Speeding >>>>
Audio commentary:
The traditional view of speeding is the car thrashing along the outside lane of the motorway at 100mph or a cheeky forty miles per hour through a housing estate. What most people don't understand is that you can drive within the speed limit and still be travelling too fast. In urban areas there may be a thirty limit imposed on a road but is it acceptable to travel at that limit if passing a school at home-time or a park on a Sunday afternoon? And on rural roads the national speed limit of 60mph may apply but the sharp corners and blind bends should have you driving a little more sedately than the limit suggests. Basically you are given the opportunity to drive how you see fit and to treat the speed limit as such; a limit and not a target.
>> It has been estimated that more than 727 deaths and 4,555 injuries a year are caused by motorists driving too fast for the conditions.
In 2007 drivers exceeding the speed limit were thought to have been responsible for 13% of fatal accidents, while exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions amounted to 25% of fatalities on the road. Still, 70% of drivers in one recent study admitted to speeding.
There are a number of reasons why young and inexperienced drivers are more susceptible to causing crashes when speeding;
> Inexperience means that young drivers need more time to react to a given situation. By travelling faster towards a situation they reduce this time, giving them less with which to analyse and respond.
>> Many young drivers rely on older cars not equipped with the latest braking mechanisms of more expensive models. Therefore their cars are not as forgiving as those of older road users.
>>> Younger drivers are less likely to have the disposable income that they can spend on repairs, therefore putting themselves at risk of driving vehicles that do not stop as sharply as well-maintained vehicles.
Speed limits should not dictate how fast you drive – they are not a target – some allow you to go far too fast, especially on rural roads or round corners. Drive as though every bend will reveal a hazard and give yourself enough time to react to unexpected situations. Also be aware of the principles of cornering – the most common faults of cornering are entering too fast or accelerating before the exit is clearly seen. Use your speed wisely, as there are times when you need to use the capabilities of your car to benefit your driving. Overtaking should be completed in the minimum time, leaving the road clear for approaching or following vehicles, but if you cannot complete the overtaking manoeuvre without putting you or other drivers in danger then you shouldn't be attempting it at all. Having said that, speed limits should never be broken and they don't need to be. On a four mile journey, a car travelling at 30mph will only take a minute longer to get to its destination than a car breaking the speed limit at 35mph.
>> Speed Dating
It seems like the ideal image; of speeding along Ocean Drive in Chicago, or at the very least the Promenade in Sutton on Sea, has been with us for years. The notion of travelling with the roof down and your girl by your side or your mates in the back has been offered as a lifestyle to aspire to as long as there have been cars to drive.
In the 1960s iconic films such as Bullitt (1968) showed the car to be more than just a vehicle for transport. And this idea continued in the 1970s when Happy Days (1974) was an American sitcom and not a lame catchphrase of Phil Tuffnell. When the unfortunately named Henry Winkler turned into The Fonz the transformation was akin to a Superman coming out of a phone box.
The image was not confined to film and television. In 1986, Sega amazed the videogame world by unveiling the Out Run arcade game. The idea was to drive from one checkpoint to another, with the obligatory blonde in the passenger seat, advancing to the next level after completing each one within a certain time. If you crashed, both you and the passenger would fall unceremoniously out of the car, when your date would brush herself down and give you a stern ticking off.
>> Here's the reality;
When facing imminent danger, the human reaction is to avoid the threat. When you're driving your instinct will make you turn away from a potential collision, instead exposing your passenger to the risk. This has led, in some circles, to the front passenger seat being referred to as the 'sacrifice zone'.
Can you imagine walking away from a road collision and leaving your passenger dead in the car?In the industrial world, road crashes are the single biggest killer of 15 to 24-year-olds. Death rates of young drivers are double those of older drivers. However, more women die in the passenger seat than in the driving seat. This has led to the situation where male drivers are now the single biggest killer of young women in this country.
Every time you drive a passenger, whether it's a family member, colleagues from work, team-mates in the football team or your girlfriend or boyfriend, they are trusting you to drive safely. Their family is trusting you to drive safely. Their friends are trusting you to drive safely.
- > If you're taking someone out then plan exactly where you are going beforehand.
- > Know where you are going to park.
- > Leave plenty of time to get to reservations, even if this means lying about the booking time to your other half.
- > Keep your eyes on the road; pay your compliments before you set off.
- > Don't speed to impress. It's more likely that your date will be scared stiff by your erratic driving.
- > Never carry arguments into the car, regardless of whether the waiter was giving your date too much attention.
When you get in the car, devote as much thought and concentration to ensuring you start and finish the date safely.
