Only 2% of accidents caused by speed in over 25's - according to Government report

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/19/1974.asp

2% caused by driving above posted speed limit for over 25’s.

At last, maybe we can get rid of the dangerous speed scameras :ermm: OK, maybe not, they employ too many people now :angry:

Sorry mate but that article is the biggest load of tosh I’ve seen in ages.

Take this paragraph - “The report showed that even among the youngest drivers, aged 17-19, only eight percent of accidents were caused by exceeding the posted speed limit. The more prominent factors were “loss of control,” accounting for nineteen percent of accidents; “careless, reckless or in a hurry,” accounting for fourteen percent; “traveling too fast for the conditions,” fourteen percent; and “slippery road due to weather,” at twelve percent.”

So I take it that the ‘Loss of Control’, ‘Careless, reckless or in a hurry’, ‘travelling to fast for the conditions’ and ‘slippery road due to weather’ accidents had nothing to do with the speed of the vehicle at all.

Statistics are easy to manipulate and turn round and will always be done by both sides, whatever the argument, to their own advantage.

I thought it was clear that they mean driving above the speed limit, we know the real speed limit varies day to day with traffic, conditions etc but if you look at the effectiveness of speed cameras, it’s clear from this report that they will not tackle the causes of the majority of accidents, in fact in drivers over 25 years old, they will only address the cause of 2% of the accidents.

I agree with you that stats can be made to say anything but I thought this was a pretty good report and showed, for once, that speeding is not the cause of the majority or even a significant number of accidents. It’s more significant in the under 25’s but we all knew that anyway :slight_smile:

Just good to see the Government coming clean and going as far as I think we’ll ever see them go to admitting they were wrong.

Last newbie night at Ace was a good case in point.

There were probably 80-100 or so “Bikers” and about 20-30 scooterist/mopedists on L plates.

In total there were 3 crashes that I saw, each involving scoots/mopeds.

Zero crashes of motorcycles though.

ps… I’m not discriminating against scooters but they were all kiddy winks on them:cool:

Helps if you read the actual report rather than just unquestioningly accept the bits the media feed you in order to manipulate opinion.

eg.:

3.4 Over three quarters of fatal accidents involving drivers under 20 were judged to be speed related. For the 20-24 year age group it was about two thirds, dropping to below half by the age of 30 years. These accidents show high levels of speeding, alcohol involvement and recklessness. 68% of occupant fatalities in the 16-20 year age group were with drivers who were slightly older (mean age 21 years), who were speeding or who were being deliberately reckless and racing (36%).

So how do speed cameras prevent drunk driving, reckless driving etc ? Speed is a consequence of these actions, not the primary cause of the accident.

If you look at speeding as the primary cause of the incident, the figures are correct.

It’s interesting that those who defend speed cameras as an effective road safety tool are beginning to redefine their use of ‘speeding’ as ‘going too fast’ rather than ‘exceeding the speed limit’.(and I mean generally, not any Scottish posters on this forum!) ;)I’m very much against going too fast. Doesn’t mean I don’t exceed speed limits though.

Around schools, built up areas and such with kids and or other pedestrians I totally agree with speed cameras, even more so if they were average, just to slow people down there.

Like you say, driving inappropriately fast in areas like that I agree is very dangerous, it’s the open roads that bother me and the original definition of exceeding the speed limit, or going fast, is dangerous.

I also accept that it is still illegal and, sadly, know that it’s waiting to bite me (again) one day :frowning:

Around schools I’d prefer drivers kept their eyes on the road looking out for kids, not worrying about driving at or below an arbitary speed limit. :cool:

All this is such an utter distraction…I am going to have a rant…

the speeding cars and bikes, the dangerous drivers and the mayhem that is caused…its tiny in comparison with the number of drivers on the road…and the miles covered…I know its frustrating but so is knife crime, gun crime and death in general, but you know death happens to us all one way or another…no I am not advocating crime…read on…

We all know that the speed limit is not the judge of safe speed. and cameras are just a means of raising cash because its polititcally correct…they do not improve a persons driving…

Staistics are and do get manipulated but usually to prove that speed is the crime and it has only been through careful study that the truth is slowly dawning…lack of concentration/attention/focus causes the majority of accidents…

when I am in a rush, I drive much more agrressively than when I am out enjoying myself and usually have more ‘incidents’ not my fault but I can usually read them before they happen except when I am in a rush I dont take as much notice of all the pitfalls and dangers especially those incurred whilst negotiating through traffic etc…but I doubt my speed ever goes above the posted speed limit…you londeners know the drill in traffic…

The real point is that what the hell do we want on this planet, I suggest freedom not speed controlled cars and bikes, and limited travel like the communists used to have for freedom…pay as you go schemes that penalise the poor are all part of that process…a few deaths are a tollerable price for freedom,

and before anyone starts shouting…the world agrees…it has continually gone to war in the quest for freedom, hell, over 100,000,000 people last century alone died in the quest for freedom…and we are at war now freeing a pople that dont want our freedom, but what do we get speed cameras, speed limits, more knife crime, more gun crime, more burglarys and more restrictions on the decent law abiding population who drive vehicles but it seems less and less restirctions on the law breakers…and again sorry but breaking the speed limit is simply not a crime in my eyes…and for those who say it is I ask you WHY.

It seems that every day this government and its cronies are forever planning and scheming to remove yet another freedom…we are less free than we have ever been, we have more criminals now than we have ever had, IN ADDITION we the non gun totting, knife weilding honest people are all being made criminals through the transport we choose…and we are all subject to more and more draconian rules…this government cares not about us as individuals nor us as a country, just cares about itself and regaining power and its policies of control…(yes I know they all do) but this particular anti-transport goverment has done nothing to improve the road system of this country…and yet we have spent billions on signs over the m25 to achieve what??? we have pay as you go shemes in towns to do what…we have cameras catching you me and my granny speeding, to do what…remove our FREEDOM…its not about deaths or safety or anything its still all about power, money and control…

ooh I am off again…speed is not the cause, it may have an effect on the outcome of the accident but do we really all want to travel at ridiculous speeds when our vehicles will travel at much higher speeds…empty roads should be unrestricted…give us some bloody freedom back…

How much has this governmet spent on reducing burglary in this country…how often do we hear about why people steal and the attempts to re-educate people…??? Every day we here of yet another speeding motorist being shot, hung, drawn then quartered for the heinous crime of going above a posted speed limit…not for killing or maiming or raping or damaging, just for being above a speed limit that we all now know has nothing to do with safety…we are all lemmings in this country we have forgotten how to stand up for freedom and our rights…hell we now dont have the right to silence…we are being controlled more and more…I wonder when they (the government) start pulling our finger nails to get the confesion…or will it be drugs injected so we tell the truth…(heres a bit of cynicism) yes I was not driving the car your honour that sped through the lights at 37 mph at 2.00 in the morning and didnt do anyone or anything any harm…but yes take my licence, I am such an evil person, my means of travelling to work and earnign an income, forcce me onto the dole, and make my kids destitute, and of course add me to your statistics as another crime solved…do you all really believe this is the right future for us…no wonder people are leaving in their millions (well 800,000 last year)

Good rant ! :stuck_out_tongue: