Driving too fast was the main cause
of 1,200 deaths and more than 20,000
serious injuries on built up roads
in the UK last year. Statistics show
the main cause of road crashes is
the combination of inappropriate or
excessive speed with some form of
human error.
Speeding is bad driving.
Government
research shows: Around 1 in 3 deaths
are speed related.
-
7 out of 10 drivers regularly
break the speed limit - usually
by about 5mph.
-
An average family car travelling
at 35mph will need an extra 21
feet (6.4 metres) to stop than
one travelling at 30mph.
-
If you hit a cyclist or
pedestrian at 35mph the force of
the impact increases by more
than a third than at 30mph.
-
Reducing your speed by an
average of 1mph will cut
accident frequency by 5 per
cent.
-
On urban roads 76 per cent of
cars will exceed the speed limit
if the road is clear.
It’s
not actually safer to drive faster
at night. Casualty rates are double
that during daylight hours due to
the higher speeds because of less
traffic, higher alcohol consumption,
tiredness and of course the
darkness.
Temptation
Whether you’re a new driver or have
been driving for years sometimes a
clear road can make it really
tempting for you to speed. Don’t
ever risk it, what you might think
is harmless fun can end in serious
consequences.
Remember:
The faster you drive a car the
longer it’ll take you to stop. If
you don’t stop in time then you were
travelling too fast. The faster you
hit something, the greater the
effect of that impact. Speed is a
major cause of road crashes. The
speed limit is there for a reason.
