There are an estimated 31 million cars on UK roads, and this figure is increasing every year, with 71% of the adult population having driving licences - more than ever before.
However, the increasing popularity in cars has also increased the number of car accidents in Great Britain.
Over 290,000 personal injuries are caused by car accidents every year. It is thought that the main cause of a road accident is human mistakes, believed to contribute to 95% of all collisions.
3% of all car accidents are caused by speeding drivers, with three times as many accidents caused by ‘carless’ drivers.
However, despite there being 7,000 speed cameras across the country, there is no technology currently used to catch the careless and reckless drivers who cause more accidents.
Andrew Howard, the AA’s safety head said: “These figures show that human errors- and the human wish to find a shortcut- contribute to the vast majority of accidents. Some drivers make genuine mistakes and some deliberately take risks.
“But new rules telling us to behave aren’t the only answer and efforts must be made to protect us from these errors, through safer road design and safer vehicles.”
This statement is fitting, especially as only last week Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire and a motorway in Wigan were listed in the top ten worst designed roads in the UK.
Horror crash in the West Country
When a driver does make a human error, the highest price they can pay for this mistake is with their life. This was highlighted in the case of a woman and a teenager who died earlier this week in a devastating road accident.
The 24 year old woman died along with a 14 year old male in a crash on the A38, near Ashburton, South Devon. The teenager's stepfather, brother and step sister were also airlifted to hospital with “potentially life-threatening” personal injuries, after the collision, which created chaos on the roads.
Emergency services were called to the scene at the Westbound junction at around 8.45am after a crash occurred between a red Suzuki saloon car and a tractor pulling a trailer. As workers went through the wreckage they said the incident was “very traumatic.”
One worker from the South West Ambulance Service who attended the scene of the accident, said the survivors were very badly hurt. "Every one of them was potentially life-threatening because of the impact of the crash," he said. The three survivors were "conscious but not fully alert" and were taken for a CT scan on arrival at hospital.
Police were contacting next of kin yesterday and a full investigation was being carried out throughout the day into the possible causes.
Inspector Andy Hamilton said from the scene yesterday morning: "There are 15 policemen at the scene, collision investigators and scenes of crime officers."
Sgt Steve Walker, the senior investigating officer, said yesterday: "At this stage, we are unsure what has happened but there has been some sort of collision with the tractor and trailer, and the car has spun out of control."
If the accident was due to human error, the survivors could make a
car accident claim and possibly receive
compensation for their injuries, loss of earnings and any future care which they may require.
In similar news, three other people were injured in two further separate car accidents on Monday 14th.
