Road safety

In spite of having dense traffic, Britain has one of the lowest number of road deaths in Europe. A large number of the people at risk from car accidents are pedestrians, especially the very young and older people.

There are a number of reasons for this. Seat-belts must be worn by drivers and all passengers. Most people remember to put on their seat-belts. There are strict rules against drinking and driving. A person found driving over the alcohol limit can be banned from driving for two or three years, fined heavily (up to £ 5,000), or even sent to prison. On motorways, there is a speed limit of 70 miles per hour (112 kph).

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain. 21st Century Edition, Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 69