The Changing Face of Mobility
The Changing Face of Mobility
Every Road Accident Victim Is One Too Many
From the first basic cars to highly automated and connected vehicles, the way we travel from A to B on our roads reflects technological progress, societal change, and global challenges – also with respect to road safety. In any event, the some 1.2 million traffic fatalities worldwide each year underline the fact that there can be no let up in efforts to develop efficient measures to prevent accidents and reduce their impact.
The date is August 17, 1896; the scene is near to Crystal Palace in south London. Bridget Driscoll, a woman in her mid-forties, is crossing the road on foot when a car suddenly approaches and runs her over. As reported by eye-witnesses, the car was being driven at “a reckless pace, almost like a fire engine.” Bridget Driscoll’s head injuries were so severe that she died on the spot, likely making her the very first victim of an accident involving a car. At the subsequent trial, the driver who caused the accident claimed, among other things, that he had only been traveling a little over 6 km/h (~4 mph) – the Roger-Benz, as his vehicle was called, had a top speed of only 8 km/h (~5 mph). The judge showed clemency and acquitted the defendant, reportedly stating that he hoped such a tragic accident would never happen again. A noble aspiration, as things would soon turn out, as to this day the history of mobility is not only linked with development and progress, but also with high victim statistics.
For example, as reported in a 2006 publication from the German Federal Statistical Office, even the government of what was then the German Reich found it necessary to introduce “Statistics of harmful events occurring when operating motor vehicles” as from April 1, 1906. In January 1907, the number of vehicles on the roads was also recorded for the first time. As at the first reporting date, the statistics determined there were 27,026 registered motor vehicles – 15,954 motorbikes, 957 trucks, and 10,115 cars. In the first year of reporting road traffic accident statistics (October 1906 to September 1907), 4,864 accidents were recorded, in which 145 people died and 2,419 were injured. In 1906/1907, 85 percent of traffic fatalities were caused by accidents with cars, despite the fact that cars accounted for only 37 percent of the vehicles on the roads at that time. On July 1, 1928, the statistics showed that there were already some 933,312 motor vehicles – 351,380 cars, 334,314 motorbikes, and 121,765 trucks. That year, 3,447 people lost their lives in a car accident, and 1,516 in a motorbike accident. Considering the number of vehicles on the roads, driving was therefore much more dangerous in the early days than it is today.
DEKRA Emphasizes the Importance of Road Safety at an Early Stage
Even back then, many of these accidents were likely caused by technical defects. It was not for nothing that DEKRA’s magazine dated August 15, 1928, dedicated an article entitled “Vorbeugen!” (Prevention) to the importance of vehicle inspections. As the article stated:
“Many collisions, particularly in city traffic, are caused by defective brakes and steering systems. And even if the preventative work carried out by inspection mechanics only remedied these defects to make the vehicles roadworthy again, this work would have already paid for itself, human lives would be at less risk, and important national assets would be preserved. […] Therefore, objective, properly performed motor vehicle inspections support the healthy ongoing development of the road transport economy; this benefits not only the vehicle owner but also the insurance sector, industry, and road safety; it is an effective preventive in the best sense of the word and should, therefore, also be promoted by those groups that have so far held back.”
Alongside its vehicle inspections, DEKRA has generally also always provided its members with extensive information on how to safely operate motor vehicles. On this point, there is an interesting article in the DEKRA magazine dated July 15, 1929, entitled (translated freely here) “The increase in car accidents,” covering aspects such as “Observations on how accidents unfold and their causes” and “Suggestions for preventing and limiting accidents.” Many of the points raised there remain as valid as ever.
The main causes of accidents were listed as technical defects on vehicles, human error such as fatigue or alcohol consumption, inadequate driver training “outside the framework of driving lessons,” poor traffic control, poor road conditions, and careless behavior by pedestrians.
It put alcohol-related accidents on the same level as accidents “caused by reckless driving, particularly by younger drivers, and speeding on rural roads and city streets.” As for pedestrians, the author noted that “they are adapting only reluctantly and grudgingly to the rules of the road.” He wrote that from time immemorial, pedestrians had considered themselves to be the “true masters of the road” and would “resist being forced to relinquish this position.” Once again, the article highlighted that older vehicles and poor maintenance increase the risk of accidents. DEKRA’s suggested improvements at the time included things like stricter checks, improved driver training, optimized traffic control, and preventative measures such as warning signs in hazardous locations.
The Ever-Changing World of Mobility
The mass production of cars in the 1920s marked the start of motorized mobility’s triumphant advance across the globe. The car became a new symbol of technological progress and a more modern society, particularly in Europe and North America. However, the road infrastructure was still in the early stages of development, and vehicles only had basic braking and lighting systems. In the decades after World War II, the car evolved from a luxury item to become a means of mass transportation, with many countries launching infrastructure programs to build and expand roads. As globalization stepped up a gear from the 1980s onward, numerous emerging countries such as China and India also saw an increase in motor traffic, while industrialized nations experienced the first problems caused by the mass use of cars. Congestion, air pollution, and accidents led to a growing awareness of the social and environmental costs of automobility.
The 21st century has brought profound upheaval to the world of mobility – the spotlight is now increasingly on topics such as digitalization, climate protection, and new usage concepts. Sharing programs, micromobility, and digital traffic management are playing an ever-growing role. However, while industrialized countries in particular are moving toward fully automated and connected mobility concepts, many countries in the global South still face quite different challenges, including a lack of infrastructure, outdated vehicles, and high accident rates, leading to a lower level of road safety.
Primary Goals of the United Nations
In order to halve the number of traffic fatalities in the period 2021 through 2030, the United Nations agreed on twelve voluntary performance targets back in November 2017. In this form, they are more or less also considered part of the “Global Plan for the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.”
It is clear that, based on what we have seen time and time again in past decades, our work to improve road safety cannot simply be a short-term campaign – it must be an ongoing process. The key is to ensure that preventative technical, organizational, and infrastructure measures are all coordinated to prevent accidents and reduce their impacts.
Accident Statistics, The Human Factor, Technology and Infrastructure – plus numerous accident examples and statements from international experts: The DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025 examines “The Changing Face of Mobility” from a wide variety of perspectives.
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