A survey, concerning male motorists' attitudes to and knowledge of the speed limits and their enforcement, was carried out, in autumn 1973, among 146 drivers in Manchester. The purpose of the survey was to examine motorists' reasons for breaking speed limits: an area which was found to be largely neglected in the research literature. The results suggested that male motorists' attitudes to speed limits and their lack of knowledge of the positioning and signposting of limits are contributory factors to speed limit contravention. Attitudes to speed limits were found to be ambivalent; respondents appearing to be in favour of speed limits in principle but dissatisfied with several of the existing restrictions. Knowledge of the meaning of the 'derestiction sign' varied significantly by social class. Exact knowledge of the penalty for speed limit contravention was fairly rare, while the tendency was to underestimate. Respondents, however, tended to overestimate the risk of being caught by the police for speeding offences. It was concluded that male motorists are not generally convinced of a significant relationship between breaking a speed limit and accident causality. (Author/publisher)
Abstract