Driving the speed limit isn’t that bad, is it?
A few communities have installed radar cameras to help slow down traffic. For those who travel through those communities, some are citing this as a cash grab but others are citing it as a way to improve road safety and reduce injuries and fatalities. Which is correct?
For more than 30 years that I’ve been involved with road safety, I’ve helped people with either the goal of changing their driving attitude or skill level. Having the ability to stop for the unexpected is an important part of any driver’s skill level. There are many factors that affect if a driver can stop their vehicle in time. When I get asked for a distance it takes someone to stop their vehicle, I explain that it’s not a black and white number. There are variables.
The variables would include your vehicle’s weight, how good your brakes are, how good the tires are, the road surface, how soon you’ve seen the need to brake, how quick your reactions are and the speed you’re traveling. This isn’t about a safe following distance. This is referring to when another vehicle, a pedestrian or a cyclist comes in your path directly in front of you. Can you stop in time?
The first part of stopping for the unexpected is seeing the need to stop. Your brain then sends a message to your foot to get off the gas and hit the brake – hard. While braking, other variables mentioned earlier come into play as to whether you can stop your vehicle in time.
It’s been known that drivers can reduce their stopping distance by up to roughly 10 metres by reducing their speed from 60 km/h to 50 km/h on dry roads, depending on the factors mentioned earlier. That may mean the difference between hitting a cyclist, pedestrian or another vehicle. And if they are struck, that reduced speed can also reduce the seriousness of the injury they may suffer. It’s not about fault here. It’s about creating a cooperative road safety culture.
So let’s talk speeding. How much time are you really saving by driving at 10 km/h over the speed limit? 
Some people are annoyed they can’t drive that fast because they’re late for work. Here’s the scoop about speed. Dropping your speed by 10 km/h will cost you 2 minutes of your time if you drove for 10 km. Yes, I know it feels like an eternity when you’re driving behind someone traveling at 50 km/h when you want to go 60 km/h. It may feel that way, but it’s not. And something you should also consider, the chances of you reaching a red light ahead if you were traveling at 60 km/h means most of that time you saved is now gone anyway. And if this section of road that has photo radar along it lasts 5 km, you would save only 60 seconds of time compared to driving at 60 km/h, until you reached a red light.
I’ve heard people talk about the cameras. They’ve asked for other ways to monitor speed. That’s been done over and over again. Remember in some areas you’ve seen digital signs telling you of your current speed? Did you slow down to the speed limit or ignore that sign? There has been a lot of education out there are well that talks about the risks of driving too quick in school zones and community safety zones. High populated areas create more risk of injury or fatalities. If other measures have been done but drivers are still speeding, perhaps that’s why the wallet had to be spoken to. So take a deep breath. You’ll be fine.
So let me ask again, is driving at 50 km/h versus 60 km/h all that bad? That was a rhetorical question by the way. That’s because we know the answer.
**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as following the rules is discussed!