No need to speed
Royal Mail Group will be supporting Road Safety Week – the UK's biggest road safety event, coordinated annually by road safety charity, Brake – again this year with posters, briefings and engagement visits.
Click here to find out more about Brake’s campaign. When it comes to road safety, it’s simple: speed matters. Speed contributes to one in five fatal crashes in the UK. This Road Safety Week (16–22 November) we are sharing the what, the why, and the where of speed, because whether you’re walking to school, riding on a country road or driving for work, the speed of traffic matters to your safety.
Key facts:
- Speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents.
- Around 6,000 people are killed or seriously injured in road accidents every year where ‘exceeding the speed limit’ or ‘travelling too fast for the conditions’ was recorded as a contributory factor by the police.
- 800,000 drivers received a speeding fine and penalty points last year.
- Depending on the level of excessive speed above the limit, drivers can receive three to six penalty points and can be disqualified from driving and be fined up to £2,500.
- In the last seven months, 877 Royal Mail and Parcelforce drivers were prosecuted for speeding violations whilst at work.
Excessive speed is a significant factor in collisions and has a huge impact on the severity of injuries sustained. Speeding means that you will have much less time to react to driving conditions. It also means that if you have a collision, it will be much more violent and more likely to result in serious or fatal injuries. See below for 10 top tips on how to avoid speeding and stay within speed limits:
- Check your speedometer regularly, especially when leaving high speed roads.
- Know the limits – look for signs, especially at junctions.
- Assume lamp posts mean 30 mph, until signs say otherwise, but remember it could be 20 mph.
- Remember, speed limits are a maximum, not a target.
- 20’s plenty when kids are about – and may even be too fast.
- Try no higher than third gear in a 30-mph limit.
- Recognise what makes you speed - keeping up with traffic, overtaking or being tailgated.
- Concentrate – distracted drivers speed.
- Slow down when entering villages.
- Give yourself time – there’s no need to speed and you won’t get to your destination any quicker.
