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'm late to the discussion, so you may have discussed this already.
I have noticed that people react far more positively to information that is relevant to them and their driving. Thus, signs that provide real time speeds to drivers, especially if linked to number plates seems to slow people down. So signs that show your speed and a smiley (red or green) seem to get my attention more than a standard sign, and I've seen a few occasions where my number plate has also been displayed with my speed.
With modern satnav technology that shows my speed and location, would a colour coded speedometer readout in my car, and perhaps a visual and audio warning if I exceed speeds by bigger percentages, also help?
I'm late to the discussion, so you may have discussed this already.
I have noticed that people react far more positively to information that is relevant to them and their driving. Thus, signs that provide real time speeds to drivers, especially if linked to number plates seems to slow people down. So signs that show your speed and a smiley (red or green) seem to get my attention more than a standard sign, and I've seen a few occasions where my number plate has also been displayed with my speed.
With modern satnav technology that shows my speed and location, would a colour coded speedometer readout in my car, and perhaps a visual and audio warning if I exceed speeds by bigger percentages, also help?
