Another week and yet other shock survey confirming what the majority of UK motorists already know… people drive too fast and too close.
The survey by the road safety charity Brake revealed that from 1000 drivers surveyed, 57 percent admit to risky tailgating while a whopping 60 percent of drivers admit to breaking the speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways by at least 10MPH.
We all know that speed and distance are common factors in many accidents and fatalities on our roads. Like Brake, we urge all drivers to respect the speed limits and follow the two second rule, hypermiling or not.
Shockingly this is not just another insurance sponsored survey hitting the automotive press either. Brake is doing a sterling job promoting safe driving and lobbying the government to help make our roads safer. Brake have urged government to nationally promote the importance of the two-second rule and keeping within posted speed limits on motorways, as well as extending the roll out of average speed cameras across the UK motorway network.
Here’s what deputy chief executive, Julie Townsend of Brake, said: “Almost all drivers are concerned about the danger posed by other people tailgating on motorways, and yet a shockingly high proportion admit driving too close and speeding themselves. There are no two ways about it: ignore the two-second rule or the speed limit on motorways and you’re putting yourself and others at risk of a horrific crash. Traffic laws are not just for other people: all drivers can help make our motorways safer and prevent needless tragedies by committing to keep your distance and stay under speed limits, including temporary lower limits.”
Brake go further to point out that keeping to the speed limits is also a great way of conserving fuel, check out our Hypermiling tips page for this and more ways to make every drop go that little bit further.
We would also like to again point out that drafting and other Hypermiling techniques that suggest following a vehicle in front should always be conducted safely, in accordance with the law and at correct driving distances. In adverse weather conditions the two second rule may not be a safe distance and you should adjust your spacing accordingly.
The above is just a small snippet of the results from the survey – check out the report in full here.
We’d love to hear what you have to say so why not leave a comment below or join the discussion on our busy Hypermiling forum.
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