I had just read the Brian Jones Auto's Member Offer of £25 MOT's when I saw some motoring statistics in my daily paper.
Evidently in 1951 there were just over 2 million cars on our roads. In 2007 this figure had grown to over 27 million. Fuel prices have increased over 100 fold as has Fuel Tax. The figures that surprised me were those recorded for safety and I can't help but wonder if this is a misprint. It reports that in 1951 there were over 5,000 fatalities from motor accidents but that in 2007 this figure was down to 2,500. Can this be true? There were no motorways in 1951 and the average family saloon would need a steep down gradient to reach 70 miles per hour. Has there been a marked improvement in the way that we drive, the safety of the modern vehicle and medical expertise? This safety aspect is what brought it to mind. The MOT system has been a boon to vehicle safety. Back in 1951 the only safety control would have been spot checks by the police.
Mervyn L
