Speeding

Excess or inappropriate speed is a major cause of road crashes.

Breaking the speed limit, or driving too fast for the conditions on the road, contributes to more than 720 deaths and 4,550 injuries in the UK every year.

The latest statistic published by the government show that, in 2007, exceeding the speed limit was reported as a factor in 13 percent of fatal crashes on the UK’s roads. When you add driving too fast for the weather conditions to this, the figure rises to 25 percent.

It goes without saying that the faster you drive, the bigger the distance it takes you to stop.

It has been proven that drivers over the age of 55 take over 20 percent longer to react than drivers under 30. This means that if you drive at 70mph the distance it takes for your car to stop can be up to 25ft longer than a younger driver’s – this could be the difference between life and death.

Car drivers and passengers are three times more likely to die on a rural road than a busy urban street.

The rural nature of much of North Yorkshire increases the risk to you when you are using the county’s roads and it is therefore important you take extra care when travelling on rural roads.

Don’t assume that it’s safe to break the speed limit on rural roads just because there is less traffic.
Be aware that there could be unforeseen and dangerous hazards such as blind bends and animals on the road.

By slowing down, you have more of an opportunity to correct your own mistakes and to react to the errors of others and, should you crash, the slower the impact speed, the higher your chance of surviving.

95 Alive radio advert - My daddy was driving too fast

Think! - Slow Down (Extended) (UK) advert

Think! - It's 30 for a reason road safety advert

Think! - Lucky / 30 for a reason - radio advert