Benefits of 20 mph Zone for Cars

Currently, 3,000 people die a year on the roads in the UK. That equates to nearly 10 people a day. Interestingly, if 1 person died on the railways it would make front page news. But, 10 deaths per day, is seen as an acceptable consequence of people’s right to drive at speeds that they want. Of course, speed is not the only cause of death; but, it does make a fatal accident more likely .

Death Rates from Speeding Cars

Research from the Department for Transport indicates that:

• 1 in 40 pedestrians struck by a car at 20mph dies, compared with 1 in 5 at 30mph.
• At 40mph the survival rate falls to 10 per cent.
• A 1mph cut in average vehicle speed reduces crash frequency by about 5 per cent.

A study of 250 pilot schemes for 20mph zone saw crashes fall by 60% and child fatalities fell by 67%

Using a road is 8.5 times more dangerous than equivalent DIY activities. There is hope that there will be a change in attitudes towards road use. Previously people considered deaths from roads as an unavoidable necessity. However, various measures can effectively taken.

From an economic perspective the Cost Benefit analysis of implementing such measures gives a clear advantage to implementing the scheme. The extra time taken because of lower speeds is minimal compared to the cost of serious road accidents and fatalities.

The Department of transport have indicated that 20 mph zone could be enforced with average speed cameras rather than speed humps. Speed humps have been criticised for damaging cars and leading to higher use of petrol.

More details on 20mph zones at the Times