IAM RoadSmart has renewed its call for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving.
The road safety charity has published ‘worrying new analysis’ that indicates excessive speed is considered acceptable on the motorway and on residential roads by many drivers.
The survey found that more than one-in-10 motorists (14%) admit to having driven at more than 10% over the speed limit in residential areas.
This is despite 89% of respondents believing speeding in a residential area is as much of a threat to their safety as driving under the influence of illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, nearly half (46%) believe it is acceptable to speed on motorways – with a quarter admitting to driving at over 80mph.
Neil Greig, policy and research director for IAM RoadSmart, said: “The results of this survey are deeply concerning.
“Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year. That’s an average of 12 people a day killed or injured in some form.
“We need a fundamental shift in attitudes towards speeding so that it becomes as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving – where public opinion has changed over previous decades.”
David Western
When you have a Police Uniform you call it CPD and the laws of physics disappear. On a more serious point, they will get more thorough training, have to refresh it periodically and put it into practice than your common man. However, Newtonian mechanics still applies, but the law doesn’t as they have exceptions.
Tony, Derbyshire
+10
Reducing inappropriate speed is commendable, but we are a very long way off even measuring the true magnitude of drug driving in the UK, let alone commenting about its degree of social acceptance. Not driving after taking drugs seems eminently sensible, but our police are catching two or three times the number of drug drivers than drink drivers! We need more education, more deterrent, and more police to enforce.
#MoreDrugsThanDrink #weDetectToProtect
Ean Lewin, Preston
+3
> One other thing.. the emergency services have sirens and blue lights to draw attention to themselves, which the everyday ordinary speeder doesn’t!
Not when evidence is being obtained, however. A police officer driving an unmarked police car doing a follow check at 90mph for the purposes of obtaining evidence is doing *exactly* the same thing as the offender.
David Weston, Newcastle upon Tyne
+1
I don’t know Neil and I’m not defending IAM’s position/view as I don’t agree with it. BUT there is a large number of very experienced road safety people that get on and do good stuff and have never had a peer reviewed paper. And are never likely to.
A person’s record on peer review papers is not a measure of their road safety competence – and I hope it never is. Peer reviewed papers have a place but are not the only measure.
Academic measurements like peer reviewed papers need to be balanced with real world experience.
Pat, Wales
--5
One other thing.. the emergency services have sirens and blue lights to draw attention to themselves, which the everyday ordinary speeder doesn’t!
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
--18
I wonder how many peer reviewed papers has Neil Greig published that give credence to his job description?
Robert Miller, Leeds
+17
I don’t disagree with David’s comment about the poilce, except if and when when the emergency services are speeding, at least there is a justifiable reason (although it’s still a risky activity), unlike when Joe Public speeds, when there is no justification apart from selfish pleasure maybe.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
--17
> over-confident naive speeders who need convincing, before they find out the hard way
So police officers then?
As an aside, I’d like to call on IAM RoadSmart to inform the road safety community just what makes driving whilst “making progress” and wearing a Police issued uniform a safe activity, unlike when the same person isn’t wearing said uniform.
Using hypocrisy in an attempt to create some “shocking” press release isn’t a way to make safer, competent drivers or to reduce injuries.
David Weston, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
+12
Speeding is already socially unacceptable – to most. It’s the unaware, over-confident naive speeders who need convincing, before they find out the hard way. Speeders’ driving abilities are generally compromised across the board, which is why they are a risk and a hazard.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
--24