Results from the third SARTRE (Social Attitudes to Road Traffic Risk in Europe) survey regarding speed and speeding issues are reported for 23 European countries. Typically, European drivers are more likely to report that they drive faster than other drivers than to report driving more dangerously. This suggests that in general drivers do not appreciate that speed is associated with risk when their own driving is concerned. While 34% of Dutch drivers reported that they drive faster, only 14% of UK drivers did. Avery large majority of UK drivers think they drive more safely than other drivers. Differences between countries concerning the proportion of drivers exceeding the speed limit on motorways were much greater than the proportion exceeding the speed limit in residential areas. Drivers in the UK reported speeding less than the average European driver, except for driving on motorways. A sizeable majority of drivers in all countries think that other drivers frequently exceed the speed limits. The percentage of drivers reporting that they enjoyed driving very fast ranged from 15% in Denmark to 5% in the UK. A significant proportion of drivers admitted to driving through an amber light. Dangerous overtaking was admitted to much less frequently. Driving too fast was very widely recognised as a contributory factor in accidents. A significant proportion of drivers reported being caught and punished for speeding in the previous three years (46% in the Netherlands compared with 9% in the UK. In the UK, drivers' expectation of being caught was considerably higher than in any there country. There was also less support for higher speed limits in the UK than in other countries, except on motorways. There was general support for the use of speed cameras but less support for other forms of enforcement. Some clear messages about how the education, publicity campaigns and enforcement can be improved were derived from the research. For the covering abstract see ITRD E157496
Abstract