Road Safety Week - Let's Talk About Speed

Every year there are over 100,000 road traffic accidents in the UK. In 2022 alone there were over 1500 lives lost, and nearly 30,000 people left seriously injured due to road accidents, leaving families devastated and communities in shock. Road Safety Week is organised by the road safety charity, Brake, and they have chosen the theme Speed for this year, encouraging a national conversation to challenge the acceptance of speeding and explore solutions for safer roads.  

The startling statistics by Brake emphasise the urgency of addressing speed on our roads. Speeding is one of the main causes of accidents, with 1 in 4 fatal crashes involving someone driving too fast. Being able to understand the science behind speed, such as stopping distances and the kinetic energy of crashes will emphasise the need for a change in approach to road safety and speeding.  

How speed impacts road safety: 

• 5 people die every day on UK roads, with 1 in 4 fatal crashes involving speeding. 
• 6 children are killed or seriously injured on UK roads daily, contributing to the 1500+ deaths and over 30,000 serious injuries. 
• Road crashes devastate families, friends, and communities, creating a ripple effect across schools, workplaces, and neighbourhoods. 

When we understand the relationship between speed and stopping distances, kinetic energy, and the increased risk of death at high speeds, we gain insight into the critical role speed plays in road safety. Let’s explore the formula for speed: the higher the speed, the longer the stopping distance, the harder the crash, the greater the risk of death and injury. When talking about speed, kinetic energy is directly proportional to the mass of the car and the square of its velocity, and the greater the speed (velocity) of the car, the greater the kinetic energy. Small increases in speed lead to much higher increases in kinetic energy, and therefore when a car crashes, the amount of kinetic energy the car has will determine the force of the impact and the severity of the crash. When driving at high speeds, always slow down sooner than you would at a slower speed, to prevent a potential crash.  

Understanding speed: 

• Small speed increases lead to disproportionately larger increases in stopping distances. The higher the speed = the bigger the stopping distance. 
• Higher speeds result in crashes with greater force, as kinetic energy (energy of motion) increases significantly, resulting in a crash being more severe. 
• In the result of a crash, the higher the speed, the greater the risk of serious injury or death 

Whilst some dangerous people see speed limits as guidelines, they are safety measures and should never be exceeded. There is no need to be driving over the speed limit as it has been determined to be the maximum speed for safe travel and safer communities. If you are speeding because you are running late... leave earlier.  

Speed limits and safe system: 

• Speed limits are set as the maximum safe speed for a particular road or area and should never be exceeded. These are limits, not targets. 
• Slower traffic promotes welcoming environments and walking and cycling, contributing to a healthier and happier community.   

Technology plays a major role in keeping us safe on the roads and preventing road deaths. Features that are now available as standard on a lot of cars can detect when your driving is unusual or dangerous and can automatically send an alert or alter your driving. These features are so beneficial that ISA technology is now a legal requirement in all cars built after 2022 to integrate smart speed-limiting technology. 

Technology and road safety: 

• Vehicle technology including Lane Departure and Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Speed Assistance and Collision Warning and Detection can play a huge role in keeping within speed limits by issuing alerts or automatically reducing speed.

Part of advocating for safer roads is speaking to your family, friends, colleagues, and whoever you can to challenge the acceptance of speeding and explore solutions for safer roads.

Start the conversation: 

• Share your personal experience of speeding and its consequences 
• Discuss the reasons behind speeding 
• Explore the impact speeding has on road safety 

Why do people speed? 

The groups of people most likely to speed are those driving in a work-related capacity, members of high-income households and young males, but why do people speed in the first place? There is a large amount of research on why people drive at inappropriate speeds (UK Parliament): 

• Not knowing the speed limit (pay attention to the road signs!) 
• People don’t see speeding as a serious offence and feel they won’t get caught 
• Running late or feeling pressured to keep up with other drivers 
• The comfort of the car and design of the road means it feels right to drive faster than the legal limit or than what is safe 
• They do not usually bear any of the human consequences of accidents for others or much of the damage to the environment or quality of life in the areas through which they drive 

It is imperative that we address the issue of speed on our roads as Road Safety Week unfolds. We urge individuals to engage in the national conversation and challenge the acceptance of speeding whilst advocating for solutions that will result in safer roads for everyone. By understanding the situation and supporting campaigns such as Road Safety Week, we can contribute to a future without road tragedies.