London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Enfield 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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Road Accidents
I am grateful to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for the following report
on road accidents occurring within the borough.
" The accident rate has again fallen in 1967 by 9%. Figures are:
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of Accidents | 1,859 | 1,685 | 1,532 |
| Total number of Casualties | 2,387 | 2,206 | 1,986 |
| Fatal | 26 | 34 | 28 |
| Serious | 423 | 365 | 364 |
| Slight | 1,938 | 1,807 | 1,594 |
"This reduction has come about in the face of increasing traffic. I feel it can
be said with some certainty that the general public are becoming more aware of
their responsibilities. This has been brought about by the increasing amount of
propaganda and education both nationally and locally, the introduction of new
legislation and improvement to roads. The introduction of the new drink and
driving laws was a matter of great controversy during 1967 and obviously brought
the problem to the public's attention and this awareness no doubt had some effect
on the accident situation even before the Breathalyser Test came into operation on
the 9th October, 1967. It is worthy of note that immediately following the introduction
of this law the reduction of road accidents has been particularly pronounced
during the period 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. In October 1967 accidents in the Metropolitan
Police Area during these hours were 41.9% less than in 1966 and in November
41% less than 1966.
"Although it is a little early to draw any firm conclusions from these startling
reductions, they do show that this new law had an immediate effect upon the accident
situation. It still remains to be seen what this reduction will amount to over
a longer period of time.
"Whilst this reduction in adult casualties is very encouraging, it is not reflected
in the child casualty rate in our borough—only 16 fewer children under the age
of 15 years being injured in 1967 than in 1966.
"The parked vehicle is probably one of the greatest hazards to children on the
roads. In 1967, 23 children were injured, whilst running into the road from behind
a stationary vehicle. This problem is particularly dangerous outside school entrances
and in consequence most schools have 'No Waiting'—'School Entrance' markings
outside their gates. However, the parents who bring the children to school by
car do as a general rule ignore these markings and stop their vehicles within the
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