camk

<Drop in deaths since 1970 is astounding>

24 February 2005

WIESBADEN - Road accident deaths in Germany were at their lowest level last year since records were first kept in 1953, government figures showed on Thursday.

Although the number of road accidents was only slightly down at 2.25 million, the number of deaths fell 11.6 percent to 5,844, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden said.

The number of people injured in road traffic accidents also fell, by 4.9 percent to 439,500.

Experts say improved car safety features such as air bags and electronic driver aids, better road conditions and new methods of medical treatment were contributing to the reduction in fatalities.

Last year's

figure compares with 1970 when 21,332 people were killed in road crashes although there were fewer than half the number of cars on German roads as today.

DPA

Subject: German news

OllyK

Considering we have the same technologies and skills available to us and our road safety policy is based almost exclusively on speed cameras and our road deaths are on the increase, what does that say?

It says that if we had carried on as we were prior to cameras, we would have seen a continuing drop in fatalities due to advances in technology and medicine. That we aren't even seeing this, suggests cameras are worse than doing nothing, they are actually negating technology advances.

Brendan Hughes

Hardly big news. Give or take, that's the same all over Europe.

European comparison:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/...e/index_en.htm

darts_aint_sport

Surprise surprise, lets blame cameras, it's the cameras fault.

OllyK

Errr no I blame the government for have a single point road safety policy that isn't working to reduce the number of fatalities on the road. It just so happens that single point is "cameras".

I don't have an issue with appropriately used cameras in conjunction with a comprehensive road safety plan, but cameras on their own are not saving lives which is the claim.

camk

Never said it was big news , interesting that the drop in most other European countries has been about 50% over the last 12 years but the UK's has only been 25%, however the UK did have a much better starting position in 1991 so thats a factor. I'm just surprised at the drop in fatalities given the increase in road traffic. I don't think its a camera issue in the UK as cameras are used extensively in Germany as well. I can speak from personal experience.