Citation

Learoyd CG. Lancet 1950; 258(6600): 367-369.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1950, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0140-6736(50)90124-3

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Children in this country are robbed of some 50,000 years of life each year by motor traffic. Motorcycles kill 500 to 1000 young men a year -- twice the number of car drivers killed, though there are over four times as many cars licensed. Pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers make up well over three quarters of the carnage. The driver of the goods vehicle has the highest average killing capacity, the private car driver comes second. The motorbike is the most lethal form of transport, a bus can go 15 times further before killing anybody. The ratio of killed to injured his about 1 to 30, but only one or two of the 30 are economically dead.

Statistics may be convincing but they are not so compelling as remembered scenes. We doctors in general practice collect in our memories quite a number tragic...