Child deaths on UK roads...
Child deaths on UK roads have risen by 20 per cent. The increase, from 141 children in 2005 to 169 last year, was revealed in the latest Government figures. Most vulnerable were young cyclists, among whom fatal accidents soared by 55 per cent, to 31. There was also a 13 per cent rise in deaths of adolescent pedestrians, to 71.
It found that accidents...
It found that accidents rise by up to 50 per cent on frosty days and 40 per cent when the roads are wet. But the average driver only cuts speed by four per cent in these conditions.
The accident costs involved jump up by 27 per cent in bad conditions as there are more collisions, and the impact speed tends to be higher.
A spokesman for Norwich Union said: "Drivers should slow down and leave greater distances between their car and the one in front. And if there has been a freeze, they need to defrost their windows to see properly." Meanwhile, a study by rival insurer Churchill has found that the average motorist will be involved in nine accidents in a lifetime. The company claims there are 3.9 million incidents on the road network each year in the UK - that"s the equivalent of 7.4 every minute!