More Speeding Drivers Causes Serious Injury Risk
Posted on: 2 mins read
Partner, Serious Injury Solicitor
More than half of drivers and motorcyclists broke the speed limit during 2020, so could riskier roads be a lasting legacy of lockdown?
According to government data, 56% of cars broke the speed limit on 30mph roads last year, along with 58% of vans and 67% of motorcycles.
As the British population were ordered to stay at home and traffic levels dropped dramatically, it seems some road users felt they could take advantage of the quieter roads and drive as fast as they liked.
But as the country reopens post-lockdown, is it likely that drivers who flouted road regulations will suddenly change their habits and stick to speed limits?
Or will these people carry on speeding and put more people at risk of serious injury, such as a brain or spinal cord injury?
What Does this Mean for Road Safety?
Traffic volumes are still lower than they were pre-pandemic, and are likely to remain so for some time as people embrace changes such as shopping online and working from home.
But much of the speeding activity we saw during lockdown took place in built-up areas, close to houses and schools.
So there’s a very real possibility that these roads could be particularly dangerous, unless action is taken to curb speeding all over the country.
"I work solely for people who have suffered catastrophic injuries, which are almost all as a direct result of a road traffic accident. I can say that in every case, if the driver had only slowed their speed sometimes by as little as 5-10 mph, then the accident would have been avoided altogether."
Matthew Clayton
Partner, Serious Injury Solicitor
An Epidemic of Speeding?
Pedestrians such as people going to their local shop or children who are walking to school should feel safe. And law-abiding motorists, cyclists and motorcycle riders should feel confident that other drivers around them are acting responsibility.
We don’t want to see a new epidemic of speeding drivers making our streets no-go areas, as we seek to rebuild our lives and learn to live with Covid.
On one level, the increase in speeding on the roads over the last year is not a surprise. For many drivers, the temptation to put their foot on the gas and let rip will have been impossible to resist while the roads were so quiet.
But at the same time, it’s shocking to see how many road users are willing to put both their lives and the lives of other people at risk.
If you’ve suffered a serious injury because you’ve been hit by a vehicle that was speeding, contact our Serious Injury Solicitors.
Our friendly team of experts have huge experience in this area of law, and offer a free consultation, so we can speak with you about your situation and discuss how we can help you.
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