Paul Smith in Autocar

[PetrolTed]

Good to see Paul getting an outlet in this week's Autocar but I'm not sure it will have done him any favours.

It's all about drivers spending 50% of their time looking at their speedo when in camera zones. I've got your release somewhere Paul (I'll dig it out and have another read) but it's nonsense to suggest anyone spends half their time looking at the speedo. Anyone who hasn't encountered your work before might think it a bit barmy.

[gone]

In fact I quite agree. I agree basically with the message that Safespeed is trying to get across but not in the way they are doing it.

Much of the statistics they quote to support their ideology are meaningless and some are just pie in the sky!

Better training for road driving would be a huge step forwards but to spout on about danger caused because someone driving in a restricted area concentrates more on their speedometer than their surroundings is barking up the wrong tree.

[deltaf]

gone said:

In fact I quite agree. I agree basically with the message that Safespeed is trying to get across but not in the way they are doing it. Much of the statistics they quote to support their ideology are meaningless and some are just pie in the sky! Better training for road driving would be a huge step forwards but to spout on about danger caused because someone driving in a restricted area concentrates more on their speedometer than their surroundings is barking up the wrong tree.

See the pledge regarding dodgy statistics on pauls ite, he promises to remove them if can be shown to be false....no pie there mate.

[greenv8s]

It occured to me recently that my driving habits have changed over the last couple of years. I used to mainly concentrate on hazards and my escape options, with regular glances down at the instruments a couple of times a minute and occasional checks of the speedo to verify my ongoing estimate of how fast I was going.

With the increase in speed cameras this has all changed. Nowadays I glance at the speedo every ten seconds or so to make sure I haven't crept too far over the limit and only rarely check any of the other instruments, any spare attention goes to looking out for cameras and speed traps. Personally I think SafeSpeed are not far off the mark, and I think the widespread threats to my license have taught me to develop driving habits that protect my license but make me a worse driver.

[deltaf]

Speedo? Whats a speedo?

[puggit]

greenv8s said:

It occured to me recently that my driving habits have changed over the last couple of years. I used to mainly concentrate on hazards and my escape options, with regular glances down at the instruments a couple of times a minute and occasional checks of the speedo to verify my ongoing estimate of how fast I was going. With the increase in speed cameras this has all changed. Nowadays I glance at the speedo every ten seconds or so to make sure I haven't crept too far over the limit and only rarely check any of the other instruments, any spare attention goes to looking out for cameras and speed traps. Personally I think SafeSpeed are not far off the mark, and I think the widespread threats to my license have taught me to develop driving habits that protect my license but make me a worse driver.

I'm with you 100% on this one

[Davel]

Me too!

[PetrolTed]

I too check my actual speed as well as determine my appropriate speed far more often than I used to.

However to suggest that anyone spends half their time behind the wheel doing this is surely nonsense and is not good PR for Paul.

[tonyrec]

PetrolTed said:

I too check my actual speed rather as well as determine my appropriate speed more often than I used to. However to suggest that anyone spends half their time behind the wheel doing this is surely nonsense.

I certainly agree with you Ted.

[safespeed]

PetrolTed said:

I too check my actual speed as well as determine my appropriate speed far more often than I used to. However to suggest that anyone spends half their time behind the wheel doing this is surely nonsense and is not good PR for Paul.

I agree. The 50% claim is supported by the small scale survey which relates very specifically to the number of times drivers claim to check their speedo in the immediate vicinity of a speed camera. See this page:

www.safespeed.org.uk/speedo.html

And the survey at:
www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=247

There's one particular misleading sentence in the Autocar item that implies I claimed that drivers spend 50% of their time looking at their speedo "on dangerous roads". Obviously I didn't say that and I'll have words with Autocar.

Best Regards,
Paul Smith
Safe Speed
www.safespeed.org.uk

[PetrolTed]

Just had a look at the survey Paul. How do you arrive at 50%?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a great supporter of your work but this claim seems nonsensical to me and could be pounced on by your critics.

