Speeding as bad as drink and drug driving
Discussion
With this press release, how many friends is IAM Roadsmart going to win? It appears a change of safety tune for the IAM: do you think it comes from the new Interim CEO?
IAM Roadsmart said:
Watch your speed! Speeding is as much of a threat to road safety as drink and drug driving
89 per cent of people believe speeding in a residential area is as much of a threat to their safety as driving under the influence of illegal drugs
More than one-in-10 motorists (14 per cent) admit to having driven at more than 10 per cent over the speed limit in residential areas
Nearly half of motorists believe it is acceptable to speed on motorways with a quarter admitting to driving at over 80mph
IAM RoadSmart is calling once again for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving
The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has renewed its call for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving, after publishing worrying new analysis that indicates excessive speed is considered acceptable on the motorway and on residential roads by many drivers.
The survey found that despite more than one-in-10 drivers admitting to exceeding the speed limit of 30mph in residential areas, for almost nine out of every 10 motorists surveyed, speeding in a residential area was perceived as almost as big a threat to their personal safety as motorists driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or when distracted by social media.
Almost half of motorists (46 per cent) surveyed believe it is acceptable to drive 10 miles per hour over the 70mph speed limit on motorways, with a quarter even willing to go even faster. More than one-in-five motorists (22 per cent) think it is acceptable to drive five miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street.
An alarming one-in-10 of the 2,000 people surveyed thought it was even acceptable to go over the speed limit near a school.
Neil Greig, Policy and Research Director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “The results of this survey are deeply concerning. Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year. That’s an average of 12 people a day killed or injured in some form. We need a fundamental shift in attitudes towards speeding so that it becomes as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving – where public opinion has changed over previous decades.”
Further findings from the IAM RoadSmart survey also reveal the different attitudes towards speeding in the UK regions.
Motorists in Yorkshire and Humber (65 per cent), closely followed by motorists in the West Midlands (59 per cent) felt that the issue of speeding was more of a problem today than it was three years ago compared to a national average of 55 per cent.
More than a fifth of London drivers (21 per cent) think they drive faster than most others on the roads, compared to a national average of 13 per cent. Drivers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are more safety conscious while only eight per cent of Scottish and Northern Irish drivers and seven per cent of Welsh drivers rated their driving faster than others.
London was also the region with the highest number of drivers who felt it was acceptable to go five miles over the speed limit near a school, with 15 per cent of Londoners admitting to speeding near a school, compared to the national average of 10 per cent. Drivers in the east of England are the most responsible motorists outside schools, with only five per cent rating it acceptable behaviour.
Motorists in the south-east of England are most likely (55 per cent) to find it acceptable to speed on the motorway by up to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, while there was less acceptability among the drivers of the West Midlands and Wales (at 43 per cent and 41 per cent respectively).
Meanwhile, drivers in Wales, where plans have received initial backing to cut the speed limit to 20mph in residential areas, not surprisingly, think it is least acceptable to speed in a residential area.
Neil added: “There is a slight glimmer of hope as, overall, acceptability of driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a motorway has dropped by around 10 per cent since 2016, but there is still a long, long way to go. Attitudes towards tackling urban speeding are much more positive and support for measures such as speed cameras around schools was very high at 82 per cent. Overall, however, opinions on 20mph as the new urban limit are still finely balanced with 53 per cent for and 47 per cent against, which shows much work is needed to change deeply entrenched behaviour.
“The findings of this survey also highlight that drivers who responded had a lower opinion of other people’s driving behaviour than they had of their own. There needs to be much greater acceptance of the fact we can all improve our standards of driving behaviour and take action whenever we are on the road to improve road safety.”
89 per cent of people believe speeding in a residential area is as much of a threat to their safety as driving under the influence of illegal drugs
More than one-in-10 motorists (14 per cent) admit to having driven at more than 10 per cent over the speed limit in residential areas
Nearly half of motorists believe it is acceptable to speed on motorways with a quarter admitting to driving at over 80mph
IAM RoadSmart is calling once again for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving
The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has renewed its call for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving, after publishing worrying new analysis that indicates excessive speed is considered acceptable on the motorway and on residential roads by many drivers.
The survey found that despite more than one-in-10 drivers admitting to exceeding the speed limit of 30mph in residential areas, for almost nine out of every 10 motorists surveyed, speeding in a residential area was perceived as almost as big a threat to their personal safety as motorists driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or when distracted by social media.
Almost half of motorists (46 per cent) surveyed believe it is acceptable to drive 10 miles per hour over the 70mph speed limit on motorways, with a quarter even willing to go even faster. More than one-in-five motorists (22 per cent) think it is acceptable to drive five miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street.
An alarming one-in-10 of the 2,000 people surveyed thought it was even acceptable to go over the speed limit near a school.
Neil Greig, Policy and Research Director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “The results of this survey are deeply concerning. Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year. That’s an average of 12 people a day killed or injured in some form. We need a fundamental shift in attitudes towards speeding so that it becomes as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving – where public opinion has changed over previous decades.”
