Drivers are urged to cut speed in road safety crackdown (From Gazette & Herald)

Drivers are urged to cut speed in road safety crackdown

2:34pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News

MOTORISTS in Ryedale are being asked to think about their speed to help reduce the number of road casualties in the area.

Researchers said inappropriate use of speed is one of the main factors in fatal road crashes in the UK. In 2009, 4,187 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes where speed was a factor.

The Scarborough & Ryedale Road Safety Group is asking everybody to think about how fast they drive on the region’s roads and for everyone to work together to help prevent accidents across the county.

A spokesperson for the group said the risk of death was approximately four times higher for pedestrians if they were hit at 40mph as opposed to 30mph.

“In built-up areas and near schools think about how many pedestrians could be about and share the responsibility if keeping everyone safe. But no matter what the limit is, it is really important to drive at a speed that is suitable for the road you are on and the traffic conditions around you.

“The maximum limit may be 30mph but if you are passing a row of parked cars could you stop if a child ran out – remember the limit is not a target.”

The spokesperson said that many drivers could give examples of other people’s bad driving, driving too close and not giving signals, bad road positioning or stopping suddenly, but very few drivers would accept that driving too fast is also poor driving.

“This is despite the fact that inappropriate use of speed is a contributory factor in hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious injuries every year. Could you live with the guilt?

“Speed limits do vary, not only for different roads but for different vehicles, so check what is the limit for your vehicle. Generally speaking if you are driving in a built up area with regularly spaced street lighting the speed limit is 30 mph unless otherwise stated, but check. Ignorance is no excuse.”

North Yorkshire Police will be enforcing the law regarding speeding and will be on roads across Ryedale.

For more information, visit www.think.direct.gov.uk or www.roadwise.co.uk