BS1363 does have many safety features, and the standard has been updated over time to improve it still further. The main drawback with it is that the plugs are physically large, though not as big as the 15A BS546 plug you've been looking at. I don't have any accident stats.
BS1363 was partly adopted to support
ring circuit electrical installations in the massive postwar building boom. Ring circuits require a fused plug to be used safely. Almost all older buildings had been rewired with rings and BS1363 outlets by the 70s.