Further findings from the IAM RoadSmart survey also reveal the different attitudes towards speeding in the UK regions.
Motorists in Yorkshire and Humber (65 per cent), closely followed by motorists in the West Midlands (59 per cent) felt that the issue of speeding was more of a problem today than it was three years ago compared to a national average of 55 per cent.
More than a fifth of London drivers (21 per cent) think they drive faster than most others on the roads, compared to a national average of 13 per cent. Drivers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are more safety conscious while only eight per cent of Scottish and Northern Irish drivers and seven per cent of Welsh drivers rated their driving faster than others.
London was also the region with the highest number of drivers who felt it was acceptable to go five miles over the speed limit near a school, with 15 per cent of Londoners admitting to speeding near a school, compared to the national average of 10 per cent. Drivers in the east of England are the most responsible motorists outside schools, with only five per cent rating it acceptable behaviour.
Motorists in the south-east of England are most likely (55 per cent) to find it acceptable to speed on the motorway by up to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, while there was less acceptability among the drivers of the West Midlands and Wales (at 43 per cent and 41 per cent respectively).
Meanwhile, drivers in Wales, where plans have received initial backing to cut the speed limit to 20mph in residential areas, not surprisingly, think it is least acceptable to speed in a residential area.
Neil added: “There is a slight glimmer of hope as, overall, acceptability of driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a motorway has dropped by around 10 per cent since 2016, but there is still a long, long way to go. Attitudes towards tackling urban speeding are much more positive and support for measures such as speed cameras around schools was very high at 82 per cent. Overall, however, opinions on 20mph as the new urban limit are still finely balanced with 53 per cent for and 47 per cent against, which shows much work is needed to change deeply entrenched behaviour.
“The findings of this survey also highlight that drivers who responded had a lower opinion of other people’s driving behaviour than they had of their own. There needs to be much greater acceptance of the fact we can all improve our standards of driving behaviour and take action whenever we are on the road to improve road safety.”
Glosphil said:
I have been an IAM member for 14 years (an observer for a number of those and a committee member for 12) but this press release makes me question whether to renew next July.
It won't stop me continuing to belong but it does alienate me. How do you think it advances the IAM Mission (I don't expect anyone here thinks driving at 80 on a motorway in good conditions and with a clear view is dangerous)? I have always believed the focus should be on improving road safety through improved skills - advocating rigid adherence to painted numbers on posts is a diametrically different approach.By the way, I think that a much higher proportion of drivers than indicated exceed 30 and particularly 20 speed limits.
"worrying new analysis that indicates excessive speed is considered acceptable on the motorway and on residential roads by many drivers."
They don't seem to understand that there is a difference between exceeding the limit and excessive speed. Well, they probably do, but that isn't the message they want to convey. Have they been taken over by Brake?
They don't seem to understand that there is a difference between exceeding the limit and excessive speed. Well, they probably do, but that isn't the message they want to convey. Have they been taken over by Brake?
The IAM have been heading down this path for a number of years and they freely admit it - "leading road safety charity". No longer do they seem to promote road safety by improving driving standards.
Like Glosphil, I was a member for about 20 years and an observer for many of them, but I found it hard to support an organisation who used my membership to dumb down driving standards rather than promoting them.
As for their statistics. one in ten admit to exceeding 30. Most of the other 9 probably don't realise when they do. I'd like to see the wording of the questions that were used.
Neil Greig, Policy and Research Director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “The results of this survey are deeply concerning. Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year.
In the year ending June 2018, there were 165,100 casualties on British roads. So what caused the other 160,000?
Like Glosphil, I was a member for about 20 years and an observer for many of them, but I found it hard to support an organisation who used my membership to dumb down driving standards rather than promoting them.
As for their statistics. one in ten admit to exceeding 30. Most of the other 9 probably don't realise when they do. I'd like to see the wording of the questions that were used.
Neil Greig, Policy and Research Director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “The results of this survey are deeply concerning. Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year.
In the year ending June 2018, there were 165,100 casualties on British roads. So what caused the other 160,000?
In answer to my own question, I found this. I think it's for 2017:
1 Driver failed to look properly - 42,189 accidents reported
2 Driver failed to judge other person’s path or speed - 21,211 accidents reported
3 Driver was careless, reckless or in a hurry - 17,845 accidents reported
4 Driver had poor turn or maneuver - 15,560 accidents reported
5 Loss of control - 12,151 accidents reported
6 Pedestrian failed to look properly - 8,687 accidents reported
7 Slippery road surface - 7,327 accidents reported
8 Driver was travelling too fast for conditions - 6,468 accidents reported
9 Driver was following too close - 6,040 accidents reported
10 Driver was exceeding speed limit - 5,102 accidents reported
Exceeding the speed limit came in tenth. Although inappropriate speed plays a part in others, most motorists wouldn't recognise it in their own driving (40 everywhere, for example)
1 Driver failed to look properly - 42,189 accidents reported
2 Driver failed to judge other person’s path or speed - 21,211 accidents reported
3 Driver was careless, reckless or in a hurry - 17,845 accidents reported
4 Driver had poor turn or maneuver - 15,560 accidents reported
5 Loss of control - 12,151 accidents reported
6 Pedestrian failed to look properly - 8,687 accidents reported
7 Slippery road surface - 7,327 accidents reported
8 Driver was travelling too fast for conditions - 6,468 accidents reported
9 Driver was following too close - 6,040 accidents reported
10 Driver was exceeding speed limit - 5,102 accidents reported
Exceeding the speed limit came in tenth. Although inappropriate speed plays a part in others, most motorists wouldn't recognise it in their own driving (40 everywhere, for example)
I've spent years doing most of the driving, with a gradually increasing nagging to keep to the speed limit. So much so that I have a GPS App on my phone which sits in a cradle so my wife can read the actual real speed and not the completely inaccurate one the car comes with.
