Road Safety
Q. Where can I find out more about road safety?
A. There are a huge number of organisations going great work in the area of road safety, try visiting our links page for access to some of them.
Q. I’m worried about safety on my road - how do I get a speed camera put in?
A. There are strict government rules on which locations can be used for safety cameras. In addition there are practical and technical considerations such as availability of power supply and access. If you are worried about safety on your roads you should contact your local highway authority. If they think there is a casualty problem and a camera is the best solution they will contact the partnership project team.
Q. Why are you so worried about speeding when road deaths have fallen in this country over the last 30 years and Great Britain has a relatively good casualty record?
A. There has been success in this country and things like seat belts and the drink-drive laws have had a big impact. More recently, traffic calming measures like road humps and 20 mph zones have helped. But these can’t be used everywhere and speed needs to be controlled. Around 75 per cent of cars are speeding on our roads and there are still over 9,000 people killed or injured every year - just in the Thames Valley Area.
Q. How can a few miles an hour be so important?
A. Speed limits are in place for good reasons. If a vehicle hits an adult pedestrian at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. However, at 40mph, the pedestrian’s chance of survival drops to 10%. While some drivers may consider speeding to be a minor infringement, any pedestrian hit by a car that has “crept over the limit” will know how serious it is.
