Since man first walked this planet he has always sought to travel faster than someone or something else. Either to escape or to catch up, to live or to die, speed has always played a part in our lives. Speed on our roads,wherever we live, has always been a problem, be it from the first time man used artificial or alternative means to walking. But speed in itself, ifused correctly is not a problem. Like many things it is the incorrect usage that presents the problem. The horse, bicycle and car have all brought about their own specific brand of problems, but none more so than the motor car. The very first fatal road accident in the United Kingdom, over 100 years ago, involved a car travelling 'as fast as' 5mph (7kph). Man's marriage with speed means we are not just contented with getting from A to B safely, we now need to do it as quickly as possible. Single carriageway roads have given way to dual carriageways, which in turn have increased to 3, 4, 5 or even 6-lane carriageways, when and where will it stop? The limit at which we now travel on those roads has also increased dependent upon what type of road we are travelling and which country we are in. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135582.
Samenvatting