National Speed Limits are unfit for purpose - here's why
This is the first actual content-filled post! If you missed the introduction, catch up on it here.
In this post, I'll be examining one of the most touched on aspects of road safety: speed limits. With excessive or inappropriate speed being a factor in 15% of road traffic collisions resulting in death as well as the unavoidable laws of physics, it goes without speaking that controlling the speed of traffic plays a huge part in improving road safety.
In case you need reminding, the current national speed limits for normal passenger cars and motorcycles are as follows:
Something that may immediately spring to mind from these national speed limits is: why do two different classes of roads (dual carriageways & motorways) share the same 70 MPH speed limit? Great question - the mind really boggles on this one. Although they may seem similar, motorways are far more tightly regulated than dual carriageways. They must have a prescribed layout and motorway junctions must all consist of slip roads. There must not be any junctions or crossroads on the motorway - hence why you will typically see the raised roundabout above motorway junctions. The very good reason for this is that it minimizes conflicts with traffic using the motorway, removing the worry for motorway users to have to give way or stop for a junction. There is usually a hard should present unless the motorway is a smart motorway, there are positional signs along the motorway verge and warning signs overhead advise motorists of any oncoming hazards. Pedestrians and cyclists, as well as low-powered motorcycles and other unsuitable vehicles, are not allowed on the motorway. The layout of a motorway does not contain any unexpected hazards, such as sharp bends, except perhaps at motorway junctions. Additionally, penalties for committing traffic offences on the motorway are usually harsher than those committed on other roads due to them becoming endorsable (i.e. carry penalty points).
Not so much for dual carriageways. Dual carriageways offer next to none of these regulatory protections. It is therefore not at all uncommon for dual carriageways to have ground-level junctions along them. There are usually no warning signs, no hard shoulder and offences such as crossing solid white lines bordering a chevron area are not endorsable (i.e. carry penalty points), unlike when this offence is committed on a motorway. The fact that these regulations do not exist does not necessarily mean they are not adhered to on certain dual carriageways, however. Some dual carriageways are very much like motorways and adhere to (nearly) all the layout and construction regulations that a motorway does. Some examples of this include the A3, A2 and A20. The main difference between these roads and motorways is the possible and legal presence of pedestrians, cyclists and other lower-powered vehicles (although, I should add that anyone driving these vehicles on such roads must be close to mad).
The existence of these motorway-like dual carriageways may explain why the national speed limit for dual carriageways has also been lazily set to 70 MPH, matching the national speed limit on an actual motorway. The nasty consequence of this is that the more conventional, none motorway-like dual carriageways also have a speed limit of 70 MPH. All too often, councils and other bodies responsible for these roads fail to set a speed limit appropriate for that specific road type. This leads to cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and other low-powered vehicles having to share the road with vehicles zooming past them at 70 MPH (or faster, if they’re unlucky). This is clearly an undesirable situation and one that European countries have found a rather simple solution to, which I will explain later.
However, even the presence of a white line to separate contraflowing traffic is unfortunately yet again something that is not regulated for single carriageways. Many single carriageways lack these white lines. Take a look at more rural roads, for example. These are usually narrow and surrounded by shrubbery blocking the view to the side and around bends. Sometimes, these roads become so narrow that vehicles are simply unable to pass each other in opposing directions. The presence of passing places is meant to resolve this rather hard-hitting issue. I personally question why the government and local councils seem to be reluctant to invest in these rural single carriageway roads, often surrounded by acres of empty fields, to widen them and thereby significantly reducing road users coming into conflict with each other. Not to mention the sorry state some of these roads are in - potholes and other evidence of poor maintenance can be easily found by driving over these roads. Appropriate signage for the many hazards these roads contain is also usually nowhere to be found. And yet, these roads tend to have a whopping 60 MPH speed limit, higher than some parts of the A3. That is, of course, unless the local authority rarely decides to put a few signs down indicating a lower limit. Needless to say, it is nearly always inappropriate to drive at the national speed limit on such roads. One relies on other drivers slowing down and choosing their speed appropriately rather than being able to adhere to a properly set limit. For me personally, this became absolutely evident from a recent road trip into Cumbria and the Lake District. People drive at breathtaking speeds around blind bends on a single file road and it is usually down to sharp and swift braking to avoid a head-on collision. The police have an incredibly tough job prosecuting drivers who drive too fast for such roads but within the speed limit. They cannot use the standard offence of speeding and have to prosecute through the offence of driving without due care and attention (Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act). It should be trivial to have to point out that prosecutions for such offences are appallingly low due to how hard it is to enforce and the reduced number of traffic officers out on the frontline. Speed cameras don’t work, again due to the fact these ‘speeding’ drivers are within the statutory speed limit. Here's a dashcam example of one of these very narrow rural roads I'm talking about:
Other single carriageways are in a far better condition than the rural roads I just described. They can be likened to some upper-level dual carriageways, minus the fact that the central reservation is obviously absent. That said, traffic is easily able to pass each other in opposing directions without slowing down. While ground-level junctions still occur on these types of road, a speed limit of 60 MPH is far more appropriate for these roads than for the previously described rural roads. Until you factor in the possible presence of cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and other lower powered vehicles, of course. As a cyclist, I wouldn’t want to be overtaken on a single carriageway road by a car doing 60 MPH just centimetres away from me. Due to the unpredictable layout of many single carriageways, a speed limit of 60 MPH still seems to be slightly on the high side. Again, this is clearly an undesirable situation and one that many European countries have also found a rather simple solution to.
