Speeding - Attitudes

Capt'n Midnight

UK - 1 in 4 feel it's ok to speed in Ireland it's much worse.


http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/2005/august/0508056.asp

Irish attitudes to speed mirror UK

Irish motorists believe it is acceptable to break the speed limit by 5-10 kms per hour, according to the National Safety Council.

The road safety body said on Thursday (August 4) that motorists feel they are “not really” breaking the law by exceeding the speed limit, by up to 10kms per hour.

The NSC says driver attitudes in Ireland mirror results of a UK survey, which found that one in four motorists think it is acceptable to break the speed limit, if they feel the speed limit is set too low.

http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/2005/july/1307056.asp

Two out of three motorists break speed limit - survey

More than two thirds of Irish motorists break the speed limit in the belief that their transgressions will go unpunished, a national survey of driving behaviour and attitudes has found.

The survey conducted by Lansdowne Market Research for the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) shows that 67 per cent of motorists knowingly break the speed limit believing they are unlikely to be caught. Among 25 to 34 year-olds the numbers admitting to speeding rose to 80 per cent.

Almost one in four (23 per cent) admitted to driving after taking alcohol, while more than one third of those who admitted to drink driving thought it unlikely that they would be stopped.

IIF chief executive Mike Kemp described the findings of the survey as “particularly worrying” given that human error “is a key factor in most crashes.”
“This calls into question the adequacy of the measures available for the enforcement of road traffic laws,” he commented.

So only 20% of 25 to 34 year olds don't admit to speeding, how many if you take into account those on provisionals ?

IHMO this is because of lax enforcement and low emphasis on safety, exemplified by out optional driving test. I suppose at least drink driving is not as prevalent as it used to be, but stil cause for concern.

DubTony

Interesting stuff. I wonder if the exceeding the limit by 10 km/h was specific to motorways or was it everywhere. This looks like another loaded survey that produces the results it wants to produce. The people that commisioned these surveys have a vested interets in the results coming out the way they do. The insurance people so they can charge more, and the National Safety Council so they'll get more funding.

Ironically, considering the source, (and I only read the post, not the link) the article makes no reference to types of drivers (except by age), or vehicles driven. It doesn't take a survey to see that the people who exceed the speed limit more than any others are truckers. I see it every day on the M50 and on national roads where truck drivers regularly exceed their 80 km/h limit.

Benster

I'd say the level of enforcement is the key.

I'm not sure what the figures are, but traffic cops in the North are, for the most part, ruthless. Although things have been slipping there over the last few years (ie, more folk speeding), there isn't the same attitude as in years past where you didn't speed because the cops were EVERYWHERE. And they had guns. There are less random checkpoints around the place now, but if you're caught on speed-camera over the limit, you can expect to be pulled over or get the ticket in the post.

In the South I can clip along at the limit + 10% in most places and would be regularly overtaken.

Can anyone remember the furore a couple of years ago when the Gardai announced that they were adopting a zero-tolerance stance on speeding, with fines to be handed out for doing anything more than the limit anywhere? Completely shouted down by the whole country. God love the poor driver if (s)he actually had to obey the rules of the road...

Enforcement.

boa-constrictor

I agree that enforcement is the key. How about instead of the authorities here trying to make money out of speeding, they try to deter speeders. In the UK convicted speeders are given the option of a large fine or alternatively a smaller fine and enrollment on a course where they get to see the effects of speeding eg. attend a crash scene or watch a video about someone who has been badly injured by a speeder. I cant remember the percentage but the vast majority of people who get the choice take the smaller fine and the course and the vast majority of people who do the course say they will never speed again.

Now isnt that better than just p*ssing alot of people off and saving no lives?

secret_squirrel

How about acknowledging the fact that speed limits are sometime absolutely stupidly and innapropriately set, generally too low rather too high.

Quite frankly I regard all speed signs as advisory - I believe in making an educated judgementl. - Therefore I tend to hold up traffic in urban/street areas by doing under the limit, and completely ignore the stupidly low limits on dual carriage ways with low traffic and no pedestrian access.

If that makes me a speeder Im proud to state I am one.

Fact is that its poor judgement that causes accidents - not speed. The sooner they stop talking down to us about speeding the sooner they might get the real message across.

optiplexgx270

Speeding and Dangerous Driving are like Black and White completly different things altogether. Thus Speeding is fine as long as the line is not crossed into Dangerous Driving at speed.