[safespeed]

PetrolTed said:

Just had a look at the survey Paul. How do you arrive at 50%? Don't get me wrong, I'm a great supporter of your work but this claim seems nonsensical to me and could be pounced on by your critics.

My words were: "According to early results of an ongoing straw poll survey, drivers are likely to be spending up to 50% of their time looking at their speedometers in areas of danger warns Safe Speed."

This is supported by the 30% of drivers who claim that they will check their speedos "4 times or more" in the 8 second danger zone. That's 30% of drivers saying they giv up 50% OR MORE of their attention.

Best Regards,
Paul Smith
Safe Speed
www.safespeed.org.uk

[m-five]

Doesn't the inclusion of 'up to' make this figure as meaningless and false as most of the government's figures.

If one person spends 8 seconds looking at their speed in the 8 second window you would not say "...up to 100% of people spend 100% of their time looking at their speedo instead on concentrating on the road", would you?

[safespeed]

m-five said:

Doesn't the inclusion of 'up to' make this figure as meaningless and false as most of the government's figures. If one person spends 8 seconds looking at their speed in the 8 second window you would not say "...up to 100% of people spend 100% of their time looking at their speedo instead on concentrating on the road", would you?

Yes and no. It's important to say something that can be used as a headline or a sound bite, but I'd never provide such information without full supporting details. After Autocar's misleading sub editoring I WILL be more careful in the future. Anyway, here's the Autocar thing:

[puggit]

Who's the original Paul Smith then?

[Gfun]

Aggree with this but worry about it being a major campaign factor

i.e. - if people check the speed/ hit the barkes when they see a camera then would it not be best to hide them?

No thanks I want them highley visible please.

[nonegreen]

In the Pissant I have started spending 90% of my time looking at the speedo in the hope of having a "claimable" crash. In the Porsche I watch the road cos its just too dangerous not to.

[gopher]

Delatf said he was going to experiment with driving at or below the speed limit sometime last week for a week, just to see how difficult it was for him and other drivers. (sorry can’t find thread)

At the time I was thinking of another experiment which was to cover my speedometer for a week, which I appreciate would probably be illegal, but IMO would make me a much safer driver, however I abandoned the idea because safe speeds are not consistent with speed limits and therefore I would probably lose my licence.

Cheers

Paul

edited to die to bad grammer

>> Edited by gopher on Tuesday 20th April 23:38

[GreaseNipple]

I think its only enthusiasts that actively look out for speed cameras. Driving with several of my mates and they just sail up to speed cameras and I have to warn them about what theyre doing. Learning to drive in the last 2 years means Ive always looked out for speed cameras, and its become part of the old hazards chaeck.

[Sgt^Roc]

PetrolTed said:

Good to see Paul getting an outlet in this week's Autocar but I'm not sure it will have done him any favours. It's all about drivers spending 50% of their time looking at their speedo when in camera zones. I've got your release somewhere Paul (I'll dig it out and have another read) but it's nonsense to suggest anyone spends half their time looking at the speedo. Anyone who hasn't encountered your work before might think it a bit barmy.

Barmy you think, well perhaps there is a little more to read in between the lines than the implied statement of just looking down at a Speedo? Since the plod has been devoting himself toward simply catching any driver over the speed limits rather than targeting the dangerous drivers or simply those that should not be on the roads or those who are not legal, It has now changed the perception of all those who drive toward the fact that the dear old plod are waiting for the moment you drift over the posted speed to give you a ticket and of course take some money. Therefore in reality those drivers are concentrating less on the real issues and dangers and just ensuring their speed is not above the posted limited.

Also because many speed limits have been lowered to outrageously low speeds or traffic calming installed drivers now stick religiously to the posted speed limit to make up lost time which you know as well as others is not the correct way to use speed limits.