Cambridgeshire Speeding Statistics - 70% of drivers speed

[Darren]

A publication by Cambridgeshire Police listing the county's worst bad-driving hotspots raises some interesting questions on driver behaviour and our attitudes to speed limits and speeding in general.

Records compiled by Speedwatch volunteers reveal that on some of the worst roads, the proportion of those speeding is as high as 82 per cent. With a very reasonable 19,000 vehicles measured that begs many questions about speeding. Other roads returned figures between 56 per cent and 73 per cent.

If 82 per cent of drivers are exceeding the limit then surely the sledgehammer approach of fining drivers is not the answer and it is time we looked at what other factors affect our driving?

There has been much research on road and vehicle design. Modern vehicles cosset the driver so much that 30mph can often feel like a crawl. There is no argument that serious injury can occur to a pedestrian at that speed but it is time we looked at how to prevent drivers exceeding the limits in such numbers?

Cambridgeshire's Chief Constable Julie Spencer has chosen to target anti-social drivers in her latest podcast (how very new media of her).

She has called on communities to report incidents of irresponsible driving and that is something few of us would disagree with but she goes on to label those who speed as being anti-social. No differentiation between the idiots who race well in excess of the limits and those who might exceed them by a small margin.

Of the 82% of drivers speeding on one stretch, how many were the former? Very few I'd wager but we don't know because the detail isn't revealed. Instead joe motorist is to blame regardless.

If 82% of people slipped on the stairs you'd re-design the stairs not make it illegal to slip. So why do we always lay the blame at the driver when such huge numbers breach an arbitrary limit? To me it is clear that the authorities need to look at other solutions but then of course, they may be expensive whereas fining drivers raises money doesn't it?
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Darren Griffin

[mikealder]

82% of drivers on a specific strech of road, does it mention which road either the A14 or M11 would be canditates for that which raises another topic that the current 70MPH limit on Motorways and barriered dual carriageways is too low.
The authorities also need to look closely at the current driving test system where an individual is taught to pass a test, this is different to teaching someone to drive safely and is responsible for the general lowering of driving standards across the country - Mike

[GerryC]

[jjv]

Why would the Chief Constable be motivated to find alternative methods of reducing speed? 19,000 at £60 a pop...........mmm.

[MikeB]

One assumes that as these figures were compiled by Speed Watch campaigners the roads monitored would not be the major roads, but more minor roads. Also one has to wonder how impartial the results are given that they were compiled by an anti-speeding Campaign Group.

Having said all that I do accept that there are roads where people will speed for one reason or another, and indeed there are many roads in the country that seem to have the wrong limits. But these are not always incorrect limits.

A road near us is 30mph and difficult to keep to, it has fields on both sides of the road for about a mile. The reason it is 30 is that there is a school and a children's hospice there with regular child pedestrian traffic. So when you take that into consideration then it is a reasonable restriction.

Darren is correct in his assertion that rather than punish users the root causes of the problem should be addressed. Often roads are dangerous 'by design' (not intentionally, just bad design). It is far easier and cheaper to reduce the speed limit and throw a few cameras up than re-surface or re-route a road.
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Mike Barrett

[jjv]

I agree, the set limit is the limit that we must abide by, or drive at a speed lower than the limit as conditions dictate. Darren is indeed correct in saying that the root causes should be addressed. Unfortunately money in the form of income from fines has been introduced into the mix, and as you say, it is cheaper to reduce a limit, put up cameras and reap the rewards, rather than do something that would cure the problem. The problem of speeding still exists, but an income is derived from it.
Motorists are being targetted as a group from which money can be gleaned without much effort, and any transgression of the rules however minor results in a payout. I cant think of any other area of the law where you dont get a fair chance to defend yourself. You have only to watch the "Cops with etc" programmes to see drivers being persued through streets at high speed, no licence etc, wrestle with a police officer - result, no action taken. Balance that with 32mph, I cant.

[DennisN]

[Darren]

Indeed. We have a main road that is a 30mph limit. It's faced on both sides by houses, churches etc but being a long wide straight road drivers naturally end up travelling faster than 30, perhaps 35-40mph.

Now the 30mph limit is correct given the nature of the road but the design and layout mean you naturally drive at a faster speed. It is rarely busy, it's wide with no cars parked either side as all the houses have driveways etc and you have an uninterrupted view of a mile or so.

Every now and again the Police set up with their laser and its easy pickings. I'd estimate perhaps 60-70% of vehicles traverse that road in excess of 30mph.

I don't condone the idiots who do 50+ but for most drivers who do perhaps 40 along similar roads or 60 in a 50, they do so not because they are flagrantly ignoring limits but because the road layout makes that speed feel appropriate and we don't drive with our eyes glued to the speedometer.

