Speed management

RoadSafe believes that eliminating excessive speed will save lives. The challenge is for driving at inappropriate speed to be seen as anti social.

RoadSafe works with others...

  • To support and promote programmes of coordinated action in a whole range of areas including engineering, technology, training, communication, regulation and its enforcement.
  • To develop integrated initiatives to encourage stakeholders to introduce sensible speed policies and modern technologies to give better driver information.
  • To identify and promote local successful speed reduction initiatives and policies, then campaign to have them adopted nationally.

Research from the Transport Research Laboratory

TRL has provided evidence of three different types on the effect of speed on crashes and collisions.

  • Studies of individual drivers show that when exceeding the average speed by 25% a driver is about 6 times as likely to be involved in an incident in comparison with a driver adopting the average speed. This is similar to the risk associated with alcohol at the legal limit of 80mg/100ml blood alcohol content.
  • Studies of road sections show that for roads of each type, the number of crashes and collisions increases with increasing average speed – the effect varies on different road types and is strongest for the slowest roads. A ball-park figure is that each 1mph reduction in average speed is accompanied by a 5% reduction in accidents.
  • Before and after studies of intervention measures. Traffic calming measures (e.g. road humps and chicanes) in 20mph zones have reduced average speeds by about 10mph and resulted in a 50% reduction in collisions. Measures adopted in rural villages have reduced average speeds by about 5mph and resulted in at least 20% fewer collisions.
  • Research at Napier University shows that individuals are aware that speeds they normally adopt when alone are actually unsafe. For example, participants described situations in which they would slow down such as the presence of a speed camera or child in the car. This suggests that individuals know that if they see a camera they would need to slow down because they would be exceeding the limit.

Changing attitudes to speed need to relate to influences on speed:

  • Obligations - such as keeping appointments, picking up kids, and generally meeting the tight time schedules of modern life.
  • Opportunities - that allows speeding to take place, such as a fast car and a clear road.
  • Inclinations - performing behaviours in accordance with personal preference such as I like to speed as it feels good.

Visit the DfT web site for further information:  http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/