Then I will set the cruise control at the limit, any then there is no nagging from.the passenger seat. And I can concentrate on avoiding potential risks rather than looking at the Speedo.
The only limit I have a problem with is 20 as my cruise doesn't work until 23.
Recently due to a health scare my wife has been driving me around. Erm, if speed kills, then she's a killer. On the motorway she won't use cruise. Real.speed varies from 63 to 75 for no particular reason. In a 30, she's doing 35, in a 20 she's doing 30. In a 50 she's doing anywhere from.40 to 60 and in a nsl, 60 she's doing 45.
And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
All the years of nagging and it turns out she hasn't listened to herself.
But anyway, I conclude that worrying about your speed takes away attention from the road. And so speed cameras are dangerous.
More dangerous than deer.
Then I will set the cruise control at the limit, any then there is no nagging from.the passenger seat. And I can concentrate on avoiding potential risks rather than looking at the Speedo.
The only limit I have a problem with is 20 as my cruise doesn't work until 23.
Recently due to a health scare my wife has been driving me around. Erm, if speed kills, then she's a killer. On the motorway she won't use cruise. Real.speed varies from 63 to 75 for no particular reason. In a 30, she's doing 35, in a 20 she's doing 30. In a 50 she's doing anywhere from.40 to 60 and in a nsl, 60 she's doing 45.
And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
All the years of nagging and it turns out she hasn't listened to herself.
But anyway, I conclude that worrying about your speed takes away attention from the road. And so speed cameras are dangerous.
More dangerous than deer.
Pit Pony said:
....speed varies from 63 to 75 for no particular reason. In a 30, she's doing 35, in a 20 she's doing 30. In a 50 she's doing anywhere from.40 to 60 and in a nsl, 60 she's doing 45.
And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
I'm not sure where you live or how many cars you own, but i think i follow your wife most days?And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
gmasterfunk said:
Pit Pony said:
....speed varies from 63 to 75 for no particular reason. In a 30, she's doing 35, in a 20 she's doing 30. In a 50 she's doing anywhere from.40 to 60 and in a nsl, 60 she's doing 45.
And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
I'm not sure where you live or how many cars you own, but i think i follow your wife most days?And she's constantly surprised by speed cameras, over compensates for them.
I only ever compliment her driving to her. Never ever criticise.
If i have one critical comment to make if all professional drivers. It's not a f
king race track and don't assume that everyone knows which lane they should be in at the next junction. dvenman said:
@angoooose - do you have a link for those stats please?
2018 casualties: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-...Accident causes: https://www.regtransfers.co.uk/content/common-caus...
waremark said:
How do you think it advances the IAM Mission (I don't expect anyone here thinks driving at 80 on a motorway in good conditions and with a clear view is dangerous)?
Is doing 80 mph on the motorway as bad as drunk driving? The next time I'm at a bike meet, I can just see this message is going to help recruit new members and, therefore, advance the IAM Mission 
Has IAM Roadsmart adopted the Fawlty Towers school of marketing? And even Basil Fawlty wasn't this daft!
No, exceeding the posted speed limit is not the same as drink or drug driving. Alcohol and other drugs that affect the central nervous system in a way that could impair driving ability are a constant factor. If you are a good driver, they will still make you less good etc etc. Exceeding the posted speed limit is not the same. There are some single track NSL roads where it would be insane to enter blind corners at 60mph and, equally, there are 50mph roads where a competent driver could quite happily exceed the limit without risk to themselves or others.
Skill and impairment are different. The IAM statement on "speeding" makes me very reluctant to get involved with them. The focus should surely be on improving driver skills above those expected for the basic driving test. I guess many of us will have heard such things as "well, I was not speeding", "I had, err, right of way", "they pulled out on me", " the traffic just suddenly stopped" etc etc.
Nonsense. A lot of that going on at the moment...
Skill and impairment are different. The IAM statement on "speeding" makes me very reluctant to get involved with them. The focus should surely be on improving driver skills above those expected for the basic driving test. I guess many of us will have heard such things as "well, I was not speeding", "I had, err, right of way", "they pulled out on me", " the traffic just suddenly stopped" etc etc.
Nonsense. A lot of that going on at the moment...
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