Speeding: A New Report From The U.k. Department Of Transport

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Guys!! :)

Exceeding the speed limit is what causes most accidents.

RIGHT?!

Click on THIS to read the latest report from the U.K. Department of Transport.

Craig!! :)

[bartkat]

# Following too close

# Sudden braking

[SW03ES]

No doubt in my mind that the statement "Fewer than 5% of accidents are caused by breaking the speed limit" is true.

To me, this however throws the entire validity of the study into question:

Careless, reckless or in a hurry

In a hurry? Reckless? Sounds like it could be speeding related to me.

Here's the facts, of course breaking the "speed limit" doesn't cause accidents, but driving at extreme speeds and driving way outside of the natural flow of traffic (faster OR slower) does. The fact of the matter is, on a LOT of US roadways the speed limits are set way under what the natural flow of traffic is on a given roadway. We have roads here where the limit is 55, and if you drive at 55 you put yourself and others in danger because the flow of traffic is so much higher.

While excessive speed may not be the cause of many accidents, I bet you will find it contributes to many accidents and certainly makes accidents worse.

The question shouldn't be "does breaking the speed limit cause accidents?", since 56MPH in a 55MPH zone is breaking the speed limit thats a worthless question. The question should be "does excessive reckless speed contribute to accidents?".

[bartkat]

Yeah, extreme speed makes accidents worse. That's why autobahn has clean-up crews at the ready to scrape em off the road and not jam up traffic for so long.

[indiasfinest]

i wish the US had autobhans, like other have said, if you are with the flow of traffic, it shouldnt be a problem, so if traffic was going at 80, wats the big deal?

[Gryphon]

Tell this to the city of Scottsdale, AZ, where thay make a fortune on photo-radar tickets including around 200,000 over the last year on a section of freeway.

Tom

[SW03ES]

i wish the US had autobhans, like other have said, if you are with the flow of traffic, it shouldnt be a problem, so if traffic was going at 80, wats the big deal?

There have been studies done in the US into whether speed limits really make a difference in how fast people drive.

The report is called the Parker Report. They took a straight peice of roadway and adjusted the speed limit up, down, and completely removed it and found that de facto speeds changed about 1%.

The fact of the matter is, speed limits are set to generate revenue not to keep us safe.

[CanadaCraig]

Hi SW03ES!! :)

I agree with most of what you said.

Even though it would be interesting to find out IF, "Excessive reckless speed contributes to accidents", that wasn't the point of the study. [i underlined 'reckless' because it can't be assumed that excessive speed is always 'reckless'] People are being given 'speeding tickets' for going 5 to 10 MPH over the posted limit and branded as the CAUSE of accidents. And that's the problem. [i think] The term 'speeders' has become a generic term to cover everything from 'going 1 MPH over the posted speed limit' to 'having total disregard for the safety of others'. When someone is going 5 to 10 MPH over the posted speed limit - it's unlikely that most other driver's would consider them to be 'reckless'. And as such - any 'campaign' against 'speeders' looses credibility. Just last month I had to pay $113.00 for being 'caught' going 12 MPH over the speed limit on a bone-dry, completely deserted FREEWAY!! Just how many lives were saved by giving ME that ticket?! None. So one can only conclude that I was given that ticket to bolster up revenue.

I believe that there is such a thing as an inappropriate enforcement of the law. For example - if someone was j-walking across a busy street at 2 O'clock in the afternoon - interfering with the natural flow of traffic - a ticket for j-walking would be warranted. But is that same someone j-walked across that same street at 2 O'clock in the morning - with no cars in sight - a ticket for j-walking would be an INappropriate enforcement of the law. This theory of mine also applies to the situation in which a person is exceeding the posted speed limit. IF I got that speeding ticket because I was going 12 MPH over the posted limit in a school zone in the middle of the day - I'd say - I got what I deserved. But not on a bone-dry, deserted freeway.

In Victoria, B.C. 'we' have a lot of elderly drivers. Many are going just slightly below the posted speed limit. Sounds safe enough - doesn't it?! Well... if you follow behind some of these 'safe drivers' for any length of time - you'll soon realize [in many cases] that what you're actually following is a slow-motion nightmare!! It's almost comical. Almost. But will THEY ever get a ticket? Probably not.

I say... Surrounded by other vehicles? Then adopt the 'go with the flow' style of driving. But if you're on your own - and it's safe to do so - you should feel free to exceed the posted limit by 10, even 15 MPH [Or ever faster on a 'super-highway'] without having to worry about some cop pulling you over just to help fill up the gas tank on his new Dodge Charger HEMI police cruiser.

Craig!! :)

[indiasfinest]

amen, and all the plano police here in texas got chargers with hemis like craig said, they also switched to a new frequency so we all had to get new radars if they were old :D