Development and Property Services

Roads and Transportation

THE PROBLEM OF SPEED

A Major Problem

In 1996 there were 496 road casualties in East Ayrshire. Sixteen people were killed, 124 were seriously injured and 356 were slightly injured.Many of these accidents were due to speeding, nearly 200 in all, or 40 per cent. When one adds the pedestrians who may have been injured by a speeding driver, it turns out that over half of all accidents are due to speeding.

Hit at 40 mph, most pedestrians are killed

It is not just the number of speeding accidents which is important. How badly a person is injured depends on how hard they are hit. When pedestrians are struck by a moving car:

• at 20 mph only 5 per cent are killed, injuries are slight, and 30 per cent will not be injured at all
• at 30 mph nearly half are killed and many are seriously injured
• at 40 mph most are killed.

Car Users

The possibility of car drivers and passengers being injured in an accident increases with the speed of impact. At 40 mph the risk of serious injury to a bolted front seat car occupant is five times greater than at 20 mph. It has been estimated that hitting a solid object at 30 mph is equivalent to a car being dropped nose first to the ground from the height of a 2 - storey building.

Stopping Distances

The distance required by a driver to stop a vehicle increases dramatically with speed, particularly if it is wet or icy. At 20 mph, the shortest stopping distance for a car is 12 metres; at 40 mph it is 36 metres and at 70 mph it is almost 100 metres, approximately the length of a football pitch.

Control

It is not just straightforward speeding which is dangerous. A driver could be going at quite a low speed but one which is too high for the circumstances and this leads to loss of control of the vehicle. Accidents at bends and rear-end collisions are often due to this, and many pedestrians are hit by drivers at a speed close to the speed limit but too fast for the particular circumstances.

What can be done?

With speed playing such an important part in accidents a great deal of attention is being placed on ways of getting people to drive more slowly.This is being done in a variety of ways by:

• increasing the level of enforcement and so the chances of detection
  
• seeking to change attitudes to speeding
  
• introducing traffic calming and other engineering measures to slow traffic down
  
• advising pedestrians and drivers of the dangers of speed
  
• improving vehicle safety.

Enforcement

Speed control is carried out on a day to day basis by the police. They also run special campaigns of speeding during which thousands of drivers in Scotland are charged with speeding. In addition, penalties are now higher as the seriousness of the problem has been realised.

Publicity

There is now regular coverage of the problem in publicity campaigns. Cinema and TV advertising are supported with posters and other media. The slogans are well-known: Kill Your Speed; In Town - Slow Down; At Times We All Drive A Little Too Fast. These campaigns, which aim to change attitudes, are badly needed. Speed and power are still used by some car companies in their advertising and TV is full of images of high speed car chases.

Traffic Calming

A wide range of engineering measures have been developed which are helping to keep vehicle speeds low. These include:

• Road humps. Also known as 'sleeping policemen' these are extremely effective in reducing speeds. However, they are only appropriate in certain locations.
  
• Chicanes. These force a driver to take a zig-zag course at low speed.
  
• Village gateways. These are becoming increasingly common at the entrances to towns and villages sited on through routes where drivers had a tendency to continue to drive as if they were still on the main road. Prominent signs, including 'countdown' signs, along with different road textures and colours and road narrowing all help to reduce speeds. Further measures are usually sited near the centre of the town.
  
• Shared surfaces. These are often used in new residential areas where both pedestrians and drivers share the one road. Careful use of texture and colour along with the design of the layout ensure the safety of pedestrians.

Education

Much of the work in schools is aimed at teaching pupils how to be safe on the roads. Part of this involves warning them of dangers to pedestrians, including vehicles going too fast. In secondary schools, pre-driver education courses deal with speed and its consequences and Strathclyde Police also run a young driver project which includes the dangers of speeding.

Vehicle Safety

Manufacturers are paying more attention to measures like airbags and side impact panels which reduce injuries to occupants. Equally important, the exterior of vehicles are now designed to minimise injuries to pedestrians if there is a crash. Wherever possible, agencies responsible for the above programmes work closely together as the combined effects of various measures are more effective than any one on its own.

What you can do

Ultimately everyone has a responsibility for road safety, and this includes pedestrians as much as drivers. If you are crossing the road then do so at a safe place. don't cross if vehicles are too near - a car doing 30 mph needs more than 20 metres in which to stop. It also helps if you wear something bright or reflective so that drivers can see you. If you have children make sure they are capable of crossing correctly before letting them out on their own. Generally this should not be until they are 7 or 8 years of age. Younger children need to be accompanied. As a driver, take care when driving through places where there might be pedestrians, particularly children and elderly people. Children can be impulsive, so even if they seem to be behaving sensibly, keep your speed down.

The Future

Important though the above measures are, speed is a problem which will not go away until there is a change in heart amongst drivers. It is still possible to drive fast through a traffic calmed area, avoid police checks, switch off to publicity messages.It is ultimately up to every driver to heed the message of the campaigns. As it says - At times we all drive too fast. Until we do heed the message far too many people will be needlessly killed.