Safe Speed Forums

The campaign for genuine road safety
It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 05:47

All times are UTC [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 20:06 
Offline
User

Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 16:30
Posts: 119
Gifts from the Danes, courtesy of Motorcycle Action Groups "The Road" magazine Issue 52.


Danish Surprise: Speed Limits Up, Deaths Go Down.

A two year Danish study by Road Directorate Vejdirektoratet has revealed declining road accidentshave followed an increase in speed limits.
The study reviewed accident rates on rural roads where limits were raised from 50mph to 56mph. The inferrence is that accident numbers have fallen because the difference between the fastest and slowest cars was reduced, resulting in less overtaking.
Slower drivers became significantly faster with the new higher speed limit in place, while the fastest 15% of drivers only drove one Km/h faster.
Danish motorway fatalities have decreased in the country since the speed limit was increased rom 68mph to 81mph nearly a decade ago.
Official accident statistics reveal two lane roads in Denmark accounted for two thirds of all road deaths.
The revelation is another illustration of couner-intuitive thinking that is progressively adding interest to the world-wide road safety debate.



Might have come as a surprise to the Danes, but not to me.
I particularly like the bit that tells us that the fastest drivers didn't really go any faster under the raised limits, thereby trashing the old "raise the limit to 80 and EVERYBODY will drive at 90" chestnut.
I love being the bearer of good news, I do, me.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 14:00 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 19:08
Posts: 3434
So it's taken about four to five decades to realise that studies done way back when, were correct after all....doh!

_________________
My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 06, 2014 20:29 
Offline
User

Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 16:30
Posts: 119
Sadly, yes Graball. But it's a start I suppose.

My hope is that groups such as Safespeed and the ABD will pick this one up and run with it.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 08:15 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 19:08
Posts: 3434
I believe it's afr too late for common sense.

The voodoo gods preaching speed kills, have hypnotised far too many of the sheep to admit defeat now.

_________________
My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2014 11:17 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 02:17
Posts: 7355
Location: Highlands
Yeah that is interesting as it really helps to prove, that the 'free travelling speed' (as we all already know), is crucial to the correct speed setting for road safety.


[Aside : (but not wishing to hijack this excellent topic)
I do apologise for not being around very much over the recent months. If you didn't know I have had an awful winter with bad flu's that resulted in pneumonia and then pleurisy. Whilst I am now feeling a lot better (although still have a lingering cough since mid Dec that is under medical investigation & still is sore r lung), I am now trying to desperately complete the DIY jobs that have been delayed for 4 months now! The jobs thereafter are 'weekend' one's. This has been progressing well over the last 4 weeks and the end is about a month away bar any complications!
I am still getting the message out through various TV and radio interviews. Annoyingly I got way behind with the forum media list and I don't want it out of order ! As I catch up this will all be sorted out and then kept up to date again. Being so much closer to London is already enabling longer and better interviews.
New PR's can then be reintroduced and the follow up media interest fully engaged. :)
So although I am here infrequently at the moment this will increase very soon! Thank you all for your ingoing support and words of encouragement, they are much appreciated. :) ]

_________________
Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2014 11:33 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 02:17
Posts: 7355
Location: Highlands
two reports of this :
Aol wrote:

By Leon Poultney, Feb 24, 2014

Danish road experiment sees accident rate fall on faster roads

Motorway stock
A two-year experiment by the Danish road authorities has revealed that the accident rate has fallen on both single carriageway rural roads and motorways, where the speed limit has been raised.

Danish authorities made the decision to raise the speed limit from 80 km/h (50mph) to 90 km/h (56mph) on two-way rural roads two years ago and increase certain sections of the motorway to 130 km/h (80mph) from 110 km/h (68mph) nine years ago.

Results have shown that accidents have decreased on single-carriageway roads due to a reduction in the speed differential between the slowest and fastest cars.

According to authorities, it has also resulted in less overtaking as the slowest drivers have increased their speeds, but the fastest 15 per cent drive one km/h slower on average, despite the higher limit.

The move was initially met with scepticism – much like proposals to increase the motorway speed limits in this country – as police feared motorists would drive even faster, but they have now reportedly changed their minds.

Erik Mather, a senior Danish traffic police officer said: "The police are perhaps a little biased on this issue, but we've had to completely change our view now that the experiment has gone on for two years."

Fatalities have also decreased on the sections of motorway where the speed limit was raised to 130 km/h (80mph).

Brian Gregory, the chairman of the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) – a group in favour of increased speed limits on UK motorways – said: "These findings vindicate what the ABD has been saying for years, that raising unreasonably low speed limits improves road safety by reducing speed differentials and driver frustration."

He added: "This means reinstating the 85th percentile principle - setting limits that 85 percent of drivers would not wish to exceed.
"Those who have argued that lower speed limits improve safety have been proved wrong."

and
msn cars wrote:
Updated: 01/04/2014 15:30 | By motoringresearch.com
Higher speed limits result in fewer crashes
Danish accident rates went down after speed limits went up

Higher speed limits result in fewer crashes
Raising the speed limit can make roads safer, according to a study carried out in Denmark.
The Danish Road Directorate monitored how driver behaviour and accident rates changed when speed limits on country roads and motorways were increased.

[urlhttp://cars.uk.msn.com/news/60mph-m1-motorway-speed-limit-proposed]60mph M1 motorway speed limit proposed[/url]

Auto Express magazine reported that there was a drop in the number of accidents when the speed limit on single carriageway roads was increased from 50mph to 56mph. This has been put down to a smaller speed differential between the fastest and the slowest drivers, resulting in less overtaking.
When the speed limit was raised on rural roads, the slowest drivers increased their speeds, while the fastest were found to slow down by 1mph on average.
And it’s not just country roads that were affected – when motorway speed limits were raised from 68mph to 80mph, fatalities also fell.

A spokesman for the Alliance of British Drivers:
“The research would seem to suggest that we are going the wrong way in the UK. This has proven that deaths and accidents have fallen despite limits increasing.”

But would raising speed limits work in the UK? Not according to the Transport Research Laboratory, which suggests that although the number of crashes may go down, the severity would increase resulting in more serious casualties.

A Transport Research Laboratory spokesperson:
“A key element isn’t just the risk of the crash that is proportional to travelling speed for a given road, but the risk of injury should a collision occur.
“We would be interested to see how the Danish study has handled confounding factors. This would all influence the applicability of this scheme to other countries or road networks.”

and another interesting link here : http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2227326

_________________
Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 22:04 
Offline
User

Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 16:30
Posts: 119
Ah! The old trick there from TRL. Yaaaaaaaaawn.......


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 22:36 
Offline
Gold Member
Gold Member

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 23:26
Posts: 9263
Location: Treacletown ( just north of M6 J3),A MILE OR TWO PAST BEDROCK
TRL can't gt the point,can they. Let folks travel faster and if you meet 40 anywhere, you have got the leeway to get past SAFELY. My often quoted post was on trips to Peterborough, from Rugby. On the A14 (DC) :60: FOR VANS, we'd get Sales rep man up the rear bumper whilst I passed an HGV. Fast forward to two lane road and repoman had forgotten how to over take. He'd sit at 30 behind some coffin dodger ,for ever at times. Possibly he was camera shy and didn't know the limit.

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 38 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You can post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
[ Time : 0.021s | 13 Queries | GZIP : Off ]