Travel Speed
Speeding is among the most significant contributing factors to fatal collisions. The severity of collisions increases dramatically with the speed of collision. Reducing speeds is the best, easiest, and fastest way to quickly radically improve safety, for both drivers and pedestrians and bicyclists. Drivers have a wider field of vision and are more likely to notice other road-users at lower speeds. It is crucial not only to the motorist’s ability to avoid crashes but also to the survival of non-motorists in a crash.

Simply dropping speed limits or even enforcement isn’t the answer. Most people don’t drive according to the speed limit, they drive according to the “feel” of the road. Street design is the most powerful governor of driver behavior such as lane and shoulder widths and sight distance and obstructions.

Impacts from high speeds

• High car speeds can reduce walking and biking due to unsafe conditions leading to negative heath impacts.
• Children’s independent mobility is particularly susceptible to the risks associated with high traffic speeds because of the fear of traffic danger.
• Local social interactions are disrupted by high-speed traffic due to perceived unfriendliness of street environments, leading to a loss of social connectedness.
• High-speed traffic encourages urban sprawl.
• The faster the speed of traffic, the higher the level of air pollution and noise pollution.