Road carnage - Drivers can save lives by slowing down

ON the eve of this bank holiday weekend, tragically a time of carnage on the roads, it is scary to learn that the vast majority of motorists believe speeding is okay.

In fact, seven out of 10 drivers think it is acceptable to drive at 10 mph above the speed limit.

Hopefully, as they head for the beach this weekend, the shock finding of a National Safety Council survey will convince motorists to slow down.

Inevitably, the findings will rekindle debate on the glaring discrepancies between speed limits on different types of roads.

Many drivers fail to comprehend why, for instance, relatively high speed limits apply on narrow country roads, where a large proportion of accidents occur, while comparatively low limits govern dual carriageways in outer city environs where the operation of garda speed traps has been compared to shooting fish in a barrel.

That does not diminish the relevance of this timely on-line survey of 2,500 motorists. If it succeeds in convincing drivers to reflect on the hazards of inappropriate speed it will be a worthwhile exercise.

Effectively, it shows that while drivers differ widely over the varying degrees of speeding they think is acceptable, the overwhelming majority believe it is alright to break the limit. It is worth reciting some of the more telling findings.

It shows, for example, that 95% of respondents feel it is acceptable to drive up to 5 mph over the speed limit. Even more significantly, 70% of motorists think it is acceptable to drive up to 10 mph over the speed limit. And 16% of respondents feel it is acceptable to drive up to 15 mph over the speed limit.

As every reader will testify, the depressing litany of fatal weekend accidents serves to fuel the popular perception that young people tend to be involved in more than their share of incidents.

Therefore, it is surprising to learn that drivers aged between 17 to 24 were less likely (54%) to consider that speeding up to 10 mph over the speed limit is acceptable behaviour compared to 61% of those in the 35 to 49 age group.

An astonishing proportion (72%) of male drivers, and 66% of female drivers, feel it is acceptable to drive up to 10 mph over the speed limit. Voicing their attitude to speed limits on different road types, one in four drivers feel it is acceptable to break the speed limits on urban roads. But almost three out of four feel it is acceptable to break the speed limit on dual carriageways and motorways. And three out of 10 drivers think it is acceptable to break the speed limit on all classifications of roads

The grim reality is that excessive speed is a major contributory factor in 40% of fatal crashes in Ireland each year.

Drink driving and the non-wearing of seatbelts are also major factors.

It is beyond question, however, that speed-related crashes contribute to 150 road deaths, 600 serious injuries, and 3,000 minor injuries each year.

Tragically, five people died on the roads during last year’s August Bank Holiday. The chilling implication of the Safety Council survey is that unless driver attitudes on speed change radically, starting this weekend, the bloody carnage will continue on Ireland’s roads.