Safe Speed Forums

Thanks Zaax. Here's the full text:

Half drivers admit daily speeding

More than half of British drivers break speed limits every day, a survey by motoring organisation the RAC suggests.

Of the 1,074 questioned, 55% admitted regularly speeding, compared to 45% in last year's RAC Report on Motoring.

The RAC says 30mph limits are the most likely to be ignored, and drivers continue speeding because they do not believe they will be caught.

Spokesman Philip Hale said: "More effective deterrents do need serious and urgent consideration."

There are about 30m vehicles in the UK, which has one of the best road safety records in the world, says the RAC.

But about 100 people a day are seriously injured or killed on the roads and speed is blamed for a third of road deaths, it said.

Two thirds of drivers admitted speeding in 30mph zones, while 57% said they broke motorway speed limits.

Mr Hale said: "We have something of a speeding epidemic on our hands.

"Enough people to fill 10 commercial holiday jets die every year on Britain's roads.

"Individual motorists know these risks, yet choose to ignore them."

But Paul Smith, founder of campaign group Safe Speed, who wants to see speed cameras scrapped, said the survey only showed how many people were prepared to admit speeding.

"The figures are low, almost every driver exceeds the speed limit on occasion, sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally," he told BBC News.

"If there are more people prepared to admit it this year, it means the government's message is being laughed at."

Those surveyed suggested an immediate 12-month ban or an electronic tracking device fitted to cars would be the best deterrents.

The RAC said extreme measures were not practical, but better detection, tougher penalties and more education were needed.

Tracking devices

It suggested graduated penalties, compulsory re-training and education after a speeding ban, more traffic police, and in-car "black box" tracking devices for repeat or serious offenders.

Mr Smith added that speed cameras and "over-simplified" messages should be scrapped in favour of better education, public information and policing.

"People are saying: 'It's only three [licence] points, the cameras are only there to make money, it doesn't matter'," he said.

"I'm not surprised when you see the tremendous effort which appears to be being driven by cash that people don't take it seriously."

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Pretty careless quoting by the BBC - I made better and clearer points than that, and I sent her stuff by email, but her email address was broken...

Never mind - a mention and a link does no harm at all.

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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

Why doesn't someone take the RAC to task, and update the BBC, over the 'one third' claim?

If every story like this carried the true figures and the quote from the DfT that the one third figure is not one they use anymore, then the whole speeding obsession would be seen for what it is - an over-reaction.

[sarcasm]Great.[/sarcasm] Seems like the RAC as well as the AA have finally been suckered by the ministry of propaganda. A certain amount of parroting is to be expected from the media, but to have the motoring orgainsations joining in...

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