From Wiltshire Times, 30th November 1936



From Statistica

 
Figures up to 2022:

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F65143a8bb1bad4000d4fd900%2Fras0601.ods&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

Figures have improved slightly. Needless to say most of the KSI involve cars.

 
There's a memorial to a cyclist on the A3052 Exeter-Lyme Regis road. He suffered a heart attack. Back in the mid-1960s, I organised 10-mile cycling "out-and-home" time trials that started at the top of Trow Hill above Sidmouth and went past the memorial, with a U-turn after five miles. The events were organised under Road Time Trials Council rules, with the police being notified, but I'm sure that U-turns were banned decades ago!

In the late 1990s I spent a lot of time peering at microfilm copies of Wiltshire newspapers of the 1900s. There were quite a few cases of cyclists being fined for riding on the footpath or without lights - and of people being sent to  prison for stealing bicycles.

 
This thread came up as a report of  a cyclist death on 30th November 1936 and I looked up figures over the years - the graph below is the DfT figures going back as far as their data is complete and categorised in this way



Road deaths overall were down from 6561 in 1936 to 1624 in 2023, cyclists done from 1498 to just 87.   Figures had risen during the second world was, peaking at 9146 in 1941 - largely "thanks" to the blackout. Every casualty is a casualty too many, but we should celebrate the almost relentless move in the right direction.

 
Having seen the foolhardy way in which many cyclists ride, and the poor driving by motorists I am surprised that the figures are not worse than they are.
Although a welcome reduction over years gone by, the loss of about 2,000 lives a year on the roads is nothing to be proud of !

Imagine the outrage if even one tenth of that number perished in railway accidents.

My suggestions to reduce the death toll.
1) Reduce the drink driving limit to that prevailing in our neighbour, the Irish Republic.
2) Reduce the speed limit on most roads.
3) After a driving ban is enforced, require that the offender pass an enhanced driving test, before they can drive again.
4) Offer discounted vehicle insurance if an approved speed limiter is fitted.
5) Increase fuel duty, to increase retail prices by 15% initially, and then by inflation plus 5% each year thereafter.

 
Maybe to expand on the government should look at this example https://news.err.ee/1609534129/estonia-s-health-minister-wants-to-tie-alcohol-excise-duty-to-inflation. This makes the valid point which is important in a long term public health goal.

Interestingly in the same article Latvia are looking to restrict the times that alcohol can be sold.

All unlikely to happen as long as the British taxpayer subsidises the cost of alcohol in the bars in the Houses of Parliament.

Applying the same rationale to increasing tax to fuel duty would also help towards achieving net zero goals, as well as possibly reducing road casualties, as suggested in item 5).

 
From a non-driving pedal-powered cyclist who, weather permitting, uses his bike for all local trips.

I would suggest that extending the ban on using handheld mobile devices to cyclists of all types on the move would reduce the toll. Pull over and stop if you really need to use your phone.

But...who's going to enforce it? The police? Best of luck with that!

 

As another non-driving pedal-powered cyclist, I agree. The use of hand-held mobile phones shouldn't be allowed for anyone who is in control of their movement while they are moving, whether they are driving, cycling or walking, as they are endangering others by their actions.

 
I believe Hawaii passed an ordinance saying you would be fined USD50 if you stepped off the sidewalk looking at your mobile phone. Whether it was enforced or was enforcible I don't know. As another pedal-powered road user it would make life safer. And then noise-cancelling headphones, sometimes think we are getting into zombie territory.

 
I would not support making alcoholic drink more expensive, nor restricting availability in the UK. It is already too expensive in my view.
The position is different in parts of Eastern Europe where drink is much cheaper than in the UK, and excessive drinking is a problem.
I would however support a reduction in the drink driving limit. Adopting the same limit as Ireland has the merits of simplicity.

 

Sadly, from what I read in the papers and on-line, the increasing problem is other intoxicants. Those who campaign vociferously for their legalisation, please note.

I would also add my support to Bob B's comments about using mobile devices on the move, but add that the move towards screen operation of many controls in cars cannot help. A friend was demonstrating how his new Tesla car worked, and I was concerned at how many operations I can do without even looking down required stabbing an icon on a screen, selecting a menu and then an option on it. All such controls that work when the vehicle is in motion should be banned under safety legislation.

 
Regarding "other intoxicants", of which cannab1s is arguably the most popular, a simple to use roadside test is now now available for cann1bis and some other widely used recreational drugs.
Drug driving is a criminal offence, and should perhaps be treated more seriously.

I support legalisation of cannab1s, it is hard to enforce a ban on something that can be grown easily by the user. Driving whilst under the influence of cannab1s should remain a serious offence, it is at least as dangerous as drunk driving.

 

My neighbour has a Tesla.  He said it was like driving an iPad.

I understand that the European vehicle regulations are being reviewed with the aim of requiring fixed switches for key functions.

 
SUVs are sometimes highlighted as a particular problem. The higher front end tends to more severe effects when in collision with walkers or cyclists.

 

Being perplexed (and provoked) by the provision of touchscreens for people driving vehicles and then their marketing as infotainment,  the manufacturers seem to have headed, uninterrupted by legislation and unimpeded by reality, straight down the cost cutting path.

Different tasks, yes: I'm curious to know more about their deployment in train driving cabs and also aircraft and if there are constraints/recommendations about their use there.

Was it Nevill Hill where a contributing factor was that the driver of an IEP was required to input data using a touchscreen, with for good measure, a non-querty keyboard? Yes it was.
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/report-132020-collision-and-derailment-at-neville-hill

Mark