War on the roads

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7358.277

BMJ 2002;325:277 ( 3 August )

Letters

War on the roads

Major change is needed in politicians' and developers' attitudes

This war is sapping NHS of resources and inflicting untold grief

Driving less would reduce so many problems in so many countries

Transport has so many health implications that must be considered

People at risk get hit by traffic

Evidence based prevention of these injuries is necessary

Travel on roads 100 years ago was not as easy as nostalgia suggests

Major change is needed in politicians' and developers' attitudes

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ The articles about war on the roads in the journal of 11 May¹ have given prominence to the plight of vulnerableroad users and the need to return the streets to the people inpoorer countries.² They have given less prominence, however,to similar needs in developed countries.

The United Kingdom has for many years had one of the best records in the world for reducing road traffic crashes. The onebig anomaly has been in accidents to pedestrians. Steady progresshas been made in reducing deaths and injuries to child pedestrianssince the early 1970s, but the country is still placed only 15thout of the 29 countries listed in the most recent edition of RoadAccidents Great Britain 2000.³

The reason for its poor position lies mainly with the design of the urban environment. Although some good progress has beenmade $---$ most notably with the development of . . . [Full text of this article]

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