Sadly we lost one of our 16 year old cats last year to an RTA and that was in our cul de sac.
We have now cat proofed the garden and all future kitties that come along will now be safe.
When you are choosing your house take a look round the garden and see if cat proofing can be done. If there are already 6 foot fencing up then it can be done quite easily.

Also it's not just the roads these days that you have to be aware off.
Humans and Antifreeze poisoning are a problen as well

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I have lived in the same house in a cul de sac for over 30 years and owned 9 cats. 6 have lived to 15 ish, I still have an old boy of almost 18. BUT!!!!!
I lost a beautiful tabby boy 2 years ago (9 months) on the road and very recently my lovely Freddie (18 months) they were both neutered chipped etc.
The sad reality is there is so much traffic nowadays that cats on the loose are an accident waiting to happen

Sadly I have to agree with everyone else, no road seems to be safe any more. We took the decision quite a few years ago now to keep ours in, despite having had outdoor cats for many years. We are lucky, we have been able to turn the back garden into one big cat run with cat flap access so they are free to be in or out safely when they want, though we still lock them in at night. That way they get fresh air and places to run, climb etc but we also have peace of mind.

When we had outdoor cats we had one who would often stay out all night and I can honestly say that I do not miss those sleepless nights one bit LOL.

I have lived in this same house for over 17 years and can honestly say that I have never heard of a cat being killed on the road despite a bustling population of cats many of whom seem to enjoy sun bathing in the middle of the road.
However, I have had many occasions where I suffered the agony of one of my cats go missing for a day, or a week or up to 6 weeks. Thankfully all came home eventually but life was a living hell while that went on.
My limited experience of an indoor cat was not positive at all....probably the only cat I ever met that I could say I disliked!....but in retrospect I realise that she was not neutered and was therefore constantly in call, poor thing.
Until I joined forums like this 2 years ago I honestly never thought that there was any mid way ground in the form of a cat proofed garden which is the option I have gone for myself.
Yes....if you are used to the idea of a cat roaming freely it IS a compromise, but I do think it is one worth making. My present generation of younger cats are no way near as street wise as my old moggies, they are very friendly to strangers and also I like to think rather prettier than the standard mog so more likely to attract attention from potential cat nappers.
My cat proofing ( around 35 linear metres ) cost me less than £500 which I think is a manageable sum for most people.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

This is not at all meant as advice for anyone, just my personal experience with my cats and roads.

My two Maus spent about the first three years of their lives in my flat that fronted onto Clapham Common; although there is quite a busy road in front of the flat, it's about thirty metres away with a wide strip of grass, trees, and a private-ish driveway in front of the flat. From about six months old I took them for walks out the front of the flat, so from an early age, when they were still quite timid, they learned to keep well away from big noisy things, and especially the road itself. Later on, they would happily wander on their own out there, and were far more interested in the grassy area and travelling around to the large gardens behind and adjacent block of flats.

I am now in a much quieter residential area with only the occasional passing car, but their early experiences mean that even if a car turns into the road from a few hundred metres away, or they hear one about to come around a nearby corner, they scarper from the road and observe from a distance. I know I probably sound a bit blase about this, but I spend a lot of time walking outside with the boys so I have had plenty of time to observe their behaviour. I'm aware that unusual circumstances happen; one might be scared suddenly and bolt into the road at the wrong time, but my observation is that the noise of a car always puts them on high alert, no matter what.

One final thought: I think that a cat who lives near a quiet road that only has the occasional but fast vehicle travelling down it is at greater danger than one who's used to a constantly busy road. The constant noise prevents them from approaching too closely, like an invisible barrier; but if it's used to a road being clear, it can be unprepared to move quickly enough to avoid a fast car.

My small quiet side road comes off a big busy main road....and I would have sworn that none of my cats would ever venture in that direction or attempt to cross that road....but yesterday I had to stop the traffic to let one of my neighbour's cats cross the road back to our side and safety.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!