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Tue 18 Nov 2008, 08:02
I'm not interested in talking you down or shutting you up. Traffic fatalities are a serious issue. Here are some eye opening facts about UK driving behaviour from a 2007 survey: • Three quarters of respondents (74%) admitted to driving over the speed limit (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
• By many, speed is almost approved of - people can handle it, it's often necessary and many enjoy it - driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone was seen in one study as more acceptable than dropping litter (TNS).
• In general, speeding appears to be more socially acceptable than other offences, with only around four in ten (39%) completely agreeing that it was dangerous to drive over the speed limit, and three in ten (32%) completely agreeing that it was dangerous to drive at 90mph on the motorway if there is no traffic. The danger of driving too fast for the conditions is more widely recognised, with around three quarters (76%) agreeing completely that this is dangerous. However, this is a more subjective measure, as it is left to individuals to decide what is considered 'too fast'. (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
• Dangerous driving behaviours were more prevalent amongst male drivers, younger drivers and those covering long distances a year/or driving for many hours within a typical week. (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
• When asking about experiences as a passenger, over four in ten respondents said that they had asked a driver to slow down (46%) or felt unsafe because of the speed a driver was travelling at (43%). (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
• Half of drivers aged over 18 years said they had gained a driving penalty (48%). The two most common penalties ever gained were points on the licence (34%) or a fine for speeding (31%). (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
• Agreement with statement: 'Traffic calming measures (eg. speed bumps) make roads safer'.
Half of respondents (49%) agreed that these measures made roads safer, with over one in eight (15%) agreeing strongly. Once again, agreement with this statement decreased with age, those aged over 55 were less likely to agree (43%) than those ages between 15 and 54 (52%). Driving experience altered agreement with six in ten (58%) of those with less than three years experience agreeing, compared with just under half (46%) of those driving for any more than 3 years. Those who are younger and less experienced at driving appear to me more positive, generally, about traffic calming measures. (BMRB THINK! Annual Survey 2007).
Key statistics
• You are more likely to kill a pedestrian driving at 40mph than 30mph.
• Specifically, if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 95% chance of survival.
• If you hit an adult pedestrian while driving at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. But if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, the pedestrian's chances of dying rises to 90%. (this lowers to 80% for a child).
General
• Exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for the conditions is a contributory factor in over 856 deaths and 33,030 injuries every year (RCGB 2006).
• On average, nearly nine people die every day on Britain's roads.
• Every driver can make a difference just by slowing down a few miles per hour and observing speed limits.
• The law of physics dictate that the higher the speed at impact, the more energy must be rapidly absorbed by hard metal, soft flesh and brittle bone.
• 68% of crashes where people are killed or injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less (RCGB 2006).
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