Fall in road deaths 'testimony to technological developments'

Date: 24/9/2010

Innovative developments in vehicle safety technologies have contributed to a reduction in the number of road deaths in Britain.

That is according to RoadSafe, which issued a statement in response to the latest Department for Transport figures that showed the amount of car occupant fatalities fell by 16 per cent between 2008 and 2009.

The organisation predicted car safety will improve "with increasingly sophisticated technology" over the coming years.

It stated its ideal vehicle is one that "actively prevents collisions", systems for which are already available on some cars.

Future models may incorporate blind spot monitoring, which detects moving objects that cannot be seen by the driver, lane support systems - which use sensors to monitor a car's position within the road markings - and warning and emergency braking systems to detect dangers ahead.

Recently, Paul Burnley, an analyst at automotive market research firm SBD, told the BBC cars developed over the coming years could have the ability to alert the emergency services after an accident.

Posted by Sarah Bailey