Inappropriate Speed - Policy Statements - May 2005
INTRODUCTION
Driving too fast for the conditions is a major cause of crashes. Excessive speed contributes to 12% of all injury collisions, 18% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 28% of all collisions which result in a fatality. This means that around 1,000 people are killed each year on Britain’s roads because drivers and riders travel too fast, and over 6,000 are seriously injured.
Drivers and riders exceeding the speed limit are more likely to be involved in crashes and their higher speed means that those crashes cause more severe injuries, either to themselves or to other road users.
The term inappropriate speed encompasses both ‘excessive speed’, when the speed limit is exceeded (sometimes by wide margins) but also driving or riding within the speed limit when this is too fast for the particular conditions at the time (for example, in poor weather, poor visibility or high pedestrian activity).
In addition to being a problem on its own, inappropriate speed also magnifies other driver errors, such as driving too close or driving when fatigued or distracted, multiplying the chances of these types of driver behaviour causing an accident. Inappropriate speed removes the driver’s safety margin and turns near misses into crashes.
WHY IS SPEEDING A PROBLEM?
Higher Speeds Cause More Accidents
Higher speeds mean that drivers have less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, and it takes longer for the vehicle to stop.
Approximately two-thirds of all crashes in which people are killed or injured happen on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or less. At 30 mph vehicles are travelling at 44 feet (about 3 car lengths) each second. One blink and the driver may fail to see the early warning brake lights; one short glance away and the tell-tale movement of a child behind a parked car will be missed. Even in good conditions, the difference in stopping distance between 30 mph and 35 mph is an extra 21 feet, more than 2 car lengths.
Excessive speed contributes to 12% of all injury collisions, 18% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 28% of all collisions which result in a fatality. In 2003, this caused:
- the deaths of about 1,000 people
- serious injuries to over 6,000 people
- slight injuries to over 30,000 people.
If average speeds reduced by 1 mph, the accident rate would fall by 5%. This varies slightly according to road type, so that a 1 mph reduction in average speed would reduce accident frequency by about:
6% on urban main roads and residential roads with low average speeds
4% on medium speed urban roads and lower speed rural main roads
3% on the higher speed urban roads and rural single carriageway main roads.
If an individual drives more than 10-15% above the average speed of the traffic around them, they are much more likely to be involved in an accident.
Drivers who speed are more likely to be involved in collisions. They are also more likely to commit other driving violations, such as red-light running and driving too close.
Higher Speeds Cause More Serious Injuries
Impacts at higher speeds are more severe than at lower speeds, and so they lead to more serious injuries to those involved. At 35mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as they are at 30mph.
The probability of serious injury to a person wearing a seat belt in a front seat at an impact speed of 30mph is three times greater than at 20mph. At 40mph it is over five times greater.
In collisions involving pedestrians and cars or car-derived vans, 85% of fatalities occurred at impact speeds below 40mph, 45% occurred at less than 30mph and 5% at speeds below 20mph.
About 40% of pedestrians who are struck at speeds below 20 mph sustain non-minor injuries. At speeds up to 30 mph 90% of pedestrians suffer non-minor injuries. Pedestrians hit at speeds below 30 mph receive mainly survivable injuries, but this changes to mainly fatal injuries at speeds of between about 30 and 40mph.
Hit by a car at 40mph, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
Hit by a car at 30mph, about half of pedestrians will be killed
Hit by a car at 20mph, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will survive.
WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF SPEEDING?
The DfT 2004 Speed Survey showed that:
- More than half (56%) of cars exceed the speed limit on motorways .
- 48% of cars exceed the speed limit on 70 ph dual carriageways.
- 54% of cars exceed the 30 mph limit in urban areas.
- On 40 mph roads, 27% of drivers speed.
- Motorcyclists are the most likely to be speeding on 40 mph urban roads.
- On urban 30 mph roads, 48% of 2-axle HGVs exceed the speed limit.
Most drivers will admit to speeding sometimes, but surveys have identified those groups who are most likely to do so:
- car drivers from high-income households
- high-mileage drivers of newer, large cars
- company car drivers
- drivers who drive as part of their work
- young, novice drivers
- male drivers.
Drivers often justify speeding on the basis that they are ‘ordinary, safe speeding drivers’ and that speed limits are unrealistic. A survey by the AA Foundation for Road Safety Research concluded that ‘speeding is not seen as a crime’, - ‘serious speeding is accepted as dangerous, moderate speeding is not’. The report also highlighted that most drivers believe that it is the ‘boy racer’ and ‘company car driver’ that are the problem, rather than themselves.
HOW CAN SPEED RELATED ACCIDENTS BE REDUCED?