To differentiate between the different types and quality of the dual carriageways and single carriageways in existence, many European governments have introduced another type of road. This type of road represents the higher-quality dual carriageways and single carriageways I defined in the previous section. In the absence of a legal British term for such roads, let’s call them ‘expressways’. Like motorways, there are various regulations and standards expressways must meet to be classed as expressways. The prohibition of pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and low powered vehicles from using expressways is an example of this. An alternative road is usually provided for these road users, sometimes right alongside the expressway in the form of a pavement or shared segregated cycle lane. This makes expressways safer for all types of road users. This combined with various layout requirements makes expressways far more attractive to use than non-expressway single and dual carriageways. I believe the Government should incorporate the definition of the expressway into legislation and set out a comprehensive set of regulations and layout standards for them, including the few examples I mentioned above.
By differentiating between the higher-standard expressways and ‘normal’, lower-standard roads, speed limits can be defined that are far more appropriate for the given road types. However, the illusion must not be created that this solution is an all-fitting one; there will always be normal single carriageways and dual carriageways that require the imposition of a lower speed limit than the national one. Local authorities should be more clearly responsible for this in law and should no longer be allowed to rely on a particular rule of the Highway Code to justify their negligence (the rule stating that Speed limits should not be treated as a target). A system similar to the one I have set out above, with the addition of expressways, has been recommended to the Government and the DfT in their latest road safety management capacity review. This was carried out by Systra and they call such a system the 'Safe System'. It has been shown to reduce road deaths and serious injuries on both single carriageways and dual carriageways and is already in place in many European countries, to great success.
You may also note in particular that I suggest a different national speed limit for motorways. This reflects the fact that motorways must adhere to more standards and regulations than other roads. It also reflects the vast improvements in engineering and road safety technology in modern day vehicles. The 70 MPH limit for motorways was first enacted in the 1960s and a lot has changed since then. Evidence from other countries which have recently raised their motorway speed limit to 80 MPH suggests there has not been a statistically significant increase in fatalities on those roads, although it must be added that there is not a lot of data yet. There have definitely been fluctuations in the number of fatalities on 80 MPH roads, particularly in The Netherlands where the limit was raised in 2011. However, a limit of 75 or 80 MPH allows passenger car and motorcycle drivers to reach their destination more quickly and efficiently and it further dispels the common myth that low-level speeding offences on motorways are simply a cash cow for the government. Enforcement of these higher limits should be strict, however - the 10% + 2 MPH NPCC guideline for speeding tolerance is in dire need of an update anyway. I will expand on this further in a future post. I think the possibility of increasing the motorway national speed limit is definitely something that should be considered by the Government.
Comments, thoughts, praise and criticism are all very welcome and I will happily engage in polite discussion if any interesting points are raised. See you in the next post!
In this post, I'll be examining one of the most touched on aspects of road safety: speed limits. With excessive or inappropriate speed being a factor in 15% of road traffic collisions resulting in death as well as the unavoidable laws of physics, it goes without speaking that controlling the speed of traffic plays a huge part in improving road safety.
