Humberside Safety Camera Partnership
Welcome
News
Do you know your speed limits?
Drivers are urged to be aware of the speed limit at all times – particularly in areas where there are no signs reminding them what the legal limit is!
Many motorists seem to forget the crucial piece of guidance that they receive when they are first learning to drive, which states that if you are in a built-up area with street lights and there are no signs indicating otherwise, you must assume it is a 30 mile per hour zone. Department for Transport guidelines specifically forbid local councils from putting up speed limit signs within 30 mph zones (with relatively few exceptions) – the reason being that all drivers should be able to recognise the limit
Confusion over the correct speed limit in residential areas not only leaves motorists at risk of being caught speeding but also increases their chances of being involved in a serious injury or fatal collision. Worryingly, two out of three accidents in which people are killed or injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less.
Did you know that an average family car travelling at 35mph, rather than 30mph, will need an extra 21 feet to stop? As a driver, you should also be aware of the power that you have in your hands whenever you get behind the steering wheel because, if you hit a cyclist or pedestrian at 35mph, rather than 30mph, the force of the impact increases by more than a third.
Ruth Gore of Humberside Safety Camera Partnership commented: “We all memorise the speed limits when we learn to drive, but over time we tend to forget. It’s well worth getting out the Highway Code once in a while and brushing up on your knowledge to make sure that you don’t fall foul of the law. Also, if you drive within the speed limit and are involved in a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist, they will stand a greater chance of survival than if you are going even just a couple of miles faster that you should be.
“It’s surprising just how many people forget how to tell when they are in a 30mph zone. If you see streetlights but no speed limit signs, it’s a 30mph zone. This even applies on dual carriageways. We urge drivers to remember these simple facts.”