DRIVER EDUCATION
Education is absolutely vital in trying to change attitudes towards speeding. Those who drink and drive are seen as behaving in a dangerous, anti-social and selfish manner with little regard for the safety of other people. However, those who speed are not regarded by the public or the media in this way (unless they grossly exceed the speed limit). Therefore, it is essential that the dangers caused by driving at inappropriate speeds are clearly explained and demonstrated (in the way that has been done for drink-driving) to work towards a general public acceptance and ownership of the problem of illegal and inappropriate speed.
It will be far easier to persuade people to drive at safer speeds if they understand and accept that driving too fast significantly increases the chances of being involved in an accident, and significantly increases the chances of that accident being serious or fatal.
Government publicity campaigns have highlighted the dangers of driving too fast for many years, and should continue to do so, with the support of all the other agencies and organisations involved in promoting road safety. The Government’s Think! Campaign and the Scottish Executive’s “Foolsspeed” campaign are strongly supported by RoSPA.
Unfortunately, road safety education and publicity are often undermined in the mass media. Motor manufacturers, and their advertising companies, continue to emphasise the speed and power of their vehicles. Television motoring programmes continue to promote the thrill of speed, placing undue emphasis on performance at speed, often showing cars being raced (albeit not on the public highway). Television dramas often show characters driving at speed when speeding is not essential to the plot or the characterisation.
Motor manufacturers, national press, TV and advertisers should not glamourise speed as exciting and exhilarating nor as ‘normal’ behaviour. The Advertising Standards Authority has taken action on a number of occasions against car advertisements that promote speed, and this is very welcome. The ASA and other broadcast regulatory bodies could usefully review and strengthen their guidance in this respect.
RoSPA has produced "Presenting Road Safety: A Guide for the Media" to help those working in the media to avoid inadvertently showing bad road user behaviour.
DRIVER TRAINING
Speeding is a symptom of a more general poor attitude towards driving. One of the weaknesses of the UK’s driver licensing system is that once the driving test has been passed, the driver is licensed, virtually for life, with no requirement and very little incentive to develop his/her driving skills any further. Drivers can voluntarily take further training, such as Pass Plus or courses offered by driver training providers such as RoSPA, but there is little incentive for individual drivers to do so. Only 3% of drivers take any further driving instruction after passing their test.6 Therefore, there is a need to develop new ways of encouraging drivers to continue to develop their driving skills after the test.
RoSPa has published a report, "Refresher Driver Training", which examines the low awareness of post-test training options and motivations and deterrents for taking such training. A leaflet, "Get More From Your Driving" is also available to promote refresher training.
Over the last 15 years or so in Britain, the driver training regime and the Driving Test has been enhanced in a number of ways to try to improve the safety of young drivers. The main changes have been the introduction of the Theory Test and in 2002 the Hazard Perception Test, the expansion of the practical driving test and the introduction of the Pass Plus Scheme. However, more could be done, especially making the learner driver Logbook a mandatory part of learning to drive.
Graduated Licensing Systems offer opportunities to provide phased driving experience for new drivers during the period when they are most at risk of being involved in an accident, and of reducing their exposure to the factors that are most dangerous to them (including speed, alcohol, night driving and carrying passengers). Systems vary across the world, and it is not clear what form would be most feasible and effective in Britain. There are already elements in place, such as the New Drivers Act, and other elements (Log Books and Pass Plus) which could form part of such a system. However, research is needed to assess the feasibility and benefits of graduated licensing in Britain, and its optimal form.
Driver improvement courses are proving effective in reducing the likelihood of re-offending , and more recently Speed Awareness courses are being developed by Local Authorities and Police Forces. If evaluation shows that these courses reduce the likelihood of speeding offenders speeding again, consideration should be given to developing a national ‘speed offender’ driver course in a similar way to the driver improvement schemes that are now available nationally.
HIGHWAY DESIGN AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Drivers’ choice of speed is partly dependent on the characteristics of the road on which they are driving, and drivers’ perception of what is a safe speed on a particular road will often differ to that of other road users, such as pedestrians, pedal cyclists and horse riders. Therefore, it is important that road design gives drivers the right messages about the maximum safe speed.
Ways of improving the road environment to encourage drivers to drive at appropriate speeds are discussed in "Helping Drivers Not To Speed".
Safer roads benefit all road users, but especially those who are most vulnerable: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, children and the elderly.
Speed management is central to road safety. A number of local authorities have already introduced comprehensive speed management strategies that have been successful in reducing casualties and average speeds. Good practice in this field should be highlighted and disseminated.
The ‘IHT Urban Safety Management Guidelines’ identify the need for holistic approaches to safety-related infrastructure improvements, and provide evidence of effectiveness and good practice, as do the ‘IHT Rural Safety Management Guidelines’, the DfTs ‘Good Practice Guidelines’ and RoSPA’s “Road Safety Engineering” manual.
