The risk of being involved in an accident and being hurt or killed whilst travelling on the roads has diminished over time. In 1938 there were 314 casualties for every 100 million kilometres travelled while in 2012 there were 41 casualties per 100 million kilometres travelled.
In pre-war and wartime Britain, travelling on the roads carried a greater risk of being killed. For example, between 1939 and 1941 the number of fatalities averaged around 8,700 per year, over three times the annual number killed today. Since the 1970s the number of road deaths has fallen considerably, from over 7,700 deaths in 1972, to 1,754 in 2012.
Of the 6,029 car drivers killed or seriously injured in 2012: 8% were aged 17 to 19; 25% were aged 20 to 29; 42% were aged 30 to 59; 9% were aged 60 to 69; and 13% were over 70.