Nonsense. Some people brake (slow down) before collisions others don't. The deaths or serious injuries are always with faster speeds.
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The great slow down ...
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This is the thing. I don't think any reasonable person would argue with 20 zones in areas that evidently benefit/need them e.g. housing estates. However there are definitely some 20 zones that make you think 'eh?!?' All that happens is, if you try to drive at 20-25 in these questionable zones, you get a 10 vehicle tailgate behind you!The 20's are mostly OK. You have to wonder, with some. All the locals think this one is bonkers. There are several more deserving roads nearby.
Doing things locally is fine by me., been saying it for years. They could use the money to take the bloody road humps out.
I asked a couple of relevant people about it; apparently the councils don't have the necessary authority.
It's all very well politicians/councillors saying we need to make these things (tailgating, driving >20) socially unacceptable, however I don't see hellish much happening to make this happen. They're not there when you have a vehicle driving 3 feet from your bumper because you're trying to do the right thing.
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The answer is to focus on why some don‘t anticipate the risk and fail to drive at a more appropriate speed, or weren’t paying attention to be able to brake.
Many new cars have the ability to detect such risks and warn the driver or take over if they fail to realise there is a risk. Hopefully we don’t adapt our driving to rely on them. It’s highly likely we will.
Many new cars have the ability to detect such risks and warn the driver or take over if they fail to realise there is a risk. Hopefully we don’t adapt our driving to rely on them. It’s highly likely we will.
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Two things I’d expect those studies to address if they were not “looking” for the results they found.
1. traffic volumes before and after - plenty of articles say people avoided the area due to the increase in congestion which was also widely reported by traffic analyst.
2. a comparison city with similar volumes / national trends etc.
Then we have the guidance in the RoSPA sheet at odds with the BMJ article. I.e they don’t appear to support city wide 20 zones.
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People don't like to admit it (and before anyone starts, no I'm not saying I'm the perfect driver!) but many (most?) incidents on our roads could be avoided altogether if folk just drove/rode more sensibly. Mum's flat is beside a busy road, 30 limit. First of all, I'd go as far as to say the majority drive >30 with a fair few >40 and some faster still. It's also very common to see an unintended convoy of vehicles, all driving quite close to each other. Should the lead vehicle need to brake suddenly for whatever reason ...
What we fail to realise is our driving behaviours often give government/councils the ammunition to introduce calming measures e.g. speed bumps ... which we then moan about. e.g. the road outside mum's flat doesn't have speed bumps ... yet!
It's the age old issue. Some folk drive dangerously and are aware they're doing so. Some aren't aware, which is just as if not more concerning.
I've said before, the compilation clips on YT of driver incidents make for interesting viewing. It's amazing how many drivers/riders are involved in a near or actual incident and go off on one, evidently not realising they were a significant contributor to the situation!
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Yep “he came from nowhere“ means “I can’t have been looking properly“ as people dont tend to appear out of thin air.
Id have no problem if these measures worked, but typically they don’t and then we see a flurry of sponsored reviews arguing they do, to avoid explaining it was all a waste of time and money.
vehicles are vastly safer than they were 10 years ago and those safer than those around 20 years ago. But casualty stats have remained the same despite 1000s of cameras, lower limits and traffic calming. All these claims of reducing accidents by 30% and 40% don’t seem to roll up to the national figures. Also there are a lot fewer young drivers on the roads as they have been priced out. They are massively over reported in accidents per bvkm
Id have no problem if these measures worked, but typically they don’t and then we see a flurry of sponsored reviews arguing they do, to avoid explaining it was all a waste of time and money.
vehicles are vastly safer than they were 10 years ago and those safer than those around 20 years ago. But casualty stats have remained the same despite 1000s of cameras, lower limits and traffic calming. All these claims of reducing accidents by 30% and 40% don’t seem to roll up to the national figures. Also there are a lot fewer young drivers on the roads as they have been priced out. They are massively over reported in accidents per bvkm
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When I was having my mid-life crisis and started motorbike lessons (which I never finished
) the instructor said something brilliant. 'Always ride defensively and assume no other vehicle user can see you.' I use this approach in my car driving.You know when folk say losing weight isn't rocket science, all you need to do is exercise more and eat less? It's the same with driving/riding. Slow down a bit, leave larger distances and hey presto, we'd have a much more pleasant driving environment.
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I was lucky enough to complete my bike riding phase of life without any serious injuries. I’m glad my kids aren’t interested in bikes
Yep, even me. Several years ago I was in a busy A1 L1, everyone almost nose to tail. Along comes a new Beamer down the slip road simply expecting to bully his way in, but no one made room for him. He was obviously so busily engrossed in trying to get out, he failed to notice how close he was to running out of slip road and just kept going. The end of the slip road had the start of a crash barrier, one of those which starts at ground level. He just drove straight up onto the barrier.
The bad driving of my own - A couple of weeks ago in a side street T junction, turning right, I saw a cyclist approaching on my left and completely misjudged his speed of progress. I pulled out safely ahead of him, then due to the 20 limit, he kept pace with me, except I soon needed to turn sharp left into my drive, with him at risk of becoming squished close to my near side. Instead I signalled right and stopped on the right, until he was well out of the way. I don't usually misjudge things so quite so badly.
I learned the importance of thinking/braking distance early in my bike career. Following a Moggy too closely, it braked rather more than I had anticipated at a roundabout. My front wheel hit his rear bumper, I went over the top, landing upside down, feet on his back windows, hands gripping his bumper - only my dignity was hurt.
On another occasion, out with mates on bikes, just round the corner from home, turning round to chat, my front wheel jammed in a grate. Over the top I went again, I then remembered nothing after that until I woke up in bed the next day, covered in grazes and bruises.
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Speed limits apply to all road users, not just cars.
That sort of training would make a fair difference to safety on motorcycles. I learnt about they can't see me in my youth a couple of times. Only accidents I ever had following several years of riding, I never bothered to take the test. Just commuting so no need and wanted a car anyway.
At ~50 I did a direct access course for something new to do. That provided the training. Few years later I decided I was too old to bounce well. When I took my test on the trainer's bike the tester knew that something other than the trainer had done something about my riding style. Correct - same collar bone broken twice through no fault of my own. However one of the testers main concern was not being scared of the bike. Anticipation - that is what he probably noticed was different to what he expected. Some of trainers were inclined to think that I was a bit over the top in that area. Not all though as some asked why I did what ever it was.
Some of that came from driving cars too fast. Congestion and other factors eventually put an end to that.Afraid not - I was asking this question myself in another thread.
Here's the answer apparently:
The rule on cyclists going at 20mph as part of Wales' new road laws
It seems that Wales' new 20mph law won't count for everyone
www.walesonline.co.uk
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