The cost of the car: 20 million dead

A hundred years ago, in February 1898, Henry Lindfield lost control of his new motor car on his way from Brighton to London. When he died behind the wheel he became the first victim of what has since become one of the world's biggest killers.

Car crashes now claim more than 500,000 deaths a year, and injure another 15 million people. In 100 years there have been more than 20 million car-related deaths worldwide.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/car_crash/47357.stm