It’s chilling that people drive at 81 mph on the motorway – says IAM Roadsmart

[Strangely Brown]

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/media-policy/media-enquiries/news-details/2022/02/22/motorists-clocking-the-dangers-of-speed-as-breaking-limits-deemed-less-acceptable-compared-to-six-years-ago

"Speeding is responsible for around 12 people being killed or injured each day on UK roads, we clearly need to do more to educate drivers on the fatal consequences of speeding."

That implies direct causation. Is there evidence to support that link?

Reg Local's look at the accident figures in his book might suggest otherwise. Yet more useless soundbites from BRAKE2.

[Horse]

And once again stating that speeding is responsible for around 4380 deaths a year on UK roads. We clearly need to educate them to stop quoting deaths on European roads as deaths on UK roads.

So much for reading this thread and taking any notice. [Which, I appreciate, are two different things]

In driving terms, they have looked, perhaps even observed. But not then taken the subsequent (and important) stages of deciding what action is required then doing it.

Embarrassing, really.

Either that or it's a classic clusterf*ck (useful term that I first heard from the USAF), with one error compounding another.

What are you guys reading? Here's the corrected article. The damage is done though with the initial rubbish being copied and pasted around the internet.
Let's not forget the definition of serious injury changes over time. I've heard an RTC could be "elevated" to K&S if an ambulance attended. Even if no one needed an ambulance.

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/media-poli ... -years-ago

"Speeding is responsible for around 12 people being killed or injured each day on UK roads, we clearly need to do more to educate drivers on the fatal consequences of speeding."

I've looked at the Fb page this morning, so was viewing the latest version linked article, which says:

"Speeding is responsible for around 12 deaths each day on UK roads"
http://www.fleetpoint.org/road-safety/s ... -of-speed/
Linked from
https://www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart/p ... 490788914/

Now, whether having previously searched before means it's cached or summat, I don't know.

FWIW, select that phrase with quotes, Google, see how many places it's been repeated.

[akirk]

That quote is still there in the link - the link is a 3rd party quoting the IAM, so the IAM perhaps have no control over that website, however, they could remove the link from their facebook post... The IAM statement has been widely quoted.

Getting precise figures for deaths is not easy, but 12 per day suggests 4,380 p/a
Government road accident and safety statistics factsheets are here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/road-accide ... factsheets
Interesting detail here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... ice-forces (NB doesn't include Met police figures - so is not a full total)

2019 - 810 deaths (2.2 a day)
2020 - 763 deaths (2.09 a day)
If you include very serious and moderately serious accidents, then you are approaching 13 per day

On overall figures from the government (estimated): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... -june-2021

to June 2021: 1,390 road deaths (3.8 per day)
down 11% from June 2020
down 22% from the 3 year rolling average from 2017-2019

underlying data here: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/cb7ae6f0-4b ... afety-data

statistics on things like types of roads etc, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... at-britain

% of all deaths being road deaths is under 0.5%

contributory factors for accidents: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... s50001.ods
This is perhaps the most interesting as it gives the reasons for deaths / injuries - note the figures add up to considerably above 100% as there will be more than one factor in most accidents

where speed is a factor: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... s50008.ods

vehicles with speed factors by vehicle types: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... s50009.ods

some stats:
Travelling too fast for conditions (probably the best definition of speeding in a non-politicised world) - 84 deaths in 2020 (7% of deaths)
Exceeding the speed limit (which can also include some who were travelling too fast for the conditions, but not split out) - an additional 219 (18% of deaths)
Total = 303 or 25% of deaths have a 'speed factor' though a number of those will be simply exceeding the speed limit where they were not travelling too fast for the conditions - i.e. where speed didn't cause the death - so at a maximum we get to under 1 death per day.
NB this will include deaths which also have other causes - so a driver who is drunk or on drugs, but also breaks the speed limit will be included in these stats, even if without being under the influence they might not have driven in that way / crashed / etc. - it means that realistically speed alone as the cause of death is likely to be considerably less.

If you look across all incidents - only 4% have 'exceeding the speed limit' and only 3% have 'travelling too fast for conditions' - so 7% of accidents involve speed. Of those, motorcycles pro rata are the highest, then cars

Other higher % factors were:
- failing to look - 27%
- failing to judge another person's path or speed - 11%
- poor turn or manoeuvre - 11%
- Alcohol - 9%
- driver illness / disability, mental or physical - 8%
- drugs - 7%
- aggressive driving - 8%
- Driver / Rider careless, reckless, or in a hurry - 17%
- pedestrian failed to look properly - 7%

looking at the groups of stats:
- Injudicious behaviour (basically breaking the HC and includes speeding) = 29%
- Impairment or distraction (drink / drugs / phones / kids in car / etc.) = 29%
- Behaviour or Inexperience = 25%
- Driver / Rider error or reaction = 59%

I would have thought that those last two groups are the target for IAM - and worthy of targetting in terms of driving skills...
Interesting to see the breakdown:
- only 2 (0%) are signal related
- 15 (1%) are sudden braking
- 11 (1%) too close to horse / cyclist / pedestrian
yet:
- not looking = 27%
- not judging speed = 11%
- poor turn or manoeuvre = 11%

surely it is obvious where the IAM should focus?

If the IAM is reading this thread - perhaps you would be able to clarify your statements around numbers of deaths on the road and the link to speed? The evidence is laid out above, it is published annually by the Government and available to all.

It would be better for the IAM to be proud to publish about driver training and improvements, however, if it is going to publish inaccurate stats, then maybe it is time for AD-Hub to start to publish the riposte and clarify the IAM statements?

[Horse]

That quote is still there in the link - the link is a 3rd party quoting the IAM, so the IAM perhaps have no control over that website, however, they could remove the link from their facebook post

Rather odd behaviour to link directly to an external site rather than their own press release.

As I said, a cluster.

- Behaviour or Inexperience = 25%
- Driver / Rider error or reaction = 59%
I would have thought that those last two groups are the target for IAM - and worthy of targetting in terms of driving skills...

- not judging speed = 11%
- poor turn or manoeuvre = 11%

surely it is obvious where the IAM should focus?

Unfortunately, if the IAM's own research (linked earlier) was reported correctly, they seem to be creating riders who:
- often travel faster (in NSLs etc)
- have more single vehicle crashes (rider running out of talent?)
- are less likely to take responsibility for their own part when a crash occurs (which could mean they are less likely to learn from the event)