#Road Safety Week 2023: SPEEDING
It is Road Safety week this week (19th – 25th November 2023). We want to highlight the importance of keeping to a safe speed on the roads and how to avoid accidents.
Brake (a Road Safety Charity) are raising awareness this year on the subject of SPEED. It is known that 5 people die on the UK roads every day but road users still think it is OK to speed.
My blog considers the importance of keeping to a safe speed when driving.
What can happen if I am speeding?
As a driver if you are speeding your reaction time to stop if a person enters a road or a vehicle in front suddenly stops is reduced.
Your stopping distance will increase as when the speed of a vehicle increases so does the braking distance.
Statistics
The National Safety Council has highlighted that speeding is a major factor in fatal accidents and injuries on the roads. In 2021 speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities, killing 12,330 which was on average over 33 people per day. The total number of fatal motor vehicle crashes caused by speeding was 11,057.
Brake have advised that an average speed reduction of 1 mile per hour can reduce crash frequency by 5%.
Top tips to reduce speeding
- Speed limits are not targets. They are the top speed for a road but it can often be safer to travel at a lower speed especially if you are near residential areas and schools.
- Slower is safer – the faster we drive the greater the risk of a crash. A crash at 30mph has twice the energy of a crash at 20mph.
- Country roads – narrow and rural country roads will often have speed limits of 60mph. However where there are bends it is not always safe to travel at the speed limit speed. You need to use your common sense and travel at a safe speed.
- Avoid distractions in a car such as loud music which may cause you to forget the speed you are travelling at.
- Slow down at speed bumps and at roundabouts and pedestrian crossings.
- Give yourself plenty of time if you have an appointment to attend and don’t speed in order to get to a destination.
Brake this year are raising awareness on reducing speed on the roads and the importance of road users to collectively work together to reduce speed and in turn reduce injuries and fatalities on the roads.
At Hodge Jones & Allen we are proud sponsors of Brake, a road safety charity that works with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of road deaths and injuries and support those who are bereaved and seriously injured.
Road traffic accidents can have catastrophic consequences. If you’ve suffered an injury on a road due to someone’s else negligence, call 0808 271 9413 now to speak to one of our personal injury expert lawyers or request a call back online.