National Speed Limits and why they are no longer fit for purpose
Ever since the various national speed limits were set in the 1960s, there has been plenty of debate about them being too high or too low. Perhaps unsurprisingly, too - the offence of speeding was the first time middle and upper-class people got into trouble with the police at the time. The scepticism they showed towards the effectiveness of speed limits seems to have transferred over to the next generations.In case you need reminding, the current national speed limits for normal passenger cars and motorcycles are as follows:
- Built up area (identified through the presence of street lighting): 30 MPH
- Single carriageway: 60 MPH
- Dual carriageway: 70 MPH
- Motorway: 70 MPH
Something that may immediately spring to mind from these national speed limits is: why do two different classes of roads (dual carriageways & motorways) share the same 70 MPH speed limit? Great question - the mind really boggles on this one. Although they may seem similar, motorways are far more tightly regulated than dual carriageways. They must have a prescribed layout and motorway junctions must all consist of slip roads. There must not be any junctions or crossroads on the motorway - hence why you will typically see the raised roundabout above motorway junctions. The very good reason for this is that it minimizes conflicts with traffic using the motorway, removing the worry for motorway users to have to give way or stop for a junction. There is usually a hard should present unless the motorway is a smart motorway, there are positional signs along the motorway verge and warning signs overhead advise motorists of any oncoming hazards. Pedestrians and cyclists, as well as low-powered motorcycles and other unsuitable vehicles, are not allowed on the motorway. The layout of a motorway does not contain any unexpected hazards, such as sharp bends, except perhaps at motorway junctions. Additionally, penalties for committing traffic offences on the motorway are usually harsher than those committed on other roads due to them becoming endorsable (i.e. carry penalty points).
Not so much for dual carriageways. Dual carriageways offer next to none of these regulatory protections. It is therefore not at all uncommon for dual carriageways to have ground-level junctions along them. There are usually no warning signs, no hard shoulder and offences such as crossing solid white lines bordering a chevron area are not endorsable (i.e. carry penalty points), unlike when this offence is committed on a motorway. The fact that these regulations do not exist does not necessarily mean they are not adhered to on certain dual carriageways, however. Some dual carriageways are very much like motorways and adhere to (nearly) all the layout and construction regulations that a motorway does. Some examples of this include the A3, A2 and A20. The main difference between these roads and motorways is the possible and legal presence of pedestrians, cyclists and other lower-powered vehicles (although, I should add that anyone driving these vehicles on such roads must be close to mad).
The existence of these motorway-like dual carriageways may explain why the national speed limit for dual carriageways has also been lazily set to 70 MPH, matching the national speed limit on an actual motorway. The nasty consequence of this is that the more conventional, none motorway-like dual carriageways also have a speed limit of 70 MPH. All too often, councils and other bodies responsible for these roads fail to set a speed limit appropriate for that specific road type. This leads to cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and other low-powered vehicles having to share the road with vehicles zooming past them at 70 MPH (or faster, if they’re unlucky). This is clearly an undesirable situation and one that European countries have found a rather simple solution to, which I will explain later.
What about the national speed limit for single carriageways?
The single carriageway is the next type of road I will consider. Roads classed as single carriageways are the most dangerous in the UK, with a high percentage of road traffic collisions resulting in death or serious injury occurring on them. With a national speed limit just 10 MPH lower than that of a motorway, one may again question what the real difference is between such roads, motorways and dual carriageways. Firstly, of course, single carriageways lack a central reservation, so traffic is usually separated by the mere presence of a painted white line in the middle of the road. This is clearly a large contributory factor when it comes to harm occurring from road traffic collisions on this type of road; vehicles, rather than central reservation barriers, are in the firing line.However, even the presence of a white line to separate contraflowing traffic is unfortunately yet again something that is not regulated for single carriageways. Many single carriageways lack these white lines. Take a look at more rural roads, for example. These are usually narrow and surrounded by shrubbery blocking the view to the side and around bends. Sometimes, these roads become so narrow that vehicles are simply unable to pass each other in opposing directions. The presence of passing places is meant to resolve this rather hard-hitting issue. I personally question why the government and local councils seem to be reluctant to invest in these rural single carriageway roads, often surrounded by acres of empty fields, to widen them and thereby significantly reducing road users coming into conflict with each other. Not to mention the sorry state some of these roads are in - potholes and other evidence of poor maintenance can be easily found by driving over these roads. Appropriate signage for the many hazards these roads contain is also usually nowhere to be found. And yet, these roads tend to have a whopping 60 MPH speed limit, higher than some parts of the A3. That is, of course, unless the local authority rarely decides to put a few signs down indicating a lower limit. Needless to say, it is nearly always inappropriate to drive at the national speed limit on such roads. One relies on other drivers slowing down and choosing their speed appropriately rather than being able to adhere to a properly set limit. For me personally, this became absolutely evident from a recent road trip into Cumbria and the Lake District. People drive at breathtaking speeds around blind bends on a single file road and it is usually down to sharp and swift braking to avoid a head-on collision. The police have an incredibly tough job prosecuting drivers who drive too fast for such roads but within the speed limit. They cannot use the standard offence of speeding and have to prosecute through the offence of driving without due care and attention (Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act). It should be trivial to have to point out that prosecutions for such offences are appallingly low due to how hard it is to enforce and the reduced number of traffic officers out on the frontline. Speed cameras don’t work, again due to the fact these ‘speeding’ drivers are within the statutory speed limit. Here's a dashcam example of one of these very narrow rural roads I'm talking about:
