There have been many reports of motorists using the lack of traffic on the roads during the Covid19 lockdown to flout the speed limits and now with more traffic back on the roads there is a danger that some may continue to drive at excessive speeds even after things are back to ‘normal’.
Behavioural Science in transportation (understanding the behaviour and motivations of transport users such as motorists and rail commuters etc) is a fascinating subject which plays a big part in the engineering and design of roads and their ‘furniture’ in an attempt to gently persuade drivers to modify their driving behaviour to something more appropriate.
There are many such psychological tactics in place to combat speeding but could we be doing more? What other engineering solutions could be implemented to stop excessive speeding? How do different countries tackle speeding on their roads? What could we learn from them?
It's an interesting question, especially framed in the context of COVID-19. This framing suggests that we are considering short term responses, as presumably behaviour will revert to how it was pre-COVID with the passage of time. In this case the ISA solution in 2022 would likely arrive after this immediate need has already passed. I'm not by any measure an expert in this field, so it's hard to comment on this, but it seems a short term response would require appeals to driver behaviour, such as information campaigns or penalties, as technological interventions would take too long.
If the question seeks to understand ways to address speeding in the medium to long term then Alan's answer is very relevant and it's good to know technological solutions are on the horizon. With my systems engineering hat on, I think it's important to explore the question further to understand the underlying needs of the various stakeholders.
There are a lot of tacit assumptions underlying the question and to develop a well-engineered (not necessarily wholly technical) solution it is important to understand the needs and the variables in play.. Why are we trying to reduce speed? To reduce accidents, reduce fuel consumption, nudge drivers towards other forms of transport that are too slow, ... Who benefits from a reduction in speed? The driver, other road users, the environment, nearby residents ... In what ways do they benefit? Lower risk of injury/death. lower fuel bills, cleaner air, less noise?... How can we reduce speed, what solutions exist or could be developed? What is the time frame for reductions, are there targets to meet or that need setting? How much do we need to reduce speed by? Does everyone's speed need to be the same? How will we know when we've done enough? How do political considerations affect engineered solutions?
Speed limits are a fairly blunt tool, they don't take into account driving ability, which can be affected by skill level, fatigue, distraction, weather, other drivers... In a world of increasing electfication, connectivity and automation, maybe speed limits could go up in certain circumstances. Perhaps autonomous cars will be able to safely drive much faster with zero emissions, so why do they need to go slowly? How is that affected by the human drivers near by? With connected vehicles, or vehicles with advanced sensors, could the car vary its own speed limit to adjust to local conditions?
Just some food for thought, I'm not advocating anything here.
It's an interesting question, especially framed in the context of COVID-19. This framing suggests that we are considering short term responses, as presumably behaviour will revert to how it was pre-COVID with the passage of time. In this case the ISA solution in 2022 would likely arrive after this immediate need has already passed. I'm not by any measure an expert in this field, so it's hard to comment on this, but it seems a short term response would require appeals to driver behaviour, such as information campaigns or penalties, as technological interventions would take too long.
If the question seeks to understand ways to address speeding in the medium to long term then Alan's answer is very relevant and it's good to know technological solutions are on the horizon. With my systems engineering hat on, I think it's important to explore the question further to understand the underlying needs of the various stakeholders.
There are a lot of tacit assumptions underlying the question and to develop a well-engineered (not necessarily wholly technical) solution it is important to understand the needs and the variables in play.. Why are we trying to reduce speed? To reduce accidents, reduce fuel consumption, nudge drivers towards other forms of transport that are too slow, ... Who benefits from a reduction in speed? The driver, other road users, the environment, nearby residents ... In what ways do they benefit? Lower risk of injury/death. lower fuel bills, cleaner air, less noise?... How can we reduce speed, what solutions exist or could be developed? What is the time frame for reductions, are there targets to meet or that need setting? How much do we need to reduce speed by? Does everyone's speed need to be the same? How will we know when we've done enough? How do political considerations affect engineered solutions?
Speed limits are a fairly blunt tool, they don't take into account driving ability, which can be affected by skill level, fatigue, distraction, weather, other drivers... In a world of increasing electfication, connectivity and automation, maybe speed limits could go up in certain circumstances. Perhaps autonomous cars will be able to safely drive much faster with zero emissions, so why do they need to go slowly? How is that affected by the human drivers near by? With connected vehicles, or vehicles with advanced sensors, could the car vary its own speed limit to adjust to local conditions?
Just some food for thought, I'm not advocating anything here.
