This month’s Bulletin focuses on speed as we consider what is understood by appropriate speed when driving. Linked to this is the rising incidence of drivers being caught out by the general public when speeding and driving dangerously due to the popularity of vehicles being fitted with dash cams and cyclists wearing head cams. This video evidence is now being sent to and used by Police forces to prosecute drivers.
APPROPRIATE SPEED AND DRIVER ATTITUDE
Adopting the most appropriate speed when driving is directly linked to a driver’s attitude and the amount of driving education they have received. With almost 60% of all road accidents having a speed element as a contributory factor.
(Source : GOV.UK) understanding appropriate speed is critical for reducing collisions.
A lack of education and a poor attitude can lead to:
- Poor decisions being made when navigating the driving environment
- Poor processing of what is happening on the road ahead
- Failure to scan the road and assess hazards
There are numerous contributory factors that effect a driver’s behaviour and their
choice of inappropriate speed when driving:
- Fatigue
- Stress from personal issues or a heavy delivery schedule for example
- Road rage and annoyance with other drivers or road conditions for example
road works delaying a journey - Low blood sugar and forgetting to eat through the day or dehydration
- Illness or conditions such as hayfever or medication
- Weather conditions and road surfaces
- Road type and location eg motorway, rural roads
- Size and weight of vehicle, also engine type and stopping distances needed
Appropriate speed can mean driving too fast which means stopping distances become greater, incidences of sudden harsh braking increase and near misses or collisions are more likely.
Driving too slowly for the road conditions can also increase the incidence of road risk and may cause other drivers to feel frustrated with a driver. Driving too slowly is not necessarily safer, as other drivers can be tempted to take risks and inadvertently a driver can create road rage or a traffic tail back unnecessarily.
Remember – Road speed limits are a maximum speed for the road, not a target
speed that should be driven.
Appropriate speed can mean driving too fast which means stopping distances become greater, incidences of sudden harsh braking increase and near misses or collisions are more likely.
Driving too slowly for the road conditions can also increase the incidence of road risk and may cause other drivers to feel frustrated with a driver. Driving too slowly is not necessarily safer, as other drivers can be tempted to take risks and inadvertently a driver can create road rage or a traffic tail back unnecessarily.
Remember – Road speed limits are a maximum speed for the road, not a target
speed that should be driven.
DASHCAMS AND HEADCAM RECORDINGS AID PROSECUTIONS
Reports of ‘dangerous driving’ reached a record high in 2024, with more than 24,000 videos sent to the police via the National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDCSP) in the first half of the year. This rise in reporting is due to the increased use of dashcams, in vehicles and on road bikes, that can validate incidents of dangerous driving.
In the West Midlands alone 6,000 dangerous drivers were fined up to £200 due to public footage sent to the West Midlands Police Force. In addition to these fines over 2,000 drivers were forced to attend driver awareness courses and 571 appeared in court for their offences.
The top reported offences were:
- driving without due care and attention
- using a mobile phone
- running a red light
- A further 31% increase is expected by the end of the year as the National Dash
Cam Safety Portal (NDCSP) typically sees a spike in reports of dangerous driving
over the summer months. (Source : Fleet News).
Many police forces now accept online reports of using a mobile phone while driving
and may ask the ‘reporting driver’ to attend court to give evidence plus the
following information: - The driver’s number plate
- Video evidence to upload
- Date, time and location of incident
- Vehicle details
- Independent witnesses or evidence
The increase in video recordings indicates that motorists and fleet operators are routinely fitting dashcams to their vehicles and therefore more incidents are being caught on camera.
Penalties for Dangerous Driving
A DD80 and DD40 endorsement comes with an obligatory driving ban, the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving carries an obligatory 2-year ban.
Any driver earning 12 points on their licence within 3 years will also face a ban.
Dangerous driving charges carry an unlimited fine, while prison terms can reach 10 years for causing death by dangerous driving (DD80), the maximum sentence is 14 years’ custody.
Benefits of Fitting Dash Cams
The benefits of installing dash cams include:
- Being able to identify which drivers need coaching to improve their driving
habits. - Receiving an automatic alert about a crash rather than waiting for the driver
to report it. Protection from fraudulent insurance claims. Dash cam footage
can be used to counter a false claim about the number of passengers in a
third party vehicle suffering whiplash, for instance, or a crash-for-cash scam
where a fraudster has deliberately slammed on their brakes at a roundabout,
causing your innocent driver to go into the back of them. - Speeding up the time it takes to settle an insurance claim and reducing the
cost of the claim. - Reduced insurance premiums.
- Potentially recording a thief breaking into the vehicle or a ‘hit while parked’
situation – some dashcams can detect motion while the vehicle is parked and
will start recording.
Ultimately, dashcams could reduce vehicle downtime, cut costs and make our fleet
safer.
The other side of the coin is that dashcams will assist in educating drivers on what
constitutes dangerous driving :
- Speeding, racing or aggressive driving
- Ignoring road signs and traffic lights
- Drink or drug-driving, including prescription drugs
- Driving with an injury or while being unable to see clearly
- Knowingly driving with an unsafe load or dangerous fault
- The driver being avoidably and dangerously distracted, for example by:
- using a mobile phone or tablet
- reading, or looking at a map
- talking to and looking at a passenger
- lighting a cigarette, changing a CD or tape, or tuning the radio.
