Wednesday 31st October 1951

Britain’s first zebra crossing was introduced in Slough, Berkshire in order to reduce casualties at pedestrian road crossings. Metal studs had been the road markings for crossings up until then, but, although pedestrians could see them clearly, the motorist couldn’t. Others things were tried but nothing had the visual impact of the broad white and black stripes across the road at a zebra crossing. In its first year of use road deaths fell by more than 10 per cent, but by 1960 more than 500 people had died on zebra crossings in the UK in a 6-month period, prompting the development and introduction of the signal-controlled panda crossing in 1962.