By Tim Lambert
Early cars were dangerous, and road accidents were common. However, road safety gradually improved during the 20th century.
In Britain, the first speed limit was introduced in 1895. It was 2 miles per hour. In 1896, Walter Arnold became the first car driver in Britain to be fined for speeding. He was fined one shilling.
In 1872, it was made illegal to be drunk while in charge of horses and carriages, as well as cattle and steam engines. In 1897, a taxi driver named George Smith became the first person in Britain to be arrested for drunk driving after he drove into a building. In 1898, Henry Lindfield became the first British car driver to die in a car crash.
The first electric traffic lights were invented in the USA in 1914. In Britain, the first electric traffic lights were installed in 1928.
At first, deaths on the road were common. There were no driving tests, and anyone could obtain a driving licence just by paying a small sum.
In 1903, a speed limit of 20 MPH was introduced in Britain. It was abolished in 1930. However, in 1934, a speed limit of 30 MPH in built-up areas was introduced.
However, road safety improved in the 1930s. In Britain, the Highway Code was published in 1931. In 1934, Percy Shaw invented the cat’s eye. In 1935, a driving test became compulsory for new drivers in Britain. The first person to pass was Mr Beene.
Also in 1935, pedestrian crossings were introduced. They were marked by metal studs in the road and by a yellow globe on top of a striped white and black pole. They were named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, who was Minister of Transport from 1934 to 1937. Later, the roads were painted with black and white stripes, and they were called zebra crossings. In Britain, the first zebra crossing began operation in 1949.
The same year, 1949, school crossing patrols began. They became known as lollipop men or women because they held round signs on poles that looked like lollipops.
The pelican crossing was introduced in Britain in 1969. A pedestrian pushes a button, and a red light stops traffic for a short time, allowing them to cross.
At first, motorways had no speed limit, but in 1965, an experimental limit of 70 miles per hour was introduced. It was made permanent in 1967.
In 1959, a Swede named Nils Bohlin developed the three-point seat belt. In 1983, wearing a seat belt was made compulsory in Britain. In 2003, driving while using a handheld mobile phone.
The Road Safety Act of 1967 made it illegal to drive with more than 80mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Breathalysers were introduced to test drivers if the police suspected they were over the limit.
Meanwhile, in Britain in 1961, the Tufty Club was formed to teach children road safety. Tufty was a squirrel who appeared in stories. In 1970 in Britain, the Green Cross Code was invented to help children cross the road safely.
