Speed, speeding, and speed cameras seems to be in the news a great deal lately. There’s Oxfordshire turning off their cameras, and now Julie Spence, the outgoing chief of Cambridgeshire police is speaking out about the hypocrisy of motorists, who

consider speeding as acceptable and change their minds only if they lose a child in a road accident.

There’s some sense in the article, but I’m really starting to take exception to the link these days that the only possible problem with the way someone might drive is related to the posted speed limit at any point.

Driving without care or consideration for other road users is probably among the worst kind of anti-social behaviour in its truest sense, because serious offenders can, and do, kill.

This is, of course, true. But contextually in the article it’s linked only with speed. The only road safety campaigns we see are about speed- following the posted speed limit, so, as long as you”re doing below 30mph you must be safe. You don’t need to pay attention, maintain your car, take note of the weather and road conditions, take note of other road users- so long as you’re below the limit. That’s the real hipocrisy.

This takes no account of the fact that the limits are woefully wrong. take this:

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From the camera position, there’s a roundabout behind you, a few houses, then a garden centre, then a clear, straight road for some distance, then at the far end, a school, and dense housing.

The relatively clear, hazard-free section was once National Speed Limit (a concept that many drivers seem unable to apply), but has dropped to 40, then 30- the same as the more hazardous part at the end. Needless to say, a good many drivers ignore the 30 limit, slowing for the hazards at either end.

To put that 30 limit into context, take this road:

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It’s subject to that same limit, but it’s narrow- barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass. There’s wildlife, horses in the field, horseriders, cyclists, pets, joggers, pedestrians, blind bends and overgrown hedges. You’d have to be a loon to do more than 20 mph down much of it, and the same comment would apply to many residential streets.

I’m not suggesting the removal of speed limits, or the removal of speed cameras- they’re bright yellow, after all, but the focus of road safety on speed and speed alone gives the wrong message, leaving us with texting drivers killing people while going through a red light (and speeding, as it happens, but I’d suggest that texting and going through on red is probably the bigger issue here…).

Speed doesn’t kill- inappropriate speed very well might. 90mph or more in good conditions on a motorway may well be safe, a legal 30 mph with barely legal tyres in the wet in a very dense housing estate may kill. Driving at 30 mph on a NSL country road may frustrate someone into making a dangerous overtake. We’re in danger of creating a nation of drivers who can’t or won’t use judgement and evaluate the hazards, adjusting their driving accordingly.