As if we need any more bad news, there’s a suggestion that some residential areas of Nottingham will get new 20mph speed limits. Some of these are likely to come into force before Christmas. It’s a City Council dream-scheme designed to reduce accidents and make the roads safer.
This is not my idea of a good idea. It’s also complete and utter twaddle about speed and accidents being inexorably linked. I know it’s politically incorrect to even suggest these things, but the urban myth about speed kills is simply that – an urban myth.
Back in 1996 there was a joint report prepared by the Transport Research Laboratory and the, then, DETR (Department of Environment, Transport and Regions). It has been pretty much ignored ever since as it doesn’t help the cash machine / speed camera brigade. There is a reason it has been ignored – it doesn’t fit the campaigns!
The top four factors in accidents were listed as:
* Failure to judge other person’s path or speed
* Behaviour – carelessness / thoughtlessness / recklessness
* Inattention
* Looked but did not see
Excessive speed was fifth – and in numerical terms accounted for 6% of definite causal factors. Hardly a compelling reason we should all drive like snails? The top four accounted for around 33%.
In spite of this clear cut work my own view is that accidents are caused by bad driving. If you look at the top four reasons in the list you can pretty much categorise these as just that. People not paying attention. Bad drivers.
There is also a further report done by TRL – which looks at whether reducing speed limits changes the accident rate – the answer is ‘no’.
So, it’s time we stopped pandering to short-term politically attractive ideas and stuck to the facts. And stop interfering in our lives. I think people are generally sensible and wouldn’t speed past a school at bell-time. Give us some credit?
Oh dear Tim
The point is that driving at a higher speed makes the consequences of factors 1 to 4 exponentially worse.
I ride a bike. If some bad driver is to knock me off, the slower the better please. And the smaller the car the better for that matter.
You may think you deserve more credit. You may believe you drive your (big, fast) car safely (do you ever use the phone, even hands free, while driving I wonder (take a look at what the research about that had to say) but not everyone is the perfect human specimen.
Government, local or national, legislates for the behaviour of others. You, I, We are never the problem. Or are we?
Stephen – oh dear, the facts do not support the story! Bad driving is the cause of most accidents. Driving badly and going fast makes matters worse – yes. But do speed limits worry these people? No.
Government, local and national, interfere more and more in our lives. Speed limits and cameras are, in a lot of cases cash generators.
I too ride a bike and see examples of bad driving – not usually to do with speed though – more to do with trying to squeeze me into a kerb!
Tim
Wow that’s a pretty judgemental post! Cyclist don’t have the best reputation for respecting the rules of the road (take a look at what the research had to say about that).
Inevitably because the cyclist gets hurt the blame lies with the driver. But you are right – some of the cyclists I see running red lights are as much to blame.
Hi Tim,
Great blog, thank you.
When I heard about national plans to lower speed limits a couple of weeks ago I blogged on the same topic: http://cowanglobal.com/2012/07/16/speeding-to-action-before-thinking-about-strategy/
In short, we would (should) all support the aim of making our roads safer however simply lowering speed limits is not a strategy, it is a tactic with no place in a defined, wider, integrated, properly thought through strategy.
Yet another example of the national disease of trusting strategy to generalists instead of specialists.
Jim.
I agree Jim, just a short-term political headline-grabber which the politicians think will curry favour! Yes we want the roads to be safer – who wouldn’t? But this constant lie about cause is just intended to become folk-lore. Tim
We already have these 20mph limits on estate roads up here in the northwest. Adhered to by some ignored by others and almost completely impossible to police ( dont forget that to have speed cameras of any kind there has to be warning signs in place!) Its all about Councils trying to look good in this politically correct pathetic nanny state. I agree with you totally about the lies about lowering speeds and there is another agenda – its called taxation.Why arent speed cameras put in known accident black spots and left there, why do they pop up in the best place for the police to catch motorists going slightly over the limit or where the speed limit drops from say 50 to 30?? So they can screw motorists thats why and then claim they are actually only trying to save lives by reducing speeds? Dont what ever you do expect to get the truth from Councils, all they want really is to take as much money off you as possible, witness the madness of Nottingham’s new car parking policy!!
I agree, this really is about political sound-bites. The inconvenient truth about speed kills can be ignored. It’s also one of those lies that if you say often enough – or advertise at great expense, people will start to believe.