tommallett

We constantly hear that speeding is the root of all evil when it comes to driving offences. That is what the government tells us and that is what they choose to enforce. But are they right?

Of course, they are not entirely wrong, speeding is a major problem and leads to plenty of heartache and misery on roads all over the world. There is an argument though, that speeding is also the easiest of our everyday motoring sins to enforce and in this we would be correct. Speed cameras fill our verges and police cars wait on gantry’s above our motorway networks. The numbers are difficult to wade through but there is without doubt an impression that minor speeding infringements are used as a cash cow rather than to improve safety considerably.

However, my argument for road safety hinges around a different topic: not one that expects us to blindly adhere to pre-determined and often poorly judged speed-limits. There is much debate about whether our speed limits should be increased but I would also like to point out that in many cases they should be lower.

Visibility and planning is the most important thing. Speed should be matched to the distance once can see in front and to the sides of a vehicle.

The key as far as I am concerned is being able to stop in the distance one can see in front and in the worst possible circumstances if a child wanders into the road from the pavement. This line of thinking changes our perception of what is safe. It means that on some roads it is imperative to keep below the legal limit while on others we can aim to make more significant progress.

With this line of thinking there are all kinds of benefits, it keeps us aware of our surroundings in a way that blindly following the speed limit does not, it allows us to avoid accidents by leaving space to cover reaction time and stopping distance, it makes driving more relaxing and it is a lot safer. With proper awareness the likelihood of being caught speeding is greatly reduced also. You’ll spot that police car following you, see the camera by the road and recognize accident black-spots.

And, if we are really looking to please the men and women in authority it is worth pointing out that it also saves the planet: bigger gaps allow us to use brakes less as we can absorb any closing of gaps rather than jumping on and off the brakes wasting energy in the process. Indeed, it should be possible to drive for long distances without really using the brakes at all. Excess use merely indicates poor planning and bad driving. You’ll save brake discs, pads and tyres too.

The point I am making is that we have strict rules but the most important thing is to maintain awareness because in doing so far more lives will be saved than by following an arbitrary limit. It’s just a pity that this is so much harder to police than simply lasering a car. Speed does not kill but inappropriate use of speed does.