Road accident deaths fall

The number of people killed or fatally injured in road accidents in England last year dropped by 38 per cent, to 41,676, compared to the 1981-85 average, but the number of slight injuries increased by 8 per cent, according to official statistics published yesterday.

In total, there were 273,373 people injured in road accidents, a decrease of 1.5 per cent since 1994. The number of casualties fell in the majority of regions, with the exception of the North East and South West. In 1987 the Government announced that it aimed to reduce road casualties by a third by the year 2000. That target was exceeded for both deaths and serious injuries two years ago. Clare Garner