The number of people killed on Britain's roads fell last year to the lowest since records began. In 2007, a total of 2,946 died - a significant 7% reduction since 2006. This reduction comes at a time when vehicle numbers have increased to an incredible 27 million - which equates to 1 death for every 9,164 vehicles.

Record keeping began in 1928 when there were just 2.3 million motor vehicles on the road. Despite this low number of vehicles, there were an incredible 7,000 recorded deaths or 1 death for every 328 vehicles.

Loss of vehicle control or 'human error' accounted for one third of all fatalities with one in six being caused by the driver being under the influence of alcohol in excess of the legal limit.

The number of injuries sustained in road accidents also dropped last year to 247,780 - 4% fewer than in 2006.