Speed limits
.......we are far from beyond reproach
Speed is a subject I shall return to time and again in these pages. It worries me a lot. Speed is a contributory factor in every single road accident bar none. Sometimes very low speeds are involved; but for a collision to occur there must be some vehicle movement.
Speed limits have been established and implemented to obtain maximum road safety whilst providing least inconvenience to the road user. A happy medium has been sought. Whether or not a reasonable balance has been achieved is open to debate:
Quote from World Health Organisation (WHO):
The relationship between speed and injury severity is particularly critical for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. For example, pedestrians have been shown to have a 90% chance of survival when struck by a car travelling at 30 km/h (18.64 mp/h) or below, but less than 50% chance of surviving an impact at 45 km/h (27.96 mp/h). Pedestrians have almost no chance of surviving an impact at 80 (49.70 mp/h).
How much reliance can be placed on these statistics is questionable. Just take a look at the discussions on the forums about helmets to realise how much heat can be generated over statistics. And that’s not even amongst statisticians.
But there has to be some basis on which to form a judgement and there is a limit to how long one can spend setting the parameters before some important decisions must be made on the basis of what is believed to be relevant.
Speed limits are applicable to all road users but today I am particularly thinking of the limits in relation cyclists. There can be little doubt that a significant minority of motorists drive with a complete disregard for the speed-restrictions. There are probably a sizeable majority who are selective about their observance of the limits and the remainder will by accident be routinely guilty of failure to observe the limit. But that said, at least amongst motorists, there seems to be an acceptance that road racing is not only illegal but is also completely undesirable. Obviously there are some who participate in this highly dangerous and antisocial activity, but by and large the laws about motorised road racing are observed.
Amongst cyclists however this is clearly not the case; time and again I see for myself and read on the forums of cyclists straining for greater and greater speeds whilst out riding. There are stories of commuter cyclists chasing each other down on urban roads; not in any organised fashion but in an ad hoc ‘see him, chase him’ kind of way. Much of the time this casual racing is carried on within the legal speed limits. Not through any desire of the participants to observe the law but purely on the basis that they can’t get their bikes up to the higher speeds.
When thinking of vehicle stability it is pretty obvious that most vehicles with more than two wheels will be inherently more stable than a two (or uni) wheeler. It is therefore fair to extend this thinking to suggest that such vehicles are by definition safer.
Speed limits are just that: limits not targets. A car, van or lorry travelling over an uneven road at 20 mp/h is far more stable than a bike. This stability should dictate the safe speed at which one travels. An unprotected cyclist on a bike is far more likely to sustain serious injury in an accident at 20 mp/h than a motorist safely strapped into his steel box which has had millions of pounds invested in its safety features.
The roads in the UK are not suitable for racing of any kind. We as cyclists become very agitated about the speed and driving skills of our motorised fellow road users. But we are far from beyond reproach.
Finally my stats:
Rides this week: 4
Rides per week: 3.3
Public transport days: 1
Oyster costs: £12.50*
Annual Oyster costs: £583.70*
Commuting miles this week: 93.8
Commuting miles this year: 2950
*includes some non-commuting journeys
Still holding the rides per week at 3.3
TyT 4486
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