Slowing down for road safety

Slowing down can help boost road safety.
By MJ Woof November 30, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Reducing speeds will help reduce the incidence of road crashes – image © courtesy of Tom Schwimmbeck
A new study carried out by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) shows that increasing vehicle speeds by 1% increases the incidence of crashes. The study shows that a 1% jump in speeds boosts the incidence of crashes involving serious injuries by 3% and fatal crashes by 4%.

Despite this risk, some 54% of UK drivers questioned for the survey have admitted speeding in 50km/h (30mph) zones.

To reduce the incidence of crashes, TRL is calling for a change in speed limits in urban areas with a switch to 30km/h (20mph) limits being introduced, particularly in high density areas. TRL says that this low level speeding can be risky as with high level speeding.

Reducing urban speed limits would assist in promoting active travel in urban areas according to TRL, with a boost for public health and a reduction in urban pollution from traffic emissions.
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

TRL

Related Content

  • Portugal's road safety initiative
    February 14, 2012
    The Portuguese experience with road safety has proved that planning, development, introduction, and hard work do pay off in the end. Paulo Marques Augusto, president of the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), explained that in the last 10 years a decrease of over 50% has been achieved in the number of fatalities on the road network despite a continuing growth in traffic demand (there are five million vehicles in Portugal), and a similar reduction in travel time on most of the connections between Lisbon a
    Read More
  • Portugal's road safety initiative
    April 12, 2012
    The Portuguese experience with road safety has proved that planning, development, introduction, and hard work do pay off in the end. Paulo Marques Augusto, president of the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), explained that in the last 10 years a decrease of over 50% has been achieved in the number of fatalities on the road network despite a continuing growth in traffic demand (there are five million vehicles in Portugal), and a similar reduction in travel time on most of the connections between Lisbon a
    Read More
  • US road safety record
    April 26, 2012
    The latest official statistics from the US on road accidents show that fatality levels on the nation's roads have dropped to the lowest figures seen for more than six decades. The information was released by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, revealing that highway deaths fell to 32,885 for 2010, the lowest level since 1949.
    Read More
  • Safety concerns over cyclists and pedestrian deaths
    February 3, 2020
    A report from the ETSC reveals the lack of progress in improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians across Europe.
    Read More

Highlighted Content