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 think perhaps new ways of fining and punishing dangerous driving could be helpful. Speeding on an empty road when it is a dry, clear day is not nearly as bad as a day when it is poor visibility and the road is wet or icy. Perhaps these sorts of things should be taken into consideration so that drivers learn to value safety over trying to get away with the extra speed all of the time. If a driver knows that they can drive a bit faster when the road is clear but they will get their a*** kicked for acting like a loon in bad weather, it could teach some sense. I think that's how the autobahns work anyway. People are expected to use their brains when driving and keep safety in mind. Perhaps advanced driving courses like they do in Finland would be good for people too, before they ever get out onto the motorways. It seems absurd that someone can pass their test and then go straight onto a motorway like a baptism by fire. It would be much better to have a secondary test first so that they can be used to that kind of driving, and the moving in and out of traffic confidently and safely. Learning drivers etiquette would be a really good thing too >_>
I think perhaps new ways of fining and punishing dangerous driving could be helpful. Speeding on an empty road when it is a dry, clear day is not nearly as bad as a day when it is poor visibility and the road is wet or icy. Perhaps these sorts of things should be taken into consideration so that drivers learn to value safety over trying to get away with the extra speed all of the time. If a driver knows that they can drive a bit faster when the road is clear but they will get their a*** kicked for acting like a loon in bad weather, it could teach some sense. I think that's how the autobahns work anyway. People are expected to use their brains when driving and keep safety in mind. Perhaps advanced driving courses like they do in Finland would be good for people too, before they ever get out onto the motorways. It seems absurd that someone can pass their test and then go straight onto a motorway like a baptism by fire. It would be much better to have a secondary test first so that they can be used to that kind of driving, and the moving in and out of traffic confidently and safely. Learning drivers etiquette would be a really good thing too >_>
