Five people die on the UK roads each day, with 1 in 4 of these deaths being involving someone breaking the speed limit. Thankfully, there are aways we can avoid the need to speed and make the roads safer.
The best way to reduce our need to break the speed limit is to give ourselves plenty of time to make a journey. If you need to drive above the speed limit, the odds are you’re already running late, leaving home with plenty of time to spare means you won’t need to speed, and you’ll still reach your destination in time. You’re far more likely to be slowed down by traffic jams than by abiding by the speed limit.
These traffic jams can be avoided too! Listening to radio traffic reports, asking passengers to research traffic delays (don’t do this yourself, you’re driving!) or paying attention to road signs signalling delays means you can plan routes to avoid traffic, and continue to make good progress on your journey.
On top of this, plotting journeys before you leave home helps. Whether that is using a navigation app which in most modern cars can foresee traffic jams up ahead or getting out the map and identifying the best route to take; these methods can help you to find the best route to stay on time and avoid the need to drive too fast.
This next one isn’t always something you can control, but where possible driving at quieter times will help you to reduce delays. Fewer delays mean you have less time to make up, so you won’t feel a need to speed. Besides what’s nicer than cruising along a clear road.
Speaking of cruising, cruise control is one of the best ways to stop yourself speeding. Take the decision out of your hands (and feet) by letting the car do the driving. Setting your car to drive a safe speed is the easiest way to avoid speeding.
Many modern cars will go one step further and set themselves to the right speed. Intelligent Speed Assistances will prevent your car from driving above the speed limit or inform you when you’re breaking the speed limit and need to slow down. Experts predict this could prevent 1/5 of all road deaths.
There is another reason your car doesn’t want you driving too fast, it wears it out. Well specifically the important bits like tyres and breaks which work far harder at higher speeds. If it helps to avoid costly repairs and replacements, why not drive at a sensible speed?
Using third gear in a 30mph zone is like having a chat with your car, when you’re driving too fast it will probably start screaming at you. Driving in 3rd will help you to identify when you might be pushing it too far and need to slow down a bit.
Finally, the most effective method of preventing speeding is to consider the consequences. Speeding fines are not cheap, the minimum being £100 and 3 points on your license. This only grows the more you break the limit by, as does the chances of losing your license. If you need your car, which most of us do, why would you risk losing it for the sake of arriving somewhere a few seconds quicker.
Worse than this is the ultimate consequence. More than 1500 people are killed on UK roads each year and more than 25,000 suffer serious injuries. Why contribute to that statistic for the sake of arriving a few seconds earlier? If we all think of the consequences of speeding, we will probably think twice before breaking the limit.
