SPEED - A SENSITIVE MATTER FOR DRIVERS
Drivers tend to be over-confident about the safety of driving at high speeds, and there are several reasons why they underestimate the importance of speed from a safety viewpoint. Researchers see a clear relation between speed level on a specific road and the risk level and number of crashes on that road. G Nilsson et al. have found that a speed reduction from 55kph to 50kph, or from 110kph to 100kph, reduces the risk of being killed by 30%, of being severely injured by 25%, and of being injured by 20%. In built-up areas, with many pedestrians and cyclists, absolute speed of vehicles is more important than speed differences. Speeds are increasing, because speed is less noticeable in modern cars; speedometers are inaccurate and should instead show kinetic energy. Research has shown that twelve factors influence speed levels; most of them are driver perceptions and attitudes that increase speed; only one of them reduces speed. Large international differences of opinion on speed are gradually reducing, and eventually the European Union will have a common speed limit. Speeds should be reduced until really safe roads and cars can be built. All methods of reducing speeds have their advantages and disadvantages; they include speed limits, information, education, legislation, enforcement, physical methods, and telematics.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/53138280
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Corporate Authors:
Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
Linköping, Sweden SE-581 95 -
Authors:
- Rumar, K
- Publication Date: 1999-4
Language
- English
Media Info
- Pagination: p. 20-2
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Serial:
- Nordic Road and Transport Research
- Volume: 11
- Issue Number: 1
- Publisher: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
- ISSN: 1101-5179
- Serial URL: http://www.vti.se/nordic
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Attitudes; Automobiles; Crash rates; Crash severity; Drivers; Driving; Fatalities; Hazards; Injuries; Injury severity; International; Perception; Safety; Speed; Speed limits; Speedometers
- Identifier Terms: European Commission; European Union
- ITRD Terms: 1612: Accident rate; 2267: Attitude (psychol); 1243: Car; 1772: Driver; 1855: Driving (veh); 8303: EU; 1602: Fatality; 2163: Injury; 9034: International; 2229: Perception; 9150: Risk; 1665: Safety; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 5408: Speed; 624: Speed limit; 1348: Speedometer
- Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00768655
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
- Files: ITRD
- Created Date: Sep 10 1999 12:00AM