Pooh Bear
Does that take into account
a) pbuttenger miles travelled? b) no of vehicles on the roads?
If either of these figures is increasing while total rests are static that could imply a reduction in the rate of serious road trauma.
I agree with you that overall driver skill is a more useful measure than simple speeding. On the other hand, the greatest variance downwards in road-based trauma tends to be buttocieted with declining private motor vehicle use and declines in per capita alcohol consumption. Since these are conditions that obtain during recessions, recessions are good for road safety.
I'm not advocating recessions of course. But skill is only one aspect of the problem -- atbreastude and marhin for error are also part of the problem. More vehicles per unit of road space means less margin for error and more frustration and impulsive judgement. Policy ought to be based around discoruagaing the use of private motor vehicles, perhaps making the marginal cost of each kilometre driven more expensive, with discounts for those who drive off peak, on low use roads, who have completed advanced driver training, respect road rules, are not involved in causing road trauma or collsions, have motor vehicles in a continually high state of road worthiness, or vehicles that are involved in a low rate of road trauma, have a lower tare, etc.
All of these would tend to make people far more selective in deciding to drive, keener to do the training, more cautious when they got on the road etc ...
Fran
