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20mph speed limits ignored by four in five drivers20mph sign (CC licensed by EdinburghGreens via Flickr)

20mph speed limits ignored by four in five drivers

Campaigners say signposts are not enough
by Alex Bowden
Wed, Jul 05, 2017 13:01
40

Government speed compliance statistics for 2016 indicate that 81 per cent of car drivers exceeded the speed limit on 20mph roads, as did 80 per cent of light commercial vehicle drivers and 71 per cent of HGV drivers.

Between 2011 and 2016, there has actually been a gradual increase in compliance with speed limits for most vehicles on most roads.

Nevertheless, the figures indicate that 46 per cent of drivers exceeded the speed limit on motorways; 8 per cent exceeded the speed limit on national single carriageways; and 53 per cent exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads.

It was also found that 15 per cent of drivers exceeded the 20mph limit by more than 10mph.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart commented:

“The main problem is clearly getting drivers to comply on the ever increasing number of roads in our towns and cities with a 20mph limit. 

“IAM RoadSmart have always felt that blanket 20mph limits, enforced by signposts only, are simply not enough to convey the reason for slowing down to drivers.  Targeting the worst locations with traffic calming and other engineering features is a much more effective way to make 20mph limits self-enforcing.  Speed limits on roads with consistent compliance problems need to be reviewed more frequently.

“We must all work to make it easy to stick to the speed limit and our main concern is that widespread confusion over 20mph may be undermining a more general trend to slow down.”

There have been a number of studies into car impact speed and the likelihood of injury. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents cites one which showed a pedestrian fatality risk of 1.5 per cent at 20mph versus 8 per cent at 30mph.

Furthermore, according to 20’s Plenty, lowering urban and residential speed limits to 20mph has been found to decrease child pedestrian accidents by up to 70 per cent.

20mph
government statistics
IAM RoadSmart
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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40 comments

Avatar
Tommytrucker replied to ClubSmed | 7 years ago
2 likes
ClubSmed wrote:

I know that the 20mph zones near me are very poorly signed, the painted circled 20 on the roads have worn off and the mounted signs are hard to see. Added to this that the speeds are not enforced, in fact I am not sure that they are enforcable (I seem to recall that they are advisory rather than mandatory) so it's little wonder that they are ignored.

Mandatory if the sign is enclosed by a red circle, advisory if circle is black. I'm always getting beeped at for going too slow in these zones ie the speed limit, I think a lot of people don't take them seriously enough.

Avatar
Simon E replied to Tommytrucker | 7 years ago
2 likes

Tommytrucker wrote:

I'm always getting beeped at for going too slow in these zones ie the speed limit, I think a lot of people don't take them seriously enough.

It seems that about 80% of them don't, and in your case they have the effing nerve to use the vehicle horn to bully you into doing the same.

//trafficforum.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/hit-by-pedestrian-20-30-40.png?w=662)

I'd prefer properly enforced 30 mph limits instead of the almost pointless cost of installing 20 mph road signs with no enforcement.

Edit: here is a variant that google found for me:

//2.bp.blogspot.com/_kSNVKrktKUQ/S0ZaL_DmkHI/AAAAAAAAEeU/GJIlseu8gRg/s400/speedlimit+stats.jpg)

Avatar
ClubSmed replied to Tommytrucker | 7 years ago
0 likes
Tommytrucker wrote:
ClubSmed wrote:

I know that the 20mph zones near me are very poorly signed, the painted circled 20 on the roads have worn off and the mounted signs are hard to see. Added to this that the speeds are not enforced, in fact I am not sure that they are enforcable (I seem to recall that they are advisory rather than mandatory) so it's little wonder that they are ignored.

Mandatory if the sign is enclosed by a red circle, advisory if circle is black. I'm always getting beeped at for going too slow in these zones ie the speed limit, I think a lot of people don't take them seriously enough.

The signs near me have a green circle around the 20, what's that supposed to mean?

Avatar
Ush replied to ClubSmed | 7 years ago
2 likes
ClubSmed wrote:
Tommytrucker wrote:
ClubSmed wrote:

I know that the 20mph zones near me are very poorly signed, the painted circled 20 on the roads have worn off and the mounted signs are hard to see. Added to this that the speeds are not enforced, in fact I am not sure that they are enforcable (I seem to recall that they are advisory rather than mandatory) so it's little wonder that they are ignored.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/20_mph_speed_limit_signs_with_gr

Mandatory if the sign is enclosed by a red circle, advisory if circle is black. I'm always getting beeped at for going too slow in these zones ie the speed limit, I think a lot of people don't take them seriously enough.

The signs near me have a green circle around the 20, what's that supposed to mean?

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/20_mph_speed_limit_signs_with_gr

Avatar
Canyon48 | 7 years ago
3 likes

Don't think I actually know anyone who doesn't regularly exceed the speed limit wherever they are driving.

My insurance has a tracker fitted to my car, so I'm stuck driving on the speed limits and I regularly get overtaken....

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 7 years ago
6 likes

Well get out the speed guns and raise some funds for the public purse. Jeez, it isn't rocket science.

Avatar
Ush replied to Mungecrundle | 7 years ago
4 likes
Mungecrundle wrote:

Well get out the speed guns and raise some funds for the public purse. Jeez, it isn't rocket science.

It has always disappointed me that speed guns do not live up to their very promising name.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to Ush | 7 years ago
0 likes
Ush wrote:
Mungecrundle wrote:

Well get out the speed guns and raise some funds for the public purse. Jeez, it isn't rocket science.

It has always disappointed me that speed guns do not live up to their very promising name.

I'm not sure firing amphetamine darts at people would help matters, though.

Avatar
brooksby | 7 years ago
6 likes

(sarcasm=on) But putting ridiculous 20 mph limits through urban areas where I don't even live or have friends, when modern cars can do 0-60 in, like, no time at all, and then I saw a cyclist riding on the pavement this one time, and don't get me started on red light jumping (gawd, I mean I've nbever seen a car jump a red light but those bl**dy cyclists do it all the f-ing time...  Is it any wonder that motorists ignore stupid laws that are clearly just part of the "War on Motorists" (TM)? (sarcasm=off)

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 7 years ago
8 likes

Yeah but cyclists jump red lights!

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