trend in KSIs, but I wonder whether a graph of pedestrian and cyclist KSIs over the same period would reflect the same downward trend. Looking at encap safety tests shows that danger has largely been exported to the exterior of the vehicle

Here's a graph of pedestrian and cycling KSIs since 1979 that I made earlier:

What do you make of that, then?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Ah, well, there aren't any motorways in Norfolk...


Here's a graph of pedestrian and cycling KSIs since 1979 that I made earlier:
View attachment 83667
What do you make of that, then?

Thanks, useful. The rise in cyclist KSIs is roughly in line with new users (or, coincidentally, more opportunities for drivers to knock them down.) as cycle use has grown.
The blip in the vehicle KSIs might reflect growing mobile use behind the wheel. Locally, there are always traffic jams. If you walk or cycle along a line of traffic, you see that many drivers have begun to forget what they got into the car to do as moving forward becomes ever more difficult. These distractions from driving add to the danger for cyclists.

 

[buggi]

Ah, well, there aren't any motorways in Norfolk...


Here's a graph of pedestrian and cycling KSIs since 1979 that I made earlier:
View attachment 83667
What do you make of that, then?

Pedestrians must be wearing helmets

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Maybe it's time all motor vehicles had telemetry recording devices for examination after a collision.

GC

 

[midlife]

Blimey, just had a look at other countries and its half a million dead in China and India alone !!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

Shaun

 

[mjr]

Thanks, useful. The rise in cyclist KSIs is roughly in line with new users (or, coincidentally, more opportunities for drivers to knock them down.) as cycle use has grown.

I've seen similar comments elsewhere. I've not checked whether it is in line with number of people or distance (or both if distance per person is broadly unchanged).

The blip in the vehicle KSIs might reflect growing mobile use behind the wheel. Locally, there are always traffic jams. If you walk or cycle along a line of traffic, you see that many drivers have begun to forget what they got into the car to do as moving forward becomes ever more difficult. These distractions from driving add to the danger for cyclists.

Here's a graph showing all categories. The way the motorcycle numbers change to follow pedestrian ones seems interesting to me:

Returning to our sheep: is there any way we can get news media as interested in ongoing road safety as they are in freak high-death-toll accidents?

 

[Markymark]

I've seen similar comments elsewhere. I've not checked whether it is in line with number of people or distance (or both if distance per person is broadly unchanged).

Here's a graph showing all categories. The way the motorcycle numbers change to follow pedestrian ones seems interesting to me:
View attachment 83719

Returning to our sheep: is there any way we can get news media as interested in ongoing road safety as they are in freak high-death-toll accidents?

Well, if you want to be logical about, there's mucher greater death from things like lifestyle and inactivity. The number of preventable deaths from other causes dwarf road deaths. Maybe the news should only talk about those?

 

[spen666]

Its the Man bites dog is news, but dog bites man is not

 

[mjr]

Well, if you want to be logical about, there's mucher greater death from things like lifestyle and inactivity. The number of preventable deaths from other causes dwarf road deaths. Maybe the news should only talk about those?

Maybe not only, but a more balanced news coverage including more coverage of the problems of and solutions to inactivity would probably include cycling, so that seems like it would be a helpful change.

 

[qigong chimp]

AFAIK it's a mixture of many things - better healthcare, improvements in car and road design, improved awareness of road safety, and legal changes like the seatbelt law.

And the 'cleansing' from our streets of vulnerable road users as car users have made them deadly places.

 

[Sara_H]

You mean something like this:

Yes, 1700 is a lot, but it's half as many as a few years ago, and about a fifth of the number back in the 1960s. A lot has been done to improve road safety and reduce the road death toll over the years.

Although part of the problems is that the lower mortality rates reflect an improvement in trauma care - the collisions still occurred but the victims survived. A lot of those who survived did so with horrific long term implications such as brain damage or other permenant disabilities.

 

[srw]

And the 'cleansing' from our streets of vulnerable road users as car users have made them deadly places.

That mostly happened in the 1960s and 1970s - in the 1980s and 1990s the trend was more towards bypass building to encourage more vulnerable road users in town centres.