Fitting seat belts required practically nothing in the way of structural change compared to all this airbag & NCAP stuff which has put an enormous burden on design.
Look at what has happened over the last 10 years as the onboard secondary safety stuff has gone to (IMO) ridiculous levels and traffic has flattened out. If this had the expected effect the downward trend should have improved, yet it just continues as a straight line.
"The Department for Transport is meeting its 10-year safety target of cutting the number of road accident deaths and injuries to 40% of the
1994-98 average - which saw a total of 319,928 casualties.Five years into the policy, the statistics show casualties are 33% below the earlier average."
Source:
Chris
Neither of us are statisticians but to me it looks a bit like a return to trend after a period where it did not decline. It also does't show traffic like the French one.
If you were driving that car today, you'd find the MPG much worse. Traffic moves faster and is heavier.
My father had a new Morris Minor in 1953. The first OHV one in Scotland, with the Austin 803cc A Series engine. He sold trucks, and it was a company car so he logged everything. It did 53 mpg average over three years. Wore out its engine at the same time as the first set of tyres - just over 30,000 miles. Traffic jams didn't exist in those days. ;-)
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required