On average, 10 people die and 100 people are seriously injured on Britain's roads each day.
Two-thirds of all crashes in which people are killed or injured happen on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less.
At 35mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as they are at 30mph:
- hit by a car at 40mph, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
- hit by a car at 30mph, around 50 per cent of pedestrians will survive
- hit by a car at 20mph, only 1 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed.
Accident risk rises the faster a driver travels.
At 25 per cent above the average speed, a driver is about six times more likely to have an accident than a driver travelling at the average speed.
At 30mph, vehicles travel 44 feet (about three car lengths) every second. Even in good conditions, the difference in stopping distance between 30mph and 35mph is an extra 21 feet - more than two car lengths.
Cameras
The purpose of safety cameras is to change driver behaviour – they are only used when people break speed limits. When this happens a camera detects the offence and provides evidence for a fixed penalty notice.
Drivers who choose to exceed the legal speed limits will incur a minimum penalty of £60 and three penalty points on their driving licence.
It has been proved nationally that traffic cameras can reduce the number of road crashes and protect road users by encouraging people to drive more slowly.
In 2000, eight pilot camera partnerships were established in Great Britain. In Year one of the pilot 47 percent fewer people were killed or seriously injured at safety camera sites, and there were 35 percent fewer crashes and an 18 percent area-wide reduction in casualties.
Year two results showed a 35 percent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads at camera locations, and a 56 percent reduction in the number of pedestrian casualties at the same sites. There was a 10 percent reduction in average speeds in the areas monitored.
Traffic speed enforcement is carried out by the Police. The Police have powers to enforce against all moving traffic offences. There are a number of ways in which this can be done – from permanently placed speed cameras to mobile enforcement with radar speed guns.
The Council plays very little part in deciding where speed cameras should be located in the borough. This work is the responsibility of the London Safety Camera Partnership (LSCP), a body which includes representatives from Transport for London, and the Metropolitan Police.
The LSCP must concentrate their resources on the roads with the worst accident rates, and therefore the criteria for site selection are based on the number of personal injury accidents.
The Council is experimenting with new variable message speed detectors. These detectors serve two purposes. Firstly they allow us to check the speed of vehicles in order that we can understand the extent of the speeding problems in a particular road. This information may help support a future bid for funding for works to address safety issues. Secondly, in active flashing mode, they warn motorists that are driving too fast.
FAQ
The traffic on my street is travelling too fast. Can anything be done to help?
There are several ways of dealing with speeding traffic. Often we have to rely on the police to enforce the existing speed limits. There are other situations where engineering measures are more appropriate and traffic calming devices could be considered. However, the council already has a long list of requests for traffic calming and generally those areas where injury accidents have occurred are dealt with as priority. Other requests have to be assessed and prioritised and the most deserving cases dealt with as and when resources permit.
Can the Council install a speed camera in my road?
The Council plays very little part in deciding where speed cameras should be located in the borough. This work is the responsibility of the London Safety Camera Partnership (LSCP), a body which includes representatives from Transport for London, and the Metropolitan Police. The LSCP must concentrate their resources on the roads with the worst accident rates, and therefore the criteria for site selection are based on the number of personal injury accidents.
Can the Council install a flashing speed detector in my road?
The Council is experimenting with new variable message speed detectors. These detectors serve two purposes. Firstly they allow us to check the speed of vehicles in order that we can understand the extent of the speeding problems in a particular road. This information may help support future bids for funding for works to address safety issues. Secondly, in active flashing mode, they warn motorists that are driving too fast.
The Council is developing a list of roads where the use of these devices may be of benefit. If you would like your road to be considered for the use of one of these devices please contact The Traffic and Parking Group.
Do the flashing speed detectors issue speeding fines?
No, these are warning devices only.