Posted: Tuesday, 29 July 2014
It is sometimes assumed that adjusting speed limits on a given road will change accident outcomes. Sometimes that is true, but other times it is not. There is a lot more to adjusting driver behaviour than simply changing speed limits, as evidenced by recently released data showing an increase in serious accidents on 20 mph roads.
Data from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) suggests that serious accidents along 20 mph roads have increased 26% in the last 12 months. Less serious accidents have increased by about 17%. As for roads at 30 and 40 mph, the same data shows a reduction in both serious accidents and slight collisions.
According to IAM chief executive Simon Best, simply lowering speed limits does not yield the results many people are looking for. He said that changing the speed limit and posting a sign does nothing to alter driver behaviour. Other things need to happen alongside speed limit changes. He hopes to see the data being made available by his charity leading policy makers to be more cautious before making decisions about altering speed limits.
The idea of changing driver behaviour is also the impetus behind the government's recent decision to raise the speed limit for HGVs on single-lane carriageways from 40 to 50 mph next year (2015). The haulage and transport industry has been lobbying hard for this change, citing the fact that car drivers contribute significantly to crashes by carelessly overtaking slower-moving HGVs. Being that it is nearly impossible to change the driver behaviour, the industry has maintained that increasing the speed limit will make the roads safer.
It is an argument that is gaining traction among both lawmakers and road transportation experts. Yet there are others who believe that raising the HGV speed limit will result in a greater numbers of accidents along with more casualties and fatalities. Only time will tell if increasing HGV speeds will have an effect on driver behaviour or accident statistics.
Driver behaviour is something you need to worry about if you are the owner or manager of a business that utilises company vehicles. One way to keep track of that behaviour is through regular licence checks from a company like Fleet Licence Check. Our licence checking software gives us a direct connection to the DVLA and its up-to-date database of driver records.
Fleet Licence Check is a 17-year-old company providing fleet motor claims handling and licence checking for UK motor carriers. Our services are available for businesses of any size, as either a one-off service or part of a comprehensive fleet management campaign. We can help you monitor driver behaviour for the purposes of maintaining legal compliance and reducing the risk that poor drivers pose to your business.
Do not risk endangering your business or your own reputation by not keeping track of your drivers. Our cost-effective solutions make licence checking fast, easy, and convenient. With Fleet Licence Check, you can keep track of driver behaviour without spending a lot of time or money.
Source: Leigh Journal