New figures indicate that the number of people killed on British roads has fallen to the lowest level since records began and that the scrappage scheme could be the reason behind this.
1,857 people were killed on British roads last year, a reduction of almost 20% from 2009 when 2,222 people lost their lives.
Over 380,000 bangers were traded in under the government scheme that gave a £2000 reduction on the price of a new car if a car ten years or older was traded in. Motoring groups claim that this removal of older, less safe cars is the reason for the fall in fatalities and that the number of newer NCAP-rated cars on the road means that drivers are more likely than ever to be protected in a crash.
The technical director for vehicle safety at the Transport Research laboratory, Richard Cuerden said “Car safety has improved so much that if you are involved in an accident; your car is going to protect you far more than it did 10 or 20 years ago.”