Introducing a new type of road: the expressway
One may consider, why not simply place more speed restriction signs where appropriate? This is already an option local authorities have, but unfortunately seem to rarely take where it is most required. Factor in the requirements found in the Traffic Signs and General Regulations requiring frequent repeater signs for speed limits and the fact these problematic roads are usually many miles long, in addition to not having traffic volumes as high as motorways. Then, consider the costs of placing one of these speed limit signs and one draws the conclusion that money is yet again a major reason for not putting proper road safety measures in place.To differentiate between the different types and quality of the dual carriageways and single carriageways in existence, many European governments have introduced another type of road. This type of road represents the higher-quality dual carriageways and single carriageways I defined in the previous section. In the absence of a legal British term for such roads, let’s call them ‘expressways’. Like motorways, there are various regulations and standards expressways must meet to be classed as expressways. The prohibition of pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and low powered vehicles from using expressways is an example of this. An alternative road is usually provided for these road users, sometimes right alongside the expressway in the form of a pavement or shared segregated cycle lane. This makes expressways safer for all types of road users. This combined with various layout requirements makes expressways far more attractive to use than non-expressway single and dual carriageways. I believe the Government should incorporate the definition of the expressway into legislation and set out a comprehensive set of regulations and layout standards for them, including the few examples I mentioned above.
New national speed limits with expressways included
Once expressways have been created, it clearly becomes far easier to set national speed limits that are appropriate for the road they are intended for. I would then propose the following national speed limits to come into effect for passenger cars and motorcycles:- Built up area (identified through presence of street lighting): 30 MPH
- Single carriageway: 50 MPH
- Single carriageway expressway: 60 MPH
- Dual carriageway: 60 MPH
- Dual carriageway expressway: 70 MPH
- Motorway: 70-80 MPH
By differentiating between the higher-standard expressways and ‘normal’, lower-standard roads, speed limits can be defined that are far more appropriate for the given road types. However, the illusion must not be created that this solution is an all-fitting one; there will always be normal single carriageways and dual carriageways that require the imposition of a lower speed limit than the national one. Local authorities should be more clearly responsible for this in law and should no longer be allowed to rely on a particular rule of the Highway Code to justify their negligence (the rule stating that Speed limits should not be treated as a target). A system similar to the one I have set out above, with the addition of expressways, has been recommended to the Government and the DfT in their latest road safety management capacity review. This was carried out by Systra and they call such a system the 'Safe System'. It has been shown to reduce road deaths and serious injuries on both single carriageways and dual carriageways and is already in place in many European countries, to great success.
You may also note in particular that I suggest a different national speed limit for motorways. This reflects the fact that motorways must adhere to more standards and regulations than other roads. It also reflects the vast improvements in engineering and road safety technology in modern day vehicles. The 70 MPH limit for motorways was first enacted in the 1960s and a lot has changed since then. Evidence from other countries which have recently raised their motorway speed limit to 80 MPH suggests there has not been a statistically significant increase in fatalities on those roads, although it must be added that there is not a lot of data yet. There have definitely been fluctuations in the number of fatalities on 80 MPH roads, particularly in The Netherlands where the limit was raised in 2011. However, a limit of 75 or 80 MPH allows passenger car and motorcycle drivers to reach their destination more quickly and efficiently and it further dispels the common myth that low-level speeding offences on motorways are simply a cash cow for the government. Enforcement of these higher limits should be strict, however - the 10% + 2 MPH NPCC guideline for speeding tolerance is in dire need of an update anyway. I will expand on this further in a future post. I think the possibility of increasing the motorway national speed limit is definitely something that should be considered by the Government.
Summary
To summarise, the Government should completely rethink the national speed limit system and introduce a new class of road, the expressway. Expressways should have more stringent requirements than their non-expressway counterparts, and because of this are eligible for increased speed limits. Authorities should impose lower speed limits more proactively on sections of road that scream out for this and not lazily rely on drivers to be able to assess unpredictable road layouts and appropriate speeds. The motorway speed limit should be reviewed with a view to increasing it from the current 70 MPH limit, which has been in place for a number of decades.Comments, thoughts, praise and criticism are all very welcome and I will happily engage in polite discussion if any interesting points are raised. See you in the next post!
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