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?
I live in a small village and see quite a bit of speeding as drivers cut through. There is quite a substantial 'by pass' but there are a number of roundabouts on that route which causes traffic to build up and queue. Therefore many of the locals or those who frequent the area are more likely to use the village as a cut through to 'by pass' the queues on the by pass... ?
Even though we have speed humps and a 20mph limit on certain sections through the village, once the speed humps have ended, drivers speed up to beyond the 30mph limit. We also have a 60mph section just before you reach the village and invariably drivers continue at that speed even though they're now within the village boundary and in a 30mph limit... With some of the houses along my street with no front garden and their door opening up directly onto the pavement, you're taking your life in your hands every time you step outside your front door. The 'smiley/frown' faces and the flashing speed signs just don't work and in fact sometimes have the opposite effect where drivers are actively trying to set them off.
I’ve always thought it would be great if you could automatically reduce a cars speed to comply with the road’s limit with only the emergency services vehicles being able to override that. Given that modern cars are now becoming very ‘connected’ I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that soon!
Although most of my driving is done in the UK, I also drive through France on occasion too. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone driving above the speed limit there even though the roads are much quieter than they are in the UK.
I’ve also seen in France these strange little cars sometimes used by new and elderly drivers that are speed restricted and therefore are cheaper to insure. Again I’ve wondered if that is an answer? If you’re a new driver or have been prosecuted for speeding, then you’re only allowed to drive a low powered and speed restricted car?
I live in a small village and see quite a bit of speeding as drivers cut through. There is quite a substantial 'by pass' but there are a number of roundabouts on that route which causes traffic to build up and queue. Therefore many of the locals or those who frequent the area are more likely to use the village as a cut through to 'by pass' the queues on the by pass... ?
Even though we have speed humps and a 20mph limit on certain sections through the village, once the speed humps have ended, drivers speed up to beyond the 30mph limit. We also have a 60mph section just before you reach the village and invariably drivers continue at that speed even though they're now within the village boundary and in a 30mph limit... With some of the houses along my street with no front garden and their door opening up directly onto the pavement, you're taking your life in your hands every time you step outside your front door. The 'smiley/frown' faces and the flashing speed signs just don't work and in fact sometimes have the opposite effect where drivers are actively trying to set them off.
I’ve always thought it would be great if you could automatically reduce a cars speed to comply with the road’s limit with only the emergency services vehicles being able to override that. Given that modern cars are now becoming very ‘connected’ I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that soon!
Although most of my driving is done in the UK, I also drive through France on occasion too. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone driving above the speed limit there even though the roads are much quieter than they are in the UK.
I’ve also seen in France these strange little cars sometimes used by new and elderly drivers that are speed restricted and therefore are cheaper to insure. Again I’ve wondered if that is an answer? If you’re a new driver or have been prosecuted for speeding, then you’re only allowed to drive a low powered and speed restricted car?
