Bridget Driscoll was struck down by a speeding horseless carriage going 4 mph in 1896.


There were only 20 cars in Britain at the time so it is no surprise that Mrs Driscoll had hesitated in front of the car and seemed bewildered before being hit.

The driver, working for the Anglo-French Motor Co, Roger-Benz, said that he was doing 4mph when he killed Mrs Driscoll and that he had rung his bell and shouted.

The car's maximum speed was 8mph but its speed had been deliberately limited.

It was Britain's first fatal car accident.

Arthur Edsall had been driving only three weeks at the time and - with no licence requirement - had been given no instruction as to which side of the road to keep to.

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