Traffic calming schemes remain one of the most effective methods of reducing vehicle speeds in urban areas, and are particularly effective at reducing child pedestrian casualties. 20 mph zones have proven particularly effective in reducing accidents involving child pedestrians and cyclists. RoSPA also supports the introduction and expansion of Home Zones and Quiet Lanes.
ENFORCEMENT
Roads policing is a fundamental and irreplaceable activity, which plays a key role in saving lives and minimising injury on the road. In order to do this effectively, roads policing must be given its rightful priority by the government and the Police Service, and be adequately resourced.
The Police have many priorities, including tackling many forms of violent crime, all of which are extremely important. They must, therefore, allocate and prioritise their limited resources to the best possible effect. The level of death and injury caused by poor, and often illegal, behaviour on the road far exceeds the number of people killed through any other form of crime. Accordingly roads policing must be one of the top priorities.
Speed Cameras
Speed cameras are very effective. The most recent research shows that cameras significantly reduce speeding and collisions, and had cut deaths and serious injuries at camera sites by 40%.
Cameras Cut Speeds
- A 32% reduction in the number of vehicles breaking the speed limit at camera sites. At fixed sites, the number of speeding vehicles fell by 70% and at mobile sites, by 21%.
- A 43% reduction in excessive speeding (15 mph or more above the limit). At fixed sites, excessive speeding fell by 80% and at mobile sites by 28%.
- Average vehicle speed across all new sites fell by 7% overall.
Cameras Save Lives
- A 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured at camera sites. This equated to 870 fewer people per year being killed or seriously injured at the camera sites – including 105 fewer deaths per year.
- The number of people killed and seriously injured fell by 51% at fixed sites and by 28% at mobile sites.
- The number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured fell by 35% at camera sites.
Cameras Prevent Crashes
- a 33% reduction in collisions involving (fatal, serious or slight) personal injury at camera sites. This equated to 4,030 fewer personal injury collisions per year for the 24 Partnership areas.
VEHICLE ENGINEERING
Motor manufacturers could play a much more prominent role in reducing the number of people killed and injured in speed-related road accidents. Manufacturers continue to produce cars and motorcycles that are capable of achieving speeds of 160 mph and more. RoSPA believes that the European Commission, national governments and the motor industry should work together to develop restrictions on the top speeds and power of new cars and motorcycles.
Modern cars provide a smooth, quiet drive, even at very high speeds, and therefore drivers are often insulated from any real sensation of the speed at which they are travelling. The vehicle’s power means that it is very easy to creep above the speed limit. Indeed, drivers often cite this as a reason for speeding.
Ways in which car manufacturers could make it easier for their customers to stay within speed limits are discussed in "Helping Drivers Not To Speed".
Safer Car Fronts
As already noted, higher speeds means more severe injuries, especially to pedestrians. It is estimated that safer car fronts would save about 2,000 lives and 18,000 serious injuries annually on EU roads, and could reduce serious and fatal pedestrian injuries in Britain by 20%. It is extremely unfortunate that the European Commission decided to accept a Negotiated Agreement proposed by the motor industry, which is much less stringent than a mandatory European Directive based on the four crash tests developed by the European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Committee Working Group 17 (EECV WG 17).
EMPLOYERS
Driving is the most dangerous work activity that most people do. About 20 people are killed and 250 seriously injured every week in crashes involving someone who was driving, riding or otherwise using the road for work purposes.
HSE Guidelines, “Driving at Work”, state that “health and safety law applies to on-the-road work activities as to all work activities and the risks should be effectively managed within a health and safety system”.
Employers should identify high risk drivers and high risk journeys and set schedules that are generous enough to ensure that drivers are not time-pressured into speeding. They should make it clear that they expect all employees to comply with posted speed limits when driving in the course of their work and that failure to do so will be regarded as a serious matter. They should consider the speed performance of their company vehicles, assess driver competence and provide appropriate driver training.
RoSPA has produced a Guide, "Driving for Work: Safer Speed Policy", to help employers and line managers to ensure that their staff are not tempted or pressurised into driving at inappropriate speed. It includes a sample ‘Safer Speed Policy’ which can be adopted as written or adapted to suit an organisation’s needs.
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that driving at an inappropriate speed is one of the most serious road safety problems on Britain’s roads, and causes death and injury to thousands of people each year. Unfortunately, the danger caused by speeding drivers has not yet been accepted by the public in the same way as the danger caused by drink-drivers.
A co-ordinated speed management strategy must include education, training and publicity, highway engineering and design, vehicle engineering and enforcement measures. Employers in particular have a potentially powerful role to play in influencing employee driver attitudes and behaviour. But ultimately, the public as a whole needs to be persuaded that driving at inappropriate speeds is not a minor, technical offence that everyone commits, but a serious, dangerous and anti-social activity in which the speeding driver places his/her own convenience above the safety and well-being of other people.
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