10 mph Speed Limit – A step too far?
The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) is calling for a 10 mph speed limit in ‘high risk pedestrian areas.’ They would also like to see a 20 mph speed limit on open country roads. That’s a reduction of 40 mph!
So what is their reasoning behind this? The RSF base their opinions on ‘human vulnerability and physics.’ They use this to calculate what speeds are less likely to result in death or serious injury when collisions occur. Dr Suzy Chapman, the organisation’s executive director stated that “Infrastructure needs to be improved or speeds reduced to ensure travelled speeds are better aligned with human tolerances to crash forces.” She also said that “No death or serious injury should be considered an acceptable consequence of mobility.”
Where will it stop?
Does that mean that she would like to see a ban on commuting to work?
If we take on board Dr Chapman’s suggestion that we should all practically stand still in order to avoid injuries and collisions, how far could this go? Perhaps we could also suggest that ‘No death or serious injury should be considered an acceptable consequence of travelling to work?”
What other steps could we take to realise the RSF’s dream?
- Reduce everyone’s working hours to lower the risk of injury?
- Stop people from jogging and make them walk?
- Limit the speed at which people can run?
- Put speed limiters on bicycles?
Perhaps we should ban motor vehicles altogether and go back to the good old-fashioned horse and cart? The problem with that however, is that road accidents and deaths were actually a very common occurrence well before the invention of the motor car.
20 MPH speed limits
Wales has already introduced a blanket 20 mph speed limit in built-up areas. Though this has proven very unpopular and difficult to enforce. There have also been calls for this low limit on the roads of England. A high majority of drivers are against this however.
I have worked in road safety for over 40 years. I recognise the need for drivers to use a speed that suits the conditions. But I am also aware that when collisions between cars and people occur, it is not always the driver, or the speed they were travelling at which is at fault.
Pedestrian safety
Pedestrians also need to be responsible for their own safety. In the many thousands of hours I have spent on the roads, I have witnessed countless reckless pedestrian actions:
- Stepping off the kerb without looking
- Walking onto roads staring at mobile phones
- Starting to cross as soon as they hear the ‘green man’ signal beeping, without looking to make sure traffic has stopped
- Parents pushing prams partly over the kerb before turning to look for traffic
All road users need to take responsibility for their own safety. But yes, there needs to be a level of enforcement when it comes to the few who drive at excessive speeds. But unrealistically low blanket speed limits are not the answer. A 10 mph speed limit really is a laughable suggestion.
Police should deploy speed cameras in areas with high pedestrian activity, not on open roads where walkers are seldom seen. And if the authorities want to see safer roads, how about spending some of that cash raised by the speed cameras to put more police patrol cars back on the roads?