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Putting a Stop to Speeding

17 September 2018

​The introduction of the speed awareness course some fifteen years ago welcomed in a new era of dealing with speed limit non-compliance in the United Kingdom. The initiative aimed to teach people the where and why’s of speed limit enforcement rather than simply adding license points and issuing fines. While going back to school in this way is probably less than ideal for some people, there has been a positive uptake, with many people choosing to avoid the fines and go on the course instead. In general, drivers in the UK are fairly safe on the roads with one death occurring for every 20,000 drivers.

However, tips to avoid speeding are always useful. We have compiled a list of speed related facts to help you avoid speeding and provide an explanation as to why speed limits apply. Explanation could allay some frustration at the sometimes-baffling speed confinement across the country, particularly as locations that look exactly the same could display different speed limits in various places across the country. This is because local councils have the power to enforce speed limits as they see fit. So, it is always better to look out for the sign if there is one present.

Speed Zones

If not detailed or specified otherwise, 30MPH zones are residential areas with streetlamps present. The 30MPH zone is stressed the most, with reasons for this speed implementation being related to stopping distance. According to studies completed by the department of transport, every 1mph lower on the speedometer results in a reduction in accidents by as much as 6%.

Speed in relation to stopping distance is not the only factor in deciding what speed limits are imposed across the UK. There are approximately sixteen reasons used to determine speed limits in the United Kingdom including general volume of traffic, locations of previous accidents or collisions as well as road layout . The general nationally enforced guidelines for non-street lighted zones can be ascertained using the following guidelines. A single carriageway road with no alternative speed indicators is 60MPH and dual carriageways and motorways go up to 70MPH unless specified otherwise.

Speed Targets

What is always stressed in speed awareness courses or drilled into you by your instructor in the earliest stages of driving, is that the speed limit is the top speed not the target. Some areas however, such as tunnels, may have a blue speed sign. This sign is a signal that there is a minimum speed on the road. So be careful to follow these warnings.

Benefits of a speed awareness course

The re-offense rate of speeding by drivers who have completed the course is only 23%. These people, while having had to fork out £100, maintain points on their license and learn things that most drivers may have forgotten since the days that there were L plates on their cars.

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