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DOCTORS BACK BID TO CURB SPEEDERS
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BY LAURA MATLESS
11:00 - 18 August 2004
Health reporter EMERGENCY doctors in Bath are backing a new campaign to get drivers to cut their speed.
Speed-related accidents in Avon and Somerset are costing the National Health Service more than £20m a year.
The Safety Camera Partnership, which operates speed cameras, has launched a new campaign to draw attention to the pressures road accidents put on the National Health Service.
Around 1,500 people go to Bath's Royal United Hospital every year as a result of a road accident.
And excess speed is a factor in a third of all cases.
The figure includes cyclists and pedestrians, as well as drivers.
According to Government figures, a serious injury can cost up to £100,000 in theatre procedures, intensive care, in-patient treatment, X-rays, scans and out patient care, including physiotherapy.
A Bath emergency doctor says just a small drop in speed can make a difference.
Clare Taylor, a consultant in emergency medicine at the RUH, said: "Quite small differences in speed make significant differences to the severity of injuries.
"A drop from 40 to 30mph can mean the difference between life and death."
Bus advertisements carrying the message: "A high speed serious injury collision can cost your local hospital £100,000. Wake up to the real cost of speeding," will be seen throughout the Bath area in the next two months.
Miss Taylor said: "For a serious multiple trauma patient, the figure of £100,000 could be an underestimate.
"Even things that appear to be relatively small injuries, such as broken ankles and neck sprains, cost the health service lots of money.
"There is also the personal cost of pain and suffering."
The Safety Camera Partnership, which aims to cut casualties by enforcing speed limits with cameras, says reducing excessive speed and the number of serious injuries would free up hospital beds and reduce queues for elective and urgent surgical procedures.
Simon Carpenter, an expert in physical activity at Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust, said: "Fast-moving traffic plays a part in discouraging physical activity by inhibiting walking and cycling.
"Speeding traffic is a major factor in deterring parents from allowing their children to play outside and to walk and cycle to school.
"As a society, we need to view speeding as an anti-social, health-endangering activity, in the same way we now see drink driving as being socially unacceptable."
Next Story | Previous Story | Back to list
BY LAURA MATLESS
11:00 - 18 August 2004
Health reporter EMERGENCY doctors in Bath are backing a new campaign to get drivers to cut their speed.
Speed-related accidents in Avon and Somerset are costing the National Health Service more than £20m a year.
The Safety Camera Partnership, which operates speed cameras, has launched a new campaign to draw attention to the pressures road accidents put on the National Health Service.
Around 1,500 people go to Bath's Royal United Hospital every year as a result of a road accident.
And excess speed is a factor in a third of all cases.
The figure includes cyclists and pedestrians, as well as drivers.
According to Government figures, a serious injury can cost up to £100,000 in theatre procedures, intensive care, in-patient treatment, X-rays, scans and out patient care, including physiotherapy.
A Bath emergency doctor says just a small drop in speed can make a difference.
Clare Taylor, a consultant in emergency medicine at the RUH, said: "Quite small differences in speed make significant differences to the severity of injuries.
"A drop from 40 to 30mph can mean the difference between life and death."
Bus advertisements carrying the message: "A high speed serious injury collision can cost your local hospital £100,000. Wake up to the real cost of speeding," will be seen throughout the Bath area in the next two months.
Miss Taylor said: "For a serious multiple trauma patient, the figure of £100,000 could be an underestimate.
"Even things that appear to be relatively small injuries, such as broken ankles and neck sprains, cost the health service lots of money.
"There is also the personal cost of pain and suffering."
The Safety Camera Partnership, which aims to cut casualties by enforcing speed limits with cameras, says reducing excessive speed and the number of serious injuries would free up hospital beds and reduce queues for elective and urgent surgical procedures.
Simon Carpenter, an expert in physical activity at Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust, said: "Fast-moving traffic plays a part in discouraging physical activity by inhibiting walking and cycling.
"Speeding traffic is a major factor in deterring parents from allowing their children to play outside and to walk and cycle to school.
"As a society, we need to view speeding as an anti-social, health-endangering activity, in the same way we now see drink driving as being socially unacceptable."
article said:
Speed-related accidents in Avon and Somerset are costing the National Health Service more than £20m a year.
The NHS is so good at activity-based costing that it knows the figure for speed-related accidents? I don't believe it!!
article said:
Around 1,500 people go to Bath's Royal United Hospital every year as a result of a road accident.
That was a very bad accident.
article said:
And excess speed is a factor in a third of all cases.
Proof?
article said:
According to Government figures, a serious injury can cost up to £100,000 in theatre procedures, intensive care, in-patient treatment, X-rays, scans and out patient care, including physiotherapy.
If true, and we're solely focused on saving NHS costs, then why go on to say...
article said:
"A drop from 40 to 30mph can mean the difference between life and death."
...it would be better to let people die than to cost the NHS that £100k, surely?
article said:
...[adverts on buses]... "A high speed serious injury collision can cost your local hospital £100,000. Wake up to the real cost of speeding"
Yet again a subtle blending of "high speed" with "speeding". Don't ya just love it? And what percentage of buses break the speed limit in towns? I recall something over 75%?
article said:
...[usual stuff]...
More of the "socially unacceptable" garbage. Soon it will be teachers telling kids not to let their parents speed, or fluffy pets being run over on adverts to highlight the dangers.
Peter Ward said:
More of the "socially unacceptable" garbage. Soon it will be teachers telling kids not to let their parents speed, or fluffy pets being run over on adverts to highlight the dangers.
Havnt you read 1984? It'll be kids taught to report their parent's speeding offences and getting them arrested ;-)
Never mind speeding - what about MRSA!
Official figures claim that it kills 5000 people a year in hospitals - but what is the real figure?? People who are already ill, then get 'finished off' by the disease do not count on the official figure.
Government departments. saftey camera twats, brake and other do-gooders should put some of their energy into cleaning up the hospitals and eradicating this disease.
Tony B. Liar promised us a better NHS yet is getting worse.
UK hospitals are a disgrace. Clean them up!
>> Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Wednesday 18th August 18:28
Official figures claim that it kills 5000 people a year in hospitals - but what is the real figure?? People who are already ill, then get 'finished off' by the disease do not count on the official figure.
Government departments. saftey camera twats, brake and other do-gooders should put some of their energy into cleaning up the hospitals and eradicating this disease.
Tony B. Liar promised us a better NHS yet is getting worse.
UK hospitals are a disgrace. Clean them up!
>> Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Wednesday 18th August 18:28
sadako said:
More of the "socially unacceptable" garbage. Soon it will be teachers telling kids not to let their parents speed, or fluffy pets being run over on adverts to highlight the dangers.
Havnt you read 1984? It'll be kids taught to report their parent's speeding offences and getting them arrested ;-)
im sure itll be called 'speedcrime'
sadako said:
Havnt you read 1984? It'll be kids taught to report their parent's speeding offences and getting them arrested ;-)
Remember that parent who complained about a bastardised form of the twinkle twinkle 'nursery rhyme' being taught to their kid, started something like this:
Cough and splutter, motor car
You pollute both near and far
In some education authorities, schools are distributing booklets from anti-car groups that take the usual
view of speed and vehicle emissions. IIRC the two I've had sight of did advocate parents using their cars less. Too many GROLIs in teaching (see thread on abbreviations 
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