In the UK we have some of the safest roads in Europe, indeed the world, and they are getting safer all the time. So what has changed to make our roads so much safer than they once were? There are a number of factors not least the fact that cars are infinitely safer than they used to be.

Features such as crumple zones and air bags have made a big difference to road traffic accident survival rates, as has the use of seatbelts; certainly in the 1970’s very few people saw the need to wear a seatbelt, however following a very successful public information film with Jimmy Savile where the slogan was “Clunk click on every trip”, seatbelt use became more widespread.

In the 70,s and the 80’s drink driving was a very common pastime, motorist’s in general didn’t see anything wrong with being far in excess of the legal limit as long as they drove “carefully”. Attitudes were quite different then and a quite common reaction on hearing that a fellow motorist had been charged with drink driving would be “Haven’t the police got anything better to do?".Gradually there became more awareness that it wasn’t only your own life that was at risk, you could easily run over and kill a child, whilst your reactions were impaired. 

When you look at the road death toll in other European countries it is usually quite easy to identify the cause; in the Eastern European countries drink driving is still a major factor as are old poorly maintained vehicles. One of the most hair raising things about driving in Portugal is watching over-laden underpowered family saloons overtaking on blind bends. In Spain and Greece, it’s a combination of impatience, speed, and alcohol. Added to this, the other cause of so many accidents in Southern Europe, is driving at high speed, two to three yards behind the car in front.

Many forget when they go on a driving holiday in Europe that they are generally in a much more dangerous environment than at home. However as long as you keep out of the overtaking lane as much as possible, keep your distance and don’t drive with a lorry behind you, you will usually come back in one piece.