The following news release has just been published, but we can't help but question how the Police chiefs reconcile the obvious discrepency between the lowering of average road speeds with the increase in accidents, what exactly is the point in being so aggressive on speeding when there's an undeniable torrent of data, statistics and studies that show speeding pays such a marginal part in the cause of most accidents? It seems to us that they have it all wrong and are just out to make money from the majority of motorists, who according to this news release, feel their speeds above the stated speed limit, are acceptable.
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT News Release (TR-010 (050)) issued by the Government News Network on 19 May 2005
The Department for Transport today published National Statistics of vehicle speeds in Great Britain in 2004. These statistics relate to the speeds at which drivers choose to drive in free-flow conditions generally across the road network. The latest figures show that the proportion of motorists exceeding the speed limit in 2004 changed very little from 2003 although driving in excess of the speed limit remains at a high level on all types of road.
The main features of the new statistics released today are:
On roads with 30 mph limits (built-up)
* On roads with a 30 mph speed limit 53 per cent of cars exceeded that limit compared with 58 per cent in 2003; 25 per cent travelled faster than 35 mph, the same as in 2003.
* On 30 mph roads, 24 per cent of motorcycles were travelling at more than 35 mph compared with 29 per cent in 2003.
* The survey also reveals a high incidence of speeding by heavy goods vehicles on built-up 30 mph roads: 49 per cent of 2-axle heavy goods vehicles exceeded the speed limit, 18 per cent by more than 5 mph. This is a reduction from the 2003 levels of 53 and 21 per cent respectively.
On roads with 40 mph limits (built-up)
* On 40 mph roads 27 per cent of cars exceeded the limit, with 10 per cent exceeding 45 mph, the same percentages as observed in 2003 and 2002.
* 19 per cent of motorcycles on 40 mph roads were travelling at more than 45 mph. This is the same level as in 2003.
On other roads (non-built-up)
* More than half the cars on motorways and 48 per cent of cars on dual carriageways travelled faster than the speed limit; 19 per cent were travelling faster than 80 mph on motorways, and 14 per cent on dual carriageways.
* The proportion of motorcycles travelling at more than 80 mph on motorways remained at 28 per cent in 2004; whilst on dual carriageways the proportion fell from 23 per cent to 21 per cent
* On major, non-built-up single carriageway roads, 78 per cent of articulated HGVs were exceeding their 40 mph limit (28 per cent by more than 10 mph). The average speed recorded for articulated HGVs on these roads was 46 mph, just 2 mph less than the average speed of cars (48 mph), for which the limit is 60 mph.
