We're the safest in Europe....
Discussion
Some comparison with our driving cousins on the continent..
Road fatalities per 100,000 population
Portugal 21
Greece 20.2
Spain 14.6
France 14.4
Belgium 13.7
Luxembourg 13.5
Austria 13.4
Italy 11
Ireland 11
Denmark 9.7
Germany 9.5
Netherlands 6.9
Sweden 6.6
United Kingdom 5.9
Motorways — Deaths per billion vehicle-km.
Portugal 14.1
Italy 12.8
Austria 8.9
Belgium 7.2
France 5.4
Finland 5.0
Germany 4.5
Denmark 4.3
Ireland 4.0
Switzerland 3.3
Netherlands 3.3
Sweden 3.2
United Kingdom 2.0
Motorway usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 64,900
Netherlands 52,400
Germany 45,800
Belgium 44,600
Switzerland 38,200
France 29,400
Denmark 26,700
Italy 26,000
Ireland 26,000
Austria 25,600
Portugal 25,100
Sweden 17,700
Stay safe,
Street
Road fatalities per 100,000 population
Portugal 21
Greece 20.2
Spain 14.6
France 14.4
Belgium 13.7
Luxembourg 13.5
Austria 13.4
Italy 11
Ireland 11
Denmark 9.7
Germany 9.5
Netherlands 6.9
Sweden 6.6
United Kingdom 5.9
Motorways — Deaths per billion vehicle-km.
Portugal 14.1
Italy 12.8
Austria 8.9
Belgium 7.2
France 5.4
Finland 5.0
Germany 4.5
Denmark 4.3
Ireland 4.0
Switzerland 3.3
Netherlands 3.3
Sweden 3.2
United Kingdom 2.0
Motorway usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 64,900
Netherlands 52,400
Germany 45,800
Belgium 44,600
Switzerland 38,200
France 29,400
Denmark 26,700
Italy 26,000
Ireland 26,000
Austria 25,600
Portugal 25,100
Sweden 17,700
Stay safe,
Street
Road fatalities per 100,000 population
Portugal 21 down to consumption of Port and Spaniards and holiday makers from elsewhere - and they hate seatbelts.
Greece 20.2 mountains, heat, poor and badly engineered roads, tourists from elsewhere and they like their booze, and hate seatbelts
Spain 14.6 they blame UK tourists
And the heat...and the Mr Bigs of Brit gangstaland on the Costas France 14.4 wine,, hatred of seat belts and red lights
and the heat in the South - and - BOF - passing asylum seekers on way to UK. According to France - 6500 die pa in RTAs .. Belgium 13.7 They never could do anything right anyway
And if you have ever driven along their roads - they have never ever heard term "re-surface or engineering Luxembourg 13.5 all those Belgiums and French and others passing through
Austria 13.4 mountains, schnaps Italians, Slavs, and other people driving through
Italy 11 Itsa molti scooters, innita
Ireland 11 Guinness, whisky
and that mob from the north ) Denmark 9.7 goes dark early in winter - and you're counting Greenland
Germany 9.5 Those Eastern ex Stasis, Gastarbeiter, Czechs, Poles .....
Netherlands 6.9 Foreigners
andd too many blinkin' scameras Sweden 6.6 You tried drivin' in the dark three quartets of the year in the snow - and they lowered speed limits in urban areas as well !
) United Kingdom 5.9 well - it is not down to scamerati - lowest before them anyway - and rest are coming down in proportion with less scams - according to the family
Motorways — Deaths per billion vehicle-km.
Portugal 14.1 Tourists
Italy 12.8 You shoulda seeena it befora we increaseda speedo limeeta!
Eesa cummin downa! Austria 8.9 snow, tourists, Czechs, Slavs, Italians..
Belgium 7.2 worn out surfaces
France 5.4 wine, seat belts, the Swiss...
Finland 5.0 Night driving - all the time
Germany 4.5 Ex Stasis and US drivers and UK drivers (according to the bloke wot lives there
Denmark 4.3 again - dark cold weather - prone to micro climates
Ireland 4.0
Switzerland 3.3 snow - ice - and those tunnels... and they have robo cops
And we only get tolerance of 3mph so speedo gawping has now to do with it of course.... Netherlands 3.3 Those scamerati
Sweden 3.2 Night driving and ice and snow. Decreasing since they upped the speed limit on it..
United Kingdom 2.0 well that is not due to scams either - taligters and lane hoggers cause this - speed has now to do with it.
)...who are going on some daytime bender in the next couple of weeks.. 
I am amazed sometimes, I have just driven through Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France twice (once each way) and have come to the following conclusions -
Germany and Austria, much better disciplined drivers, very little middle and outside lane hoggers. Generally very able to cope with high speeds.
Holland, Belgium and France, not much better than the UK, but definitely better.
UK, dismal, appalling lane discipline, tailgating, unnecessary lights etc.
Hungary, absolutely awful, even worse than the UK. People pass the multi-stage test (harder than the UK) then throw away any common sense they possess.
Germany and Austria, much better disciplined drivers, very little middle and outside lane hoggers. Generally very able to cope with high speeds.
Holland, Belgium and France, not much better than the UK, but definitely better.
