Road deaths in Northern Irelamd.

[renault12ts]

In 1972, with far fewer cars on the road, 372 people lost their lives on the roads of Northern Ireland.

This figure fell ever after. In 2009 107 people lost their lives which was good, but not as good as 2010 when the figure plummeted to 55. This disappointingly rose to 59 last year.

So far this year we have recorded the lowest ever quarterly figure...8 have died. This is a tragedy for the families and friends of each one...but is a remarkable drop. We haven't seen a double figure month since December 2009.

But why the big drop over the last 2.25 years? And are other regions experiencing similar?

 

[developer]

In 1972, with far fewer cars on the road, 372 people lost their lives on the roads of Northern Ireland.

This figure fell ever after. In 2009 107 people lost their lives which was good, but not as good as 2010 when the figure plummeted to 55. This disappointingly rose to 59 last year.

So far this year we have recorded the lowest ever quarterly figure...8 have died. This is a tragedy for the families and friends of each one...but is a remarkable drop. We haven't seen a double figure month since December 2009.

But why the big drop over the last 2.25 years? And are other regions experiencing similar?

Watered down Guinness

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

The 'bull nose' of new cars is not just to look nice, it is to give peds a bit more space before their head hits the engine block.

And that is just one safety design.

Cars are getting safer.

 

[trapperjohn]

Watered down Guinness

John could have a point there. What was socially acceptable in 72 is not any more. ie having a a decent drink and driving home. Not me you understand.

Has accident investigation made the roads safer? I was stuck for an hour on the M6 today as there had been an RTC. A Clio was on its roof and an air ambulance had landed and taken casualties away. The southbound 6 was still shut a couple of hours later as I came back northbound. Clio still on its roof and investigations ongoing. It would appear an excessive amount of time was being taken and the roads round Wigan were jammed. I just hope no one was killed in the incident. And valuable lessons can be learned from the investigations.

Traffic calming and more one way systems could be helping to cut deaths. I looked up recent deaths on the roads round Preston and unfortunately 3 of them were "suicides" off motorway bridges. Not logged as such I believe but local knowledge helps.

JBR has a valid point too. Lots of people look at NCAP ratings before buying a car.

 

[Aswall]

On the drinking issue, I was amazed to read in one of the classic mags this week, that when the drink driving laws/breathalysers were first mooted in the 60s there was fierce opposition from many quarters, inc national newspapers, as they claimed it would turn us into a nation of introverts! Attitudes have shifted massively in a generation.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Could it also be that more people with serious injuries are surviving - perhaps due to greater use of air ambulances, or just better co-ordination of road-based emergency services. I suspect the overall answer will be a combination of factors.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Whatever the cause, I wish it was more widespread.

 

[neilrr]

People are driving less because of the cost of fuel. Several people I know who drive hundreds of miles a week on long journeys have commented on a lower level of traffic.

Many non essential journeys are not being made.

 

[Nasco12]

That number of 372 for 1972 sounds odd. If you scale it up UK-wide (1.5m > 60m i.e. multiply by 40) you'd expect about 15,000 dead. But the actual UK-wide figure for 1972 was about 7000. In other words, in 1972, NI was an unusually dangerous place.

By comparison, if you scale it up for 2010 you get to about 2400. The actual figure is 1857. So, NI's roads have got a lot safer.

 

[renault12ts]

Duplicate post.

 

[renault12ts]

That number of 372 for 1972 sounds odd. If you scale it up UK-wide (1.5m > 60m i.e. multiply by 40) you'd expect about 15,000 dead. But the actual UK-wide figure for 1972 was about 7000. In other words, in 1972, NI was an unusually dangerous place.

By comparison, if you scale it up for 2010 you get to about 2400. The actual figure is 1857. So, NI's roads have got a lot safer.

In more ways than one!

But yes, we have had a terrible record which has now been addressed.

 

[grober]

Mirrored elsewhere in the UK Road deaths fall to record low | World news | The Guardian Its a bit difficult to make sense of the figures however. Does this mean there are less accidents or that people are simply surviving them better? Is the ever escalating price of insurance keeping younger drivers off the roads or out of powerful cars? Has the implementation of the peace process meant the police have had more time to devote to road safety in NI ?

