Advice - speed
It is important to lead by example: stick to the speed limit and make sure you always drive at an appropriate speed for the prevailing conditions.
By doing so you will not only keep yourself and your passengers safer, but you will also instill good habits in those who travel with you – most importantly, your children, if you have any.
And remember your passengers are your responsibility. By driving too fast you endanger them as well as yourself. Could you live with the guilt of killing or maiming someone close to you because you were driving too fast?
Advice from the Government’s THINK! road safety campaign
The speed limit is a limit not a target
In some road conditions, including fog and rain and traffic flow, even driving at the speed limit could be too fast.
Country roads often have sharp bends
Stay in control and give yourself time to react to unexpected hazards by braking before the bend, not in it. Be aware that there may be unexpected hazards such as blind bends, vehicles coming out of junctions and animals on country roads. The national speed limit on single carriage roads is 60mph, but there will be times you need to drive under that in order to drive correctly for the conditions. In fact most people do on these roads – the average free flow speed is 48mph.
Driving too fast for the conditions is bad driving
Driving too close to the car in front, undertaking and failing to signal are widely accepted as examples of bad driving. However, some drivers fail to accept that driving too fast is also poor driving despite the fact that this is a contributory factor in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries every year.
Consider the consequences of causing an accident due to driving at excessive speed
If you cause an accident you will have to live with the emotional consequences of deaths or injuries caused to others.
Visit the THINK! campaign website for more information about speed
Community Speed Watch
Community Speed Watch is a traffic monitoring scheme coordinated by the police but managed and run by volunteers in the community. The aim of the scheme is to address the problem of either real or perceived speeding.
The benefits of Community Speed Watch include:
• The chance to increase road safety
• Enhancing the role of community members as volunteers
• Fewer fatalities and serious injury collisions
• Better links with the community
Parish Councils and other community groups are ideally placed to help communicate road safety messages at a local level. They will be very aware of the specific road safety problems and issues within their own community, and can help focus campaigns and initiatives towards the key local issues.
Speed limits
For more information about speed limits and a table giving details of the limits for types of vehicle and types of road visit: https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits