Fewer deaths and less congestion

Great Britain's roads are safer and less congested, according to statistics released by the Department for Transport.

The DfT says that the number of fatalities in road accidents was down 13% for the 12 month period ending in June 2008, compared with the same period ending in June 2007. Total casualties for the period fell by 7%.

As well as being safer, Britain's roads are also becoming clearer. DfT statistics show a decrease of 2.2% in overall traffic levels between the third quarters of 2007 and 2008.

Other findings are as follows:

• Car traffic decreased by 2%


• Light van traffic was unchanged


• Heavy goods vehicle traffic decreased by 4%


• Traffic on motorways was decreased by 2%


• Traffic on rural 'A' roads decreased by 3%


• Traffic on urban 'A' roads decreased by 2%


• Traffic rural minor roads and urban minor roads decreased by 2%

So, when you set out into the rush-hour, you can rest assured that average delays on the slowest 10% of journeys have fallen from 3.95 to 3.67 minutes per 10 miles.