Posted: Friday, 01 April 2016
According to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), five motorists have been caught driving at over 100mph on 30mph and 40mph roads in England. A further two were caught travelling at more than 70mph in areas with the same speed limit, which tend to be residential.
Even though the statistics were part of a Freedom of Information request by the IAM to every police force in Britain, it could well provide fleet managers with more incentives to install telematics to their vehicles and implement additional driver training courses.
In response for information relating to the location and speed of their top five highest recorded cases captured on safety cameras, 38 of 44 police forces handed over data to the IAM. There were 11 cases where one of their top five fell in a residential 30mph or 40mph area.
Sarah Sillars, chief executive officer of the IAM, said: "These are the roads we all use on a day-to-day basis and as a result are rife with hazards for any driver. Schoolchildren, shoppers, the elderly – they are all using the same space and won't be prepared for anybody travelling at this speed."
"Exceeding the limit to such a degree is potentially suicidal in such conditions, not to mention incredibly dangerous for other road users. Clearly these drivers do not see the potential consequences of what they are doing."
Even though Sillars said the IAM would "support further research on which types of courses would be most effective in changing entrenched speeding attitudes so that we can start to offer them alongside the well-established speed awareness courses for those just over the limit," fleet managers already have a couple of tools at their disposal to reduce incidents of speeding in residential areas.
For example, telematics can monitor the location, movements, and status of all fleet vehicles to encourage better driving behaviour. In addition to increasing safety and security for employees and other road users, telematics can also control fuel costs, cut operating expenses, improve customer service, boost productivity levels, and reduce unauthorised vehicle use.
Fleet driver training can also bring amount similar advantages, especially when it comes to meeting your duty of care obligations and supporting 'at risk' drivers. Courses can include e-learning, practical assessments with accredited teachers, and detailed post-training reports.