Safe and credible speed limits; A strategic exploration In a previous publication entitled Safe, what is safe, SWOV designated speed control as one of the five main points of a policy aimed at achieving a significant reduction of the number of traffic casualties. SWOV proposed striving for a situation in which, within 10 years, all motor vehicle drivers obeyed the then applying speed limits. Seen from this position, this report presents a strategic vision of the short term and medium term (driving) speed policy in the Netherlands. Road safety is the most important line of approach of this report. However, speed also directly influences a) the environment through its emission and noise, and b) the accessibility through journey duration and chance of congestion. These influences are briefly described. The report deals mainly with cars, but the ideas can also influence vans and lorries. An overview of speed policy up until now shows that speed control has largely been achieved by laws (speed limits), infrastructural measures, and enforcement. Especially during the second half of the 1990s, a strong impulse was obtained from Sustainably-Safe and the start of regional enforcement projects. At the same time, the speed limits were still being massively exceeded. On average, nearly half the car drivers exceed the speed limit. In other words, it is extremely unlikely that a 'more of the same' approach will result in the targets formulated by SWOV being achieved. Linked to the Sustainably-Safe points of departure and starting out from the current rigid system of speed limits, this report then describes the elements to, in the short term, drastically reduce the percentage of offenders. The key concepts in this are safe limits, credible limits, and information about the limits. We recommend, using yet to be drawn up checklists, that road authorities examine: 1) if the current speed limits are safe, given the circumstances and traffic composition, i.e. that it is almost impossible that a crash will result in severe injury; 2) if the current speed limits are credible, i.e. they and their limit transitions fit how the road looks; and 3) if the driver has sufficient information about the current local limit. The limit or the road layout will have to be adapted where necessary. All this can be done within a few years. The rationale is that, depending on the road type, this will result in a compliance of 70-90%. `Credible' enforcement will remain necessary for those continuing to drive too fast. At the same time, it is essential to work on a further dynamic making of the limits. Dynamic limits benefit the safety as well as the credibility of the limits. After all, dynamic limits make it easier to allow for up to the minute weather and traffic circumstances. We also have to further work on the development of ISA. Our initial thoughts have to be an ISA that is informative and warns, so that the drivers are continuously aware of the limit.
Samenvatting