Speed Kills

Speed kills, we nod sagely to each other as we chant the mantra, speed kills. Utter tosh. If I walk at twice the speed of everyone else I do not kill. If I drive at 38mph on a 30mph restricted modern dry road designed for 40mph, in daylight with no parked cars, only occasional traffic and no pedestrians on the paths well set off to the side, I do not kill. If I am a Formula One racing driver, pushing my car to the limits, in excess of 185mph, I do not kill. If I am a Policeman on normal patrol duty, without any member of the public close to my tail, then bat along in a residential area at 40+mph I do not kill.

Walking at 3.5mph along a crowded train platform concentrating on the incoming train and getting to the usual door opening spot before it comes to a halt, brushing against a fellow passenger standing at the edge of the platform, then I could easily kill at 3.5mph. Driving at the permitted speed of 30mph on a dark night with wet roads in a congested city and thick traffic, vehicles parked either side on a narrow street with heavy pedestrian movement on the paths jostling to make headway, I might well end up killing someone at the permitted speed of 30mph. Speed does not kill, it is inattention to the road that kills.

When driving at the permitted speed limit of 30mph I do not suddenly slam straight into a sold wall that appears out of nowhere without some prior indicator, coming to an instant stop. No, the road ahead is read, avoiding action is taken, and as an experienced driver I can anticipate a sequences of events before encountering this sudden wall looming out of nowhere. That is the driving reality. Accidents, and fatal accidents are caused by drivers failing to pay sufficient attention to the road ahead. Failing to take avoiding actions earlier enough, asserting their right of passage contrary to the indications of any aggressive on-coming vehicle. That moments glance to check the next song on the playlist, to change radio channels, to adjust the air-conditioning setting, to read that automatic engine condition warning, to take that hands-free telephone call, to pay attention to the punchline of the passengers narrative, that glance to see the junction layout to make sense of the next junction turn, that glance at the speedometer to check on speed drift, these are the moments of inattention when, in that micro-second, something occurs on the road ahead that requires an immediate response. Then we are in the danger zone, with eyes off the road and concentration on anything other than the road ahead.

Being seen to do something in response to the emotional hysteria following a 'loved ones' death on the road is an easy vote winning political option. Play the mantra card, speed kills, then turn the screws yet again. A WinWin. In cash strapped times, cranking up the hit rate on the 'Safety Camera' cash cow bolsters the coffers whilst at the same times playing to the chorus of stop all these speeding motorists causing carnage on our roads. Never mind that the 'loved 'one' was that idiot who walked out, without any check, on to the road expecting the cars to instantly part leaving their passage clear, only to be overcome. More difficult if they are the innocent victim of that driver displaying a wanton disregard for other road users. So bring on all the latest technology, because we can, catch more and more drivers exceeding the speed limit, because no one will blames us if we do, for, as we all know, speed kills.

We have drifted from advisory speed zones to absolute speed limits. We have drifted from clarity with speed limit zones for set circumstances to a bewildering array of ever chopping and changing multitude of speed limits that no longer relate to their locations. We have left the discretionary waving down with a cautionary admonition to an automatic punishment from devices set up to trap any motorist whose speed should stray. But we do have choices. We can choose to regard all motorists as zombies and therefore encourage them to behave as mindless zombies. It will be so popular with the hysterical masses. That zombie drivers are more likely to be bored drivers, failing to react sufficiently quickly to any changes ahead, of course is not a problem because they are driving at a 'safe' speed. Or we can take a more difficult route, but with a better outcome, of treating motorist as responsible and attentive drivers., educating them on their failings, the common reoccurring judgement errors and employ discretion before penalising them. Encouragement to become a better driver is going to produce a better driver outcome than treating them all as the mindless zombie. We can all choose to be responsible attentive road users mindful of other users needs.

Next time you are out driving, who would you rather have in that car behind you or that oncoming driver, a driver concentrating on not exceeding the speed limit or a driver paying attention to the road ahead. It is a no brainer, unless you are a politician.

p.s. I now drive distracted, looking suspiciously at every parked van, or conspicuous car, looking at all road poles and mast trying to spot the latest technology camera's or checking every tree just incase that policeman with his speed laser is lurking there. My attention definitely is not on the road and I am not concentrating as I used to on the changing conditions, I am a worse drive now, but that is ok for as we all know 'speed kills'.

