Safe Speed Forums

Due to a subediting error Bike Magazine published some of my work without credit.



You'll recognise the chart and the principles from this forum thread:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1033

Anxious to put right the oversight, Bike Magazine and safe Speed issued the following joint PR at 4:38pm this afternoon:

PR186: Safe Speed and Bike Magazine exclusively reveal why faster is sometimes safer

News: for immediate release

In the May 2005 issue of Bike Magazine, we publish for the first time original analysis carried out by Paul Smith of Safe Speed explaining the existence of a particular relationship between speed and driver/rider performance.

Too slow and we get bored, fail to concentrate and make mistakes. Too fast and we feel stress and over excitement causing mistakes. In the middle is a zone of optimal performance where mistakes are least likely.

Although hundreds of psychology papers make a clear link between 'work rate' and task performance, in no case has chosen speed been identified as influencing work rate.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign (www.safespeed.org.uk) said:

"The problem is really that present policy may well be forcing some drivers and riders outside of their zone of optimal performance. The state of road safety research is extremely disappointing. There are many examples of important psychological effects on driver performance that have never been examined."

John Westlake, editor of Bike Magazine said:

"We are delighted to extend and inform the road safety debate, and recognise the huge value of this sort of insight. Paul's research has huge implications not just for all road users, but for the official bodies charged with setting speed limits."

<ends>

Notes to editors

Story must reference Bike magazine and Safe Speed
Due to a sub-editing error, Paul Smith was not credited as the originator of the information. A correction will be published in the next issue of Bike Magazine.

PDF of Bike magazine article:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/bike004.pdf

Chart:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/pr186.gif

Spreadsheet for generating the chart:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/pr186.xls

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

A good result. Credit where it's due and publicity for the cause.

This article has spawned a lively debate on Pistonheads:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topi ... 170192&h=0

I'm working on a Safe Speed web page on the subject now.

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