UK, dismal, appalling lane discipline, tailgating, unnecessary lights etc.
Hungary, absolutely awful, even worse than the UK. People pass the multi-stage test (harder than the UK) then throw away any common sense they possess.
It seems to be the popular opinion that driving standards on our roads are very poor, but is that really a fair judgement? Considering that driving a motor vehicle is generally reckoned to be a very complex task, I would suggest that UK drivers overall are not doing so badly.
Not for a moment am I implying that having around 3500 deaths per annum plus many more thousands of injuries is a satisfactory situation - far from it - but I think a little more credit would be justified.
I can not back it up with statistics, but I have the feeling that a substantial reduction in casualties could be well within our reach by using the right type of publicity campaigns. What I would like to see is more of the "THINK!" type of campaign, dealing with specific problems that frequently lead to accidents.
The government and other bodies in influential positions should in effect be talking to the driving community and trying to raise the level of public interest in the subject, rather than introducing ever more rules and penalties and simply punishing drivers when they get it wrong. What we should be doing is helping drivers to get it right.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
Not for a moment am I implying that having around 3500 deaths per annum plus many more thousands of injuries is a satisfactory situation - far from it - but I think a little more credit would be justified.
I can not back it up with statistics, but I have the feeling that a substantial reduction in casualties could be well within our reach by using the right type of publicity campaigns. What I would like to see is more of the "THINK!" type of campaign, dealing with specific problems that frequently lead to accidents.
The government and other bodies in influential positions should in effect be talking to the driving community and trying to raise the level of public interest in the subject, rather than introducing ever more rules and penalties and simply punishing drivers when they get it wrong. What we should be doing is helping drivers to get it right.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
Ex29 just an idle question, what makes people think that we can reduce road deaths to less then the 3500/3600 level at present. If only 6 people per 100,000 of population are killed, and these are the lowest figures in Europe, Whats the realistic target, whats acceptable, 2500 a year, or should it be 1500, 1000, 521, 364, 95, 23, 7, 1, or nil. The political spin and millions upon millions of tax and scamera revenues that pours into the efforts made to further reduce these death rates is justified by what the Govenment gets for it's trouble, votes and money, and lots of both, and a public buffer by using our police force as "collectors". These short term political gains are what they need now as the policies have votes attached and £££££ to boot, they don't realy care how many of us die each day on our roads, they know that no matter what is done, cars+people+roads= deaths, and they deem circa 3000/3500 "acceptable". Niether do they care about the public reaction to the police that do their dirty work,for we are all pawns in the political game of " what cause shall we hoare for next"
40,000 people each year die in our hospitals because of mistakes,YES, MISTAKES, normally the wrong medication, 10 times or more then those killed on our roads. Isn't this worse?, can these be stopped?.
Yes, almost certainly, but where's the benifit and the profit to the "hoares", and since a good proportion are older people, that saves a fortune in pensions.
Is it that cynical?, you can bet your life it is, but then you already do!!!
Yes. We have the safest roads, BUT:
1) We overtook Sweden in 1979 to have the safest roads. (13 years before the first speed cameras in the UK).
2) We're fast losing our lead - at the present rates, Germany will overtake us in 2007. And Germany has the only large scale derestricted road network. Speed kills?
3) We're now the slowest improving country in Europe.
We used to get it right, but now we've got it very wrong. The present road safety establishment doesn't have the first clue about how we achieved the safest roads in the world.
1) We overtook Sweden in 1979 to have the safest roads. (13 years before the first speed cameras in the UK).
2) We're fast losing our lead - at the present rates, Germany will overtake us in 2007. And Germany has the only large scale derestricted road network. Speed kills?
3) We're now the slowest improving country in Europe.
We used to get it right, but now we've got it very wrong. The present road safety establishment doesn't have the first clue about how we achieved the safest roads in the world.
Tuscan 29 said:
just an idle question, what makes people think that we can reduce road deaths to less then the 3500/3600 level at present. If only 6 people per 100,000 of population are killed, and these are the lowest figures in Europe, Whats the realistic target, whats acceptable, 2500 a year, or should it be 1500, 1000, 521, 364, 95, 23, 7, 1, or nil. The political spin and millions upon millions of tax and scamera revenues that pours into the efforts made to further reduce these death rates is justified by what the Govenment gets for it's trouble, votes and money, and lots of both, and a public buffer by using our police force as "collectors". These short term political gains are what they need now as the policies have votes attached and £££££ to boot, they don't realy care how many of us die each day on our roads, they know that no matter what is done, cars+people+roads= deaths, and they deem circa 3000/3500 "acceptable". Niether do they care about the public reaction to the police that do their dirty work,for we are all pawns in the political game of " what cause shall we hoare for next"
40,000 people each year die in our hospitals because of mistakes,YES, MISTAKES, normally the wrong medication, 10 times or more then those killed on our roads. Isn't this worse?, can these be stopped?.
Yes, almost certainly, but where's the benifit and the profit to the "hoares", and since a good proportion are older people, that saves a fortune in pensions.
Is it that cynical?, you can bet your life it is, but then you already do!!!
sigh, I am not mad
btw that,40k is a suggested to be the tip of a very embarassing iceberg.
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