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

  • Road crash risks differ from country to country
    September 24, 2013
    Why is it that some countries have significantly higher risks to road users than others? In developing nations road safety plans can be at early stages of implementation and enforcement may be patchy. In addition, drivers and other road users may be poorly trained, road conditions can be bad and vehicle numbers may vastly exceed network capacity. But in developed countries, the risks of drivers being involved in road crashes can vary widely, even in neighbouring nations. In general, annual road fatality rat
    Read More
  • Tackling the UK's traffic congestion
    February 28, 2012
    The biggest problem on UK roads is congestion, and there is no shortage of ideas as to how it should be tackled. Patrick Smith reports. Congestion (and how to relieve it), along with safety, are among the top priorities facing those responsible for looking after the UK's roads. Road pricing, car-share lanes, greener vehicle initiatives and alternative methods of transport such as buses, trams and rail are all part of the approach, but prior to the current economic climate the nation's love affair with the c
    Read More
  • Tackling India’s road safety will reduce crash rate
    February 19, 2013
    India’s road safety record is the world’s worst but there are plans to tackle the problems. Patrick Smith reports from New Delhi. A speeded up video of a short section of road in the Indian capital Delhi was followed by a question. “How many infringements did you count in that 25-second clip on a typical day in Delhi,” asked Dr Rohit Baluja, a question that brought understandable silence. It equated to hundreds of millions of infringements each year, said Dr Baluja, president, Institute of Road Traffic Educ
    Read More
  • Connected machines boosting UK economy
    October 17, 2024
    Connected machines can help boost the UK economy.
    Read More

Highlighted Content