Speed

Mistakes is a campaign launched by the New Zealand Transport Agency that "encourages the audience to be conscious of other road users and to choose a safer speed that factors in the chance for human error." I fear that the current speed limit review here in British Columbia will be driven by "me" centered drivers who have little or no consideration for other road users. This campaign gives valid reasons to support careful consideration of other factors beyond better roads and better vehicles should result in higher speed limits.

Setting the speed limit on a highway in BC is a more complex process than most people realize. If you're curious, the Ministry of Tranportation and Infrastucture's blog explains about design, use and review with regard to speed limit setting and revision on our highways.

Choosing the speed to drive at on our highways is a highly controversial and individual decision. I would dare to say that the posted speed limit is only a guide for many drivers. For those drivers, the choice ranges from total disregard to the point that you decide what is 10 over from. Even some police managers that I have worked for over the years tended to downplay the involvement of speed in our collision problem. Personally, I remain convinced that those who consciously decide not to follow the rules are a part of the problem and civil disobedience has no place on our highways.

Reconstruction is part of Australia's Wipe Off 5 anti-speeding campaign. It demonstrates how slowing down by 5 km/h can drastically reduce the consequences of a collision. In contrast, one might think about many driver's tendencies to say that 10 over isn't a problem because the police don't write speeding tickets for that little over the limit. The ticket might be the least of your problems if your speed is the cause of a collision.

Point to point speed enforcement involves monitoring motorist's average speeds over a highway segment and then prosecuting drivers whose average speed was too high for the posted speed limit over the segment. This is an automated enforcement method that uses automated number plate recognition and other technologies.