ROAD SAFETY and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is using the UN Global Road Safety Week as an opportunity to call for smart new policies and initiatives to reduce vehicle speeds.
Central to this latest Global Road Safety Week (17 to 23 May 2021) is the assertion that low speeds save lives.
A recent study from Bristol1 showed that the introduction of 20mph limits was associated with a 63 per cent reduction in fatal injuries between 2008 and 2016.
There is widespread support for lower speeds, too. In UK surveys, 70 per cent of motorists in a Department for Transport2 survey said they agreed that 20 mph was the right limit for streets where people live. Meanwhile, a poll in Scotland3 suggested that 65 per cent were in favour, and one in four people thought it would make them more likely to walk or cycle in their everyday life.
Neil Worth, chief executive of GEM Motoring Assist, said: “Low speed on roads can help save lives and are the heart of any community. 20mph speed limits where people and traffic mix make for streets that are healthy, green and liveable. That’s why the UN is calling them ‘streets for life.”
“So we are joining safety organisations around the world to make policymakers aware of the benefits of lower speed. We want o persuade them to act for low speed streets worldwide, limiting speeds to 20 mph where people walk, live and play.”
