Safe Speed Forums

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArt ... eID=939214

Britain in grip of speeding epidemic

Report says 15 million break the limit most days
MORE than half of all drivers break the speed limit most days, according to a new survey which claims Britain is in the grip of a deadly "speeding epidemic".

Dave Mark

About 55 per cent of drivers – equivalent to 15 million people – admit to regularly speeding, according to the report.
The 2005 RAC Report on Motoring, launched today, reveals the number breaking the limit is up almost 10 per cent on a year ago.
Overall, 57 per cent of drivers break the motorway speed limit and almost two-thirds break 30 mph speed limits – despite speed causing a third of all fatal accidents.
The survey suggests that current enforcement has little impact, with the most common reason given for continued speeding is the small chance of being caught – dubbed by the RAC "driving under the radar".
But critics suggest the report shows many speed limits are inappropriate, as the majority of motorists drive above the speed limit without any problems.
RAC spokesman Philip Hale said: "We have something of a speeding epidemic on our hands. More motorists than ever are admitting to disorder on the roads. Overall, 16 per cent – or four million British drivers – do not consider themselves law-abiding, almost double last year's figure.
"Enough people to fill 10 commercial holiday jets die every year on Britain's roads. Individual motorists know these risks, yet choose to ignore them – drivers are speeding undeterred on all types of road, at all times of day, every day of the week and would only respond to the harshest penalties.
"While extreme actions may not be practical, more effective deterrents do need serious consideration."
Motorists admitted to the RAC that the greatest deterrents would be a highly visible traffic police presence and draconian penalties, including instant 12-month bans and in-car "black box" tracking systems to detect speeding offences.
Some 42 per cent of motorists would stop speeding if they thought they faced an immediate 12-month ban, while 48 per cent would change the way they drive if their car was fitted with an electronic tracking device – but only a third would respond if they faced a one-month ban.
The RAC said it does not consider the extreme measures highlighted by motorists to be practical, but believes better detection, penalties and education are necessary-.
However the report was labelled "alarmist and misleading" by a key motoring organisation.
Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign (www.safespeed.org.
uk) said: "When there are hazards ahead we slow down. When there are no hazards ahead we speed up. And that's exactly what we must do for safety.
"When conditions are suitable we speed because we know we are setting the right speed. If we replace this behaviour with rigid speed limit compliance drivers will become less effective at slowing down when necessary and crashes and deaths will increase.
"In fact it's already happening. So far the Government has managed to persuade a few per cent of drivers to drive rigidly to the number on the speedo instead of the conditions ahead.
"Our reward for this grossly mistaken policy is an increase in deaths, typified by the known increase in single vehicle crashes where a vehicle leaves the road.
"These crashes happen when a driver fails to adjust speed to suit the conditions. Safe Speed demands that speed cameras are scrapped and the policies that gave us the safest roads in the world are restored.
"We do not need to eliminate routine speeding by responsible motorists – instead we need to emphasise the importance of responsible speed choice."
dave.mark@ypn.co.uk
07 February 2005

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Is there any way of responding to the claim that "a third of accidents are caused by speeding" every time it's uttered. To those less in the know, this claim is all they will need to convince them of the rightness of the Speed Kills message.

I notice in your quoted comments Paul that you made no attempt to refute this claim. Was this not an opportunity missed?

_________________
If nothing else works, then a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.

I issued the following pr:

================================
PR162: Safe Speed says RAC report 'a missed opportunity'

News: Strict embargo: 00:01hrs, Monday 7th February 2005

The RAC report launched today with the alarmist headline: "Speeding
epidemic spreads as 15 million break limits 'most days', reveals RAC".
Safe Speed says that's highly misleading because routine speeding is
actually a perfectly normal and acceptable - even vital - road user
behaviour.

We need to know the answer to the question: 'Why do drivers speed?'
Without a clear and accurate answer to this question conclusions are
ill founded. Yet neither the government nor the RAC report have any
useful illumination to offer.

"Drivers' speeding behaviour is clearly a complete mystery to the
government, the RAC and much of the road safety community. On the one
hand most drivers exceed the speed limit much of the time, yet it's
difficult to understand why they do it. They don't save much time,
they risk fines and licence suspensions and the government tells us
that they are risking their lives. And why hasn't drivers' speeding
behaviour changed at all after a decade of speed camera programme
expansion?

Safe Speed says routine speeding, for the majority of responsible
motorists, is nothing more than a side effect of a vital safety-
oriented driver behaviour. Of course there are people who drive like
maniacs and deserve the attentions of the Police, but these people are
a tiny minority. What about the rest of us? Why do we speed?

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) explains: "Actually it's very simple. As
drivers we constantly have to adjust our speed to the immediate
conditions. In fact, one of the primary tasks of driving is to set an
appropriate speed that enables us to slow down or stop if the
situation ahead demands it. We do it constantly. We do it almost
subconsciously and in almost every case we do it very well indeed.
The message from the conditions ahead is powerful and accurate. In
order to be safe a driver MUST respond to them."

"We become so attuned to driving to the conditions that any other
behaviour feels wrong. When there are hazards ahead we slow down. When
there are no hazards ahead we speed up. And that's exactly what we
MUST do for safety."

"If we replace this behaviour with rigid speed limit compliance
drivers will become less effective at slowing down when necessary and
crashes and deaths will increase. In fact it's already happening. So
far the government has managed to persuade a few percent of drivers to
drive rigidly to the number on the speedo instead of the conditions
ahead."

"Our reward for this grossly mistaken policy is an increase in
deaths, typified by the known increase in single vehicle crashes where
a vehicle leaves the road. These crashes happen when a driver fails to
adjust speed to suit the conditions."

Safe Speed demands that speed cameras are scrapped and the policies
that gave us the safest roads in the world are restored. We do not
need to eliminate routine speeding by responsible motorists - instead
we need to emphasize the importance of responsible speed choice
according to the conditions.

<ends>



Notes for editors:
==================

If this information can be used to spark a public debate about the
true causes of speeding behaviour, that would be very much in the
public interest.

***

Recent DfT figures suggest that "excessive speed" was recorded as a
"contributory factor" in 28% of fatal crashes, which would be about
1,000 per year. With 32 million licenced drivers, causing a fatal
crash through excessive speed is something that happens once in 32,000
years.

But the 1,000 deaths per year includes the following:

* speeding drunks
* joyriders in stolen cars
* racing on the highway
* Police drivers on high speed response
* grossly irresponsible, reckless and dangerous driving
* speed inappropriate for the conditions but WITHIN the speed limit

The number deaths caused by normal responsible motorists exceeding a
speed limit is very likely to be under 100 per year. This leads to an
estimate of 1 death per 320,000 driving years.

Yet DfT figures tell us that the majority of drivers are speeding on
most road types. Clearly it is quite absurd to suggest that speeding
behaviour present every day will distinguish an event that takes place
once in 320,000 driving years.

***

The RAC Report "2005 RAC Report on Motoring" released 7th February is
available from the RAC press office:

Tel: 020 8917 2742
pressoffice@rac.co.uk
Outside office hours: 07764 658 666

***

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign can be
heard on Radio 5 at 10am on 7th February 2005.
=====================================

They used what they wanted from it - that's the way it often works.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Sorry Paul. I should have guessed it was selective quoting. You'd think I'd stop being so naive now I'm in my thirties.

_________________
If nothing else works, then a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.