Road Safety - Speed Checks
On average, 10 people die and 100 people are seriously injured on Great Britain's roads each day.
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Two-thirds of all crashes in which people are killed or injured happen on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less. At 35mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as they are at 30mph.
- hit by a car at 40mph, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
- hit by a car at 30mph, around 50 per cent of pedestrians will survive
- hit by a car at 20mph, only 1 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
Accident risk rises the faster a driver travels. At 25 per cent above the average speed, a driver is about six times more likely to have an accident than a driver travelling at the average speed.
At 30mph, vehicles travel 44 feet (about three car lengths) every second. Even in good conditions, the difference in stopping distance between 30mph and 35mph is an extra 21 feet - more than two car lengths.
Safety Cameras
The purpose of safety cameras is to change driver behaviour - they are only used when people break speed limits. When this happens a camera detects the offence and provides evidence for a fixed penalty notice.
Drivers who choose to exceed the legal speed limits will incur a financial penalty and penalty points on their driving licence.
It has been proved nationally that traffic cameras can reduce the number of road crashes and protect road users by encouraging people to drive more slowly.
- In 2000, eight pilot camera partnerships were established in Great Britain.
- In Year One of the pilot 47 per cent fewer people were killed or seriously injured at safety camera sites,
- There were 35 per cent fewer crashes
- 18 per cent area wide reduction in casualties.
Year two results showed a 35 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads at camera locations, and a 56 per cent reduction in the number of pedestrian casualties at the same sites. There was also a 10 per cent reduction in average speeds in the areas monitored.
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