Safety Insanity

There is a prevailing obsession about speed and how speed kills. So obsessed are we that the plans to make a 20mph speed limit widespread across Towns are being welcomed as enlightened, a worthy regard for the sanctity of life. These plans are just bonkers, pure lunacy out of disconnected thoughts. Speed cannot kill. I have sped on many legal occasions and I have never ever killed. Policemen are authorised to speed excessively but their extreme speed kills no one. No it is driving errors, inattention, poor judgement, misunderstanding of reactions times, road dynamics and even pure mischance that kills. Sure speed does aggravate any outcome but is not the cause. 

None of us want to endorse behaviour that might result in the death of a innocent bystander. Being born, getting out of bed each day and going about the world is high risk behaviour that might result in your death. We know life is risky. We take a calm and measured view of the risks. What are the chances of misadventure today? Negligible. Will the bolt come out of the blue? Probably not. We weigh the chances of risk against our need to get on with life whilst taking sensible precautions to minimise the inherent risk out there.

The society we live in depends on our means to get about quickly and efficiently from one part to another. We live in cosy suburbs, away from the bustle of the city centre, because we can travel easily. We live out in the countryside away from the smells and sounds of the busy towns because we enjoy the peace and quiet yet can just as easily pop into town to go to school, or shop or work. The convenience of our world is based on being able to smoothly, easily and tirelessly move about with tolerable time expenditure. We choose not to spend hours on the business of moving from one part to another at the costs of work or family life.

In an ideal world, the world dreamed of by the planners way back in the 1960's, it was simple, traffic separation was the solution. Keep cars and people apart and problem solved. Except of course life was not that simple and has only got worse since those heady days of idealism. Just consider the range of legitimate road users that must be allowed for, mobility scooters, pedestrians ranging from the fit to the slow, roller blades, racing bikes, mountain bikes, buggies, motor bikes, horses with or without carts, cars, stretched limos, buses, trams, van lorries and transporters in all shape and sizes. Each of these legitimate forms of travelling on our roads has it own unique, widely different speed, manoeuvrability, reaction time and ability to read other users intentions. The simplistic vision just does not work, we cannot possibly separate out all those disparate road users. We have to accept they are all mixed together.

So the solution then is a 20mph widespread speed limit. Slow everything and everyone down to the slowest common denominator. In a crowded city with congested roads, crowded pavements and a 24/7 society it is just reflecting reality, that is as high as the hopes go. This nation does not comprise wall to wall cities. It has regions of great density and still has areas of very low density with the bulk of the land with a rich mixture inbetween. Many many town and villages have uncongested roads and pavements that scarcely ever see a pedestrian and a night time where the roads are deserted. So the odd road user on such roads as these should be restricted to just 20mph! This is tunnel thinking just as blinkered as the simplistic vision of traffic segregation. Our society and our lives are structured around being able to move easily and swiftly between locations.

Once apon a time, pedestrians hovered at the edge of the road calculating when there was a sufficient gap between moving cars to make it safely across the road. How times have changed. Nowadays pedestrian walk out as it pleased them across the road in the expectation that all vehicles will fully anticipate their intentions and make passage for them. Neither of course of behaviour is appropriate. What is relevant is that each and every road user has to have regard for the needs of any other road user and to be patient and considerate to those other users. In a mixed society we have to allow for and cut slack for all those others we must by necessity jostle with.

If only 20mph speed limits were definitive. Rearrange society and life based on 20mph and there would be no road casualties, ever. Would not happen, in congested streets, in adverse weather conditions or the unexpected bolt of of the blue, life would still be lost. And we as a society would have sacrificed all the benefits of being able to move about freely, for nothing. The viable speed is totally dependant of the conditions at that time, not some generalised norm. No, lives are lost by errors made by road users. We each have to take responsibility for our own decisions. There can be no hiding behind rules and regulations. We each must judge the time, the place and the conditions as and when we make those judgements. It is our decision alone, each and every time. Failing to anticipate an erratic driver as equally as failing to see a juvenile about to make a rash choice. We each have to assess all the variables like time, weather, visibility, congestion, probable movements as we make our navigational judgements. Information about other users and their limitations, information about causes of accidents, information about black spots that have above average accidents, information fed to a society that fully accepts it is each persons own responsibility for the safety of all other members of their society, that would all help. Coupled with a mature acceptance of the inherent risks in life with an acceptance of their probabilities. Each road user has to be aware and take responsibility for their actions and the affect on all other road users. No blanket traffic restriction is going to better that.