Whilst dropping my son off at work at around 6am this morning, I took the opportunity to drive the 2.5 miles at 20mph and all I can say is what a ridiculous speed... I spent most of the journey watching my speedo to ensure that I didnt go over 20mph then I concentrated on trying to find the most suitable gear to put the car in and then I managed to kill some of the boredom by looking around at the nice houses and scenery!!!!! because believe me at that speed there will seem little point in concentrating on the road... At one point I even considered whether like most of the people Ive seen driving at that kind speed, it may be worth sending the odd text or phone a friend! If I had to make one prediction it would that if a 20mph speed limit is put in force the number of accidents will initially increase, along with the increased feeling of invincibility that will be given to pedestrians and cyclists as they also begin to realise they can concentrate less (if thats possible for some of them!) Then I started thinking of all the accidents Ive witnessed in the last twenty odd years in Worthing and came to the conclusion that without exception the only ones Ive seen have been cars pulling out at junctions without looking, Cyclist jumping red lights, or people going so slow that that theyre not paying attention when the car in front stops suddenly (Ive done this myself...). The funny thing is that the people likely to cause the accidents are those who already drive at a snails pace with a lack of concentration (still at least theyll feel vindicated when everyone else joins in!) Why not spend some time and money on educating people on road safety, cycling proficiency and general respect for all road users and pedestrians. One final thing, Im a keen motorcyclists and use my bike constantly and if I felt for one minute 20mph would make things safer for me Id be the first one to recommend it. Id far rather take my chances with someone who was looking ahead and concentrating on the road! Rant Over... Dave Greenaway
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 07:58:37 +0000