Estimates of the amounts of road traffic have been used to estimate changes in the numbers of one-vehicle and two-vehicle accidents in great-Britain in recent years from changes in the amount of road traffic, assuming that all other factors remain constant. Probably the most important of these factors is that the behaviour of road users is affected by the presence of others. The "expected" numbers of casualties in accidents involving one or two vehicles in 1972 has been calculated. Some of the measures that research has shown to reduce the numbers of road casualties are examined to find the amounts by which casualties in Great Britain would be reduced if the measures were adopted on a wide scale. Improvement in roads- more street lighting, the removal of skidding accident black-spots, the building of the "by-passes" in the official development plans, the building of the planned motorways, and a limited number of improvements to junctions. Increasing the number of police patrolling the roads, reducing the amount of driving after drinking, and increased use of speed limits, could all make marked reductions in the numbers of accidents.
Abstract