Road humps cause speeding: survey
We compensate for delays, finds research
Speed humps cause speeding?
Two-thirds of drivers (67 per cent) told researchers for windscreen experts survey author Autoglass that their response to road safety measures is to flout the Highway Code elsewhere.
After being forced to slow down by traffic calming measures, four in five (84 per cent) break the speed limit, seven in ten drive aggressively (72 per cent) or jump amber lights (71 per cent) and two in three will cut up another driver (68 per cent) or use rat runs (67 per cent). As a result, one in five (20 per cent) said they have had an accident of some sort. A quarter (25 per cent) have had a near miss.
Autoglass boss Nigel Doggett said, "The effectiveness of traffic calming measures in improving safety at danger spots has been clearly proven but it seems they are having an adverse effect on drivers' behaviour elsewhere.
"This suggests that more needs to be done to ensure that drivers understand that road safety measures are genuinely working to keep them safe, not to inconvenience them. They certainly must not be seen as a justification for risk-taking elsewhere."
Four in five (79 per cent) drivers say they feel inconvenienced by road safety measures, six in ten (57 per cent) say they feel irritated and 31 per cent say they're a cause of stress.
They say road safety measures are as annoying as being burgled or robbed (44 per cent) or having their car broken into (54 per cent). By comparison, a third (35 per cent) say they feel safer because of them and one in five (20 per cent) say they feel protected.
In justifying their risky responses, drivers claim that road safety measures add 17 minutes to a typical journey.
Doggett said, "It seems that telling drivers to slow down or drive carefully in one place only makes them determined to speed up or take risks elsewhere.
"They then appear to exaggerate or over-estimate the inconvenience and lost time caused by traffic calming in order to justify their actions."
Autoglass has sent its 'Rebel Drivers' report to the Government and is calling for more government-provided education. Doggett said: "We believe more persuasive arguments need to be made for traffic calming measures. If drivers continue to rebel against them, they will only create new danger spots and the stark option is that calming measures may have to be extended even further."
Of course, it might make a tad more sense if such measures were applied only in areas where they might work -- assuming that the survey more than just hokum.
smeggy said:
The report never mentioned that drivers will usually give their full attention to an approaching hump, distracting them from all other potential hazards 
I wonder how many have died due to delayed ambulances, these having to drive so slow over these
Good point, I remember hearing a statistic that more people have died as result of ambulances being delayed by "Traffic Calming Measures" than pro traffic calming
s claim to have been saved by them. 
nel said:
Problem with this is the NIMBYs - like me! Yes, speed bumps irritate me everywhere I go, but the two on my road are essential to stop rush hour, ratrun drivers from coming down the hill at ridiculous speeds. So they can get rid of them all, except the ones on my road!
Your not a NIMBY, they are people who don't want them in their backyard. Your a JIMBY, just in my backyard.
I don't have a problem with humps in residential area's, small back streets and housing estates. My main moan is the humps they place on main roads. Get rid of them!
They can have a calming effect, but by the 6th one people get fed-up and start pushing, or leave the car in a low gear and race from bump to bump (with the accompanying revs/noise.
They really need to find the one person with some common sense, in the local council and ask them where to put them and how many...
However, how dare anyone slowed down by a traffic calming measure, think that it is ok to go belting around elsewhere like an idiot, just because they may have been inconvenienced. How arrogant and irrisponsible can you get? If we all drove with half a brain, which means driving appropriately for the conditions, there would not be any need for such traffic calming measures. I do accept that we all make mistakes however., and someimes need some form of check. I also think it is quite safe to drive at speed where the conditions allow, which ain`t many places these days.
My point is kinda related to this.
U have normal speed bumps which go all the way across the roadway, right? they may have sum point. But wot on earth is the point of those little speed humps which most cars track width can clear, so u just drive over them without the car actually bumping up onto them. Sorry a bit hard to word, but if ya get the jist, i'd b interested to know ure opinions.
My opinion is that these particular humps are utterly pointless and a total waste of money because they do not even try and slow you down.
Your thoughts, please.
Darren
iluvmercs said:
U have normal speed bumps which go all the way across the roadway, right? they may have sum point. But wot on earth is the point of those little speed humps which most cars track width can clear, so u just drive over them without the car actually bumping up onto them. Sorry a bit hard to word, but if ya get the jist, i'd b interested to know ure opinions.
Depends what you're driving - I always worry about the health of my sump. This is where the urban 4x4 finally comes into its own I suppose.
While they were here everyone moaned about the lorries clattering over them and chavs speeding up and slowing down as loudly as possible. And the extra wear & tear on your car.
Now they've gone, the traffic volume is up 50%, speeds have gone through the roof, and it takes ages to back out of your drive coz everyone's hammering down the road....
Now their idea is to fix cameras at each end of the road to time peoples' speed from one end of the road to the other..... I think I might take the JIMBY stance on that particular idea!
OctaneBooster said:
I've often thought that one way of turning people who live in speed humped roads against these things is to put the idea in their heads that speed humps reduce house prices. Quite logical really, if you are presented with a property where you need to drive over several of these things to get to the main road at least twice daily wouldn't you expect a reduction off the asking price? All it would take is someone in the business to make sure this gets mentioned in the numerous property programmes and articles on TV and papers to start a revolution against these abominations. After all, if there's one thing the British care more about than the safety of their precious kids its the value of their houses.
I remember reading something last year in the Southport Visitor about a woman who reckoned the traffic (especially buses & HGV's) going over speed humps outside her house were causing it to collapse - this certainly would lower its value!
Why there were humps on an important through-road was never discussed - of course.
The additional noise and pollution caused by vehicles slowing down, crashing over the humps, then speeding up again are another good reason why I would not want them outside my house (and the fact live in a close....)
iluvmercs said:
Hey guys.
My point is kinda related to this.
U have normal speed bumps which go all the way across the roadway, right? they may have sum point. But wot on earth is the point of those little speed humps which most cars track width can clear, so u just drive over them without the car actually bumping up onto them. Sorry a bit hard to word, but if ya get the jist, i'd b interested to know ure opinions.
My opinion is that these particular humps are utterly pointless and a total waste of money because they do not even try and slow you down.
Your thoughts, please.
Darren
They are to bugger up the sumps and engine mountings of cars with insufficient ground clearance (e.g. TVR, Dax etc.) to do what you refer to - i.e. straddle the hump. More like beinig beached upon them! Perhaps a council's way of having it in for drivers of sports cars???????
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