Safe Speed Forums

This was on the front page of my local paper:

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/displayN ... eId=151452

The way you drive could kill someone - or yourself.

Today, in National Road Safety Week, we ask you to STOP and think. We hope this test will help. The higher the score, the more likely you are to lose your life or take someone else's.

Did you know?

Every fatal accident in North East Lincolnshire costs its 64,000 taxpayers £1.5-million.

Eight people have died so far in 2005 on North East Lincolnshire roads and 54 for Lincolnshire.

The Government last week unveiled new offences for drivers who cause death.

Take this test and see how YOU score.

1. Have you been convicted or received a fixed penalty ticket for a traffic offence in the last three years?

A. Yes. B. No.

2. Would you consume alcohol or drugs if you were likely to drive within six hours?

A. Never. B. Sometimes. C. Regularly.

3. Would you use a hand-held mobile phone while driving?

A. Never. B. Sometimes. C. Regularly.

4. Would you exceed the speed limit by more than 10 per cent?

A. Never. B. Sometimes. C. Regularly.

5. How often do you check your vehicle for defects?

A. Weekly. B. Monthly. C. Now and again.

6. When was the last time you received any driver training?

A. Within the last three years. B. Five to six years. C. Seven years or more.

7. What is the national speed limit for a dual carriageway?

A. 60mph. B. 70mph. C. Other.

8. What is the minimum legal depth of tread for a tyre on a car?

A. 1.6mm. B. 2mm. C. 2.6mm.

9. What is the stopping distance for a car when driving in good conditions at 30mph?

A. 50ft or 15m. B. 120ft or 36m. C. 75ft or 23m.

10. What is the primary benefit when driving a car with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)?

A. Stop a lot quicker. B. Steer while braking. C. Not lose control of the vehicle.

Now turn to page four to check your score and find out why this simple test is so important.

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/displayN ... eId=151452





Views from readers

Although road safety is a must and I support the Telegraph. I have one comment to make, unless presented with a full and complete breakdown of all the costs, I do not believe that every death costs £1.5 million. If it does, I think there has been some very inventive accounting involved.
John, Grimsby


May i just congratulate the telegraph on publishing this little test which i failed misrably. This is due to by busy life style and my wonky glasses. Seriously though it opens your eyes as a result of this the telegraph have made me a safer driver. I will not drive using a phone again that if for sure thank you once again grimsby telegraph.
Danny Baker, Nunsthorpe


My mum and dad always use to drive with a mobile phone in their hand until it became illigal. They stoped straight away and brought a top of the range hands free kit which was only £20 surely this is a low cost to pay for safety? £20 or a road death it is as simply as that.
Jarad Hill, GY

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

The only ones I got 'wrong' were 2,4, and 6. Question 6 is bizzare (newly qualified drivers are not safer). Question 2 is misleading: it should ask whether you would drive if affected by drugs or alcohol.

Also I fail to see how potentially thinking the minimum tread depth is 2mm makes a person a "high risk taker likely to be involved in a fatal or serious collision".

Does reading SafeSpeed count? I'm sure I've learned a thing or two about driving here.


C. Depends on the kind of vehicle, duh.

Interesting idea. Maybe this site could do with something similar? It could well get more visitors. People like quizes.

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Andrew.

Let's see (trial answers):

2. Would you consume alcohol or drugs if you were likely to drive within six hours? C. Regularly.

3. Would you use a hand-held mobile phone while driving? C. Regularly.

10. What is the primary benefit when driving a car with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)? A. Stop a lot quicker.

30 points: 0-30: Well done, you're probably a safe driver with a low risk of being involved in a collision.

Why are these things always so completely crap?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Oh dear, I got 40 points, I must hand in my licence and stop driving, for I am obviously lethal on the road....

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

now come on... we know thats not true.. alot quicker than?


i scored 35

i had brain fade on the tread depth and i don't know the numbers for stopping distance (when has that _ever_ entered your head when braking for a junction?!).

i often have a pint, mostly with food and drive within a couple of hours.
if new i wasn't driving until 6hrs after i might have a couple!

i got away with a sometimes on exceeding the speed limit, so i think thats more like the truth.

I got the same as you Sixy, obviously I must have a guardian angel somewhere who is working serious overtime having kept me in one piece throughout my 24 year driving career.


As to how I fared, well here's what earned me the 40 points.....

2. Would you consume alcohol or drugs if you were likely to drive within six hours?
I have on occasions had a pint at lunchtimes. Aside from the fact that I am not breaking any laws by having 1 pint in my system, 1 pint isn't even going to touch the sides in the ability to perform stakes.

3. Would you use a hand-held mobile phone while driving?
Yes I am guilty of this.
I don't make it a regular occurence, but every now & again I just forget to take the hands free kit with me when I leave home.

4. Would you exceed the speed limit by more than 10 per cent?
Again, I do this all the time when the conditions permit it.
By the same token, I am also quite happy to sit at 10 mph in a 30 zone if that is what the conditions dictate (ie, when dropping the kids to school).

6. When was the last time you received any driver training?
This one is a bit of a no brainer, because every single road user is learning every single day while driving.
As far as official training goes, I haven't had diddly squat since the day I passed my tests 24 years ago.

9. What is the stopping distance for a car when driving in good conditions at 30mph?
Another no brainer for me really.
I don't work distances out in feet or metres, I take in to account what is happening around me "on the fly" and compensate accordingly for it.


All in all, the above test is a complete waste of time IMO.
All a written test proves is that somebody can "talk a good job". But we all know that "talking a good job" and actually doing a good job are 2 completely different things.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Twenty quid for "top of the range" - yeah, right. Kind of misses the point though, just like the test. Where's the question about avoiding using the hands free kit as much as possible?

Edit: Got 15 FWIW. 10 points for not having had driver training for 7+ years and 5 points for only checking the vehicle for faults monthly. However, this is a kind of average 'cos it really depends on what sort of faults we're talking about. Tyres get a quick visual check each time I use the car and on the guage once a month or if any look a little low, and lights all get checked whenever I use the car in the dark. At the other extreme things like suspension components I don't know enough about and rely on the MOT testers to tell me about them. Brakes and steering get tested all the time when I'm driving - if they don't feel right I'd stop, duh.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Coo, any advance on 25? Only failed on 4, 5(b) and 6

4 usually only applies on motorways, where I might do 90ish.

5. May car hasn't dome 6000 miles yet. I think a monthly check is good enough for a new car.

6. No formal training since my driving test. But lots of reading end experience.

As for stopping distance I got that right by working it out. 30mph is about 1.5 seconds at maximum braking (about 20mph per second). Average speed during braking 15mph = 22 feet per second. Times 1.5 seconds and double for the Morris Minor factor = 66 feet. 75 is nearest.

But I much prefer to think in terms of braking time rather than braking distance.

Sure. Just to make it clear I was testing the test. That wasn't my answer..

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

On the ABS question they award the same points for both wrong ansers, yet answer C is partly right but incomplete while answer A is utterly wrong.

Yes, good point. In fact it could be argued that answer c) is wholly correct, because ABD prevents the loss of steering control associated with locked wheels.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It's not "utterly wrong" is it. For example, ABS braking system will stop you more quickly on a wet road compared to planting the brake and locking all four wheels.