 

[renault12ts]

The downward slope is good. I'm just surprised at the big and sudden fall in 2010 which has continued through 2011 to this year.

 

[Mr E]

Mirrored elsewhere in the UK Road deaths fall to record low | World news | The Guardian Its a bit difficult to make sense of the figures however. Does this mean there are less accidents or that people are simply surviving them better? Is the ever escalating price of insurance keeping younger drivers off the roads or out of powerful cars? Has the implementation of the peace process meant the police have had more time to devote to road safety in NI ?

That's the problem with the headline stats - you can't actually tell too much from them. Unfortunately I don't have the full report to hand (we usually have them in the office but working from home at the mo) but the better numbers are KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) per 100,000 journeys or per 100,000 miles.

There's a lot of evidence that changes in attitude and behaviour were more responsible for the drop at the beginning of the decline, but improvements in car design and medical procedures have meant that the number of deaths has declined further.

The more interesting research results are that more improved safety in cars has also seen a "decline" in attitude and behaviour. Some early indications from the US see this more in drivers of particular vehicle "types" - perhaps those with a perception of being safer - rather than age groups.

Road safety is a really interesting area of research. I've never been directly involved, but we often look at trends of market perception in regard to brand, features and messages such as sportiness or safety.

 

[tacfoley]

I think your comment about Northern Ireland being 'an usually dangerous place in 1972' is a mite specious, and needs tying down somewhat. I'm assuming that you are talking about the roads, and not the general situation over there which was extremely dangerous for anybody wearing the funny-patterned clothes that I was wearing at the time. There were also a very large number of people driving around like maniacs for reasons best known to themselves, often at night and without lights. Some of them are even in government nowadays, so I'm told.

tac

 

[renault12ts]

I think your comment about Northern Ireland being 'an usually dangerous place in 1972' is a mite specious, and needs tying down somewhat. I'm assuming that you are talking about the roads, and not the general situation over there which was extremely dangerous for anybody wearing the funny-patterned clothes that I was wearing at the time. There were also a very large number of people driving around like maniacs for reasons best known to themselves, often at night and without lights. Some of them are even in government nowadays, so I'm told.

tac

I'm sure he was talking about the road deaths. But just as 1972 saw the highest number of road fatalities, it was also the worst year for deaths as a result of the "troubles".

 

[br0ke]

Various reasons that could come together

1. Very mild winter
2. Less young people driving as they can't afford insurance
3. Cars being driven slower
4. More Safety Camera's
5. Less journeys due to fuel costs
6. Safer cars
7. Luck

But it only takes one major accident to return things to normality.

The only downside is the the Chief Constable will use these figures to fund more Road Traffic Vans.

You only ever see them around Police Headquarters, or on overtaking spots on A-roads. For example, you are stuck in a string of traffic behind a lorry at 50mph and come to a 2 lane overtaking zone. Everyone is jockeying for position and bam - there's a camera on you. Easy money making scheme.
It's better to overtake on chevrons and bends now as there won't be camera vans there....

 

[renault12ts]

Various reasons that could come together

1. Very mild winter
2. Less young people driving as they can't afford insurance
3. Cars being driven slower
4. More Safety Camera's
5. Less journeys due to fuel costs
6. Safer cars
7. Luck

But it only takes one major accident to return things to normality.

The only downside is the the Chief Constable will use these figures to fund more Road Traffic Vans.

You only ever see them around Police Headquarters, or on overtaking spots on A-roads. For example, you are stuck in a string of traffic behind a lorry at 50mph and come to a 2 lane overtaking zone. Everyone is jockeying for position and bam - there's a camera on you. Easy money making scheme.
It's better to overtake on chevrons and bends now as there won't be camera vans there....

December 2010 was the worst winter weather ever experienced in Northern Ireland...so can't be that.

We only have 5 fixed speed cameras...can't be that.

 

[wemorgan]

Out of interest have MoT, or equivalent, standards changed over recent years?

 

[renault12ts]

Out of interest have MoT, or equivalent, standards changed over recent years?

In NI they are standardised and done at a small number of officially run centres. These centres are run along side the driver testing stations.These centres only do the testing (with the very best of equipment) they do not repair cars.

This is one such. They test all sizes of vehicle, from artics to motorbikes: