FACTS ABOUT SPEEDING
In road traffic, the term speeding refers to the state of a motorist driving at a rate
exceeding the legal speed limit. For example, a driver traveling at 60 kilometers per
hour along a section of road with a speed limit of 50, is considered to be speeding.
Speeding has been a major contributory factor to crashes that occur on roads in Accra
and the country at large.
The physics of a crash
In a crash, it is the amount of kinetic energy that is imparted which causes injuries or
death. This kinetic energy increases exponentially with speed. A doubling of speed is
not equal to twice as much kinetic energy, but rather a substantial increase much
beyond that and it is much more lethal. A 20% increase in speed is roughly a 45%
increase in kinetic energy.
 In a high-speed crash, a passenger vehicle cannot handle the force of the crash.
As crash speeds get very high, airbags and seat belts do not work as well to
keep passengers safe.
 Speed influences the risk of crashes and crash injuries in three basic ways:
 By the time the driver realizes the need to react, they would have traveled
closer to the danger.
 This causes a majority of drivers who find themselves in this situation to
try stepping hard on the brakes.
 This increases the general impact of the crash.
 If a driver doubles their speed – for instance from 30 mph to 60 mph – the
braking distance does not become twice as far. It becomes four times as far.
Traveling at 55 mph, it will take about 6 seconds to stop the vehicle. The vehicle
will travel approximately 302 feet before coming to a stop. That is longer than the
length of a football field.
 When a driver is speeding, other drivers have a hard time telling how fast they
are going.
 A driver should consider road conditions, weather and road design and slow
down when those change. For instance, it is easier to lose traction when
speeding around a curve and the high center of gravity makes it easier to roll
over. A driver should slow down before curves.
Safety tips from: Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Bloomberg Initiative for
Global Road Safety
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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