Fatal crashes halved in past decade

The number of fatal accidents has almost halved over the last decade, data from the Department for Transport reveals.

In 2001 there were 3,176 fatal crashes, compared to 1,637 in 2012.

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And, it’s not just fatal crashes that have seen a drop. In 2012 there were 145,571 accidents in total (from fatal to minor) – over a third less than 10 years ago.

Is it because we’re getting better at driving, or taking fewer risks? Not according to the experts.

It is, in fact, our cars that are getting safer thanks to better design and the increased amount of technology fitted as standard.

This includes Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in particular, which will be fitted to all new cars from next year, under EU rules, but is already installed on a vast number of modern vehicles.

ESC uses sensors to detect a car skidding, and then applies carefully calculated braking to help the driver bring it back under control.

Other more recent technological advances include autonomous braking that many manufacturers are starting to roll out across their models.

This usually uses radar-technology to detect potential obstacles and then applies the brakes if the driver doesn’t take action to avoid hitting them. Most systems only operate at low city-centre speeds at present, but their range and effectiveness is expected to increase over coming years.

Euro NCAP, the official European crash safety body, already takes such electronic assistance systems into account, and has recently begun rating cars on their autonomous braking abilities as well.

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By motoringresearch.com