I think it's about time we started looking towards other solutions rather than punishing the motorist time and time again.

It wouldn't be so bad if we saw the money extracted from motorists in car tax, road tax and speeding tax being ploughed back into road maintenance and improvements but as we know, all but a fraction of it dissappears no doubt to re-imburse MP's for their duck ponds, groundsmen and and £500/roll wallpaper
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Darren Griffin

[sailorman]

82% was Pidley Road, Warboys
79% Perry Road, Buckden - a short length of 30mph from A1 going west to Perry. The derestriction signs are very visible as you leave the roundabout on the A1.
69% Waresley Road, Abbotsley

I would suggest that, as a local, these are not roads with heavy traffic but have very committed "Speedwatch" freaks.

[aj2052]

Unfortunately exceeding the speed limit does not neccasarily mean irresponsible driving, lets face face it some speed limits are pure fiction set by faceless buerocrats irrespective of conditions, I used to travel often between Cornwall and the midlands and it was very frustrating keeping to 70 on the M5 passing 1 car every ten miles with no buildings or pedestrians in sight,
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Moto G5s Plus, Sygic 17.4.8

[mmm-five]

Wasn't there something about the speed limit being determined on the 80th percentile rule?

Therefore most drivers would have to speed to see in increase in any particular limit.

[jjv]

Being the age I am, I can remember the "temporary" introduction of the 70 mph speed limit, in response to a middle east fuel crisis. After the crisis was over, the limit was seized upon by the supposed road safety lobby, and the 70 limit was kept without any accident studies etc to back it up.
If we carry on, and have governments that take such groups at face value, we will all be riding bicycles naked in order to have a low carbon footprint!

[IMB]

30 mph in a built up area with kids, people walking dogs etc is possibly to high anyway. Whilst I believe it is impossible for anyone to drive within the speed limit 100% of the time, everyone is going to exceed it accidently if if only by 1 or 2 mph, I always try to be at least 5 mph below the 30mph and I have had people giving me the two fingered salute because I've held them up.
The answer to the problem in my opinion isnt heavy fines and bans, its purely education. If a driver is caught speeding the best way to deal with it is to have him/her attend a 'drivers safety aware course' which explains the hazzards and consqence of speed. Something like video footage of a dead child hit my a car etc: Proper, hard hitting, serious education. In addition I think the speed cameras should be removed and replaced by the flashing speed signs that illuminate when you are speeding making you aware of the fact, after all, speedo watching is also dangerous.
Sat Nav's could also be more effective. My Co-Pilot 8 is set to warn me if I am 5 mph over the speed limit. Unfortunately it doesn't know the speed limit on all the roads so it is a bit limited, it needs improving to cover all roads. At the same time it needs to be able to be set at the speed limit, ALK seem to think that 5 mph above the speed limit is acceptable (what are the figures 20mph 80% of kids live, 35mph 80% of kids die).
My final rant is about the speed limit on motorways, too low. An advisory limit of 80 on 3 carriageways with 90 Max, Advisory of 70 on 2 carriageways with 80 Max.
Only my opinion.

[jjv]

IMB - I could not agree with your opinions more. I too know the feeling of being two fingered after being tailgated at 30 mph as the more experienced, clever, driver roars past.
If only the same amount of traps were laid to catch proper criminals.

[hefilump]

As usual, figures are released without any qualifying statements.

The first thing that needs to be stated before any of these figures mean anything is what do the 'Speedwatch' people define as speeding?

Are we talking about anyone clocked on their equipment as more than one mile per hour over the limit or are we talking about the 10% plus 3 mph that should be used in order to rule out inaccuracies in speedometers?

What was the target distance that these measurements were taken from and how long a distance was the recording taken over?

Thes are all relevant in assertaining the actually headline figures given.

And of course these are all things that machines such as speed cameras are unable to take into account. The other thing that speed cameras are unable to do is differentiate between types of vehicles.

In this country the speed limit for ANY vehicle towing a braked trailer is 60 mph on the motorway/dual carraigeways and 50 on all other roads unless sign posted differently. You can reduce these figures by 10 mph if your trailer has no brakes.

While it is quite possible for a car driver to be 'zapped' doing 80 mph on the motorway (10 mph over the limit), an HGV can be doing 75 mph and not be caught - even though they are 15 mph over the limit and in something that cannot possible stop in the distance the car can.

We need to have more police and less road side technology to enforce the rules of the road.

Can a camera deal with the idiot truck driver supposedly in charge of 20 - 30 tonnes of vehicle while he steers with his elbows so he can use his mobile phone and drink coffee at the same time?

Or the idiots who turn a perfectly good motorway into a dual carraigeway by driving in the middle lane?

Not to mention the moron with the rear fog lights still on a week after the visibility went down to less than a mile on the motorway but the matrix signs said 'FOG'?

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