On the first of February 2008 I sent an email to the Department of Transport at – road.safety@dft.gsi.gov.uk. It said:
In your press release of 31 January you state: “Seatbelts have prevented an estimated 60,000 deaths and 670,000 serious injuries since 31 January 1983 when seatbelts were made mandatory for drivers and front seat passengers.” The 60,000 statistic has been picked up and widely quoted. I would be grateful if you would provide the source of this statistic. I have posted my reasons for doubting it on my blog at http://john-adams.co.uk/2008/01/31/myth-inflation/ . I will be happy to correct it if you can persuade me that I’ve got it wrong.
I have yet to receive a reply. The claim in the DfT press release of 60,000 lives and 670,000 serious injuries saved by the seat belt law was widely reported – Google “seatbelts 60000 lives”. The press release was, in itself, a minor bit of myth reinforcement. But this is the way that myths are built. Repetition of an unchallenged falsehood establishes the falsehood. Should any reader of this blog succeed in getting a reply to my question from the Department for transport I would like to hear from you.