FRSC and the speed burden (II)

Are there scientific proofs? According to the Canadian Department of Transport, there are environmental, safety and cost benefits. For example, lower fuel consumption reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves money on fuel consumption. A study on Ontario Canada showed that fixing speed limiters to all heavy trucks would save about 100million litres of fuel a […]

Are there scientific proofs? According to the Canadian Department of Transport, there are environmental, safety and cost benefits. For example, lower fuel consumption reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves money on fuel consumption. A study on Ontario Canada showed that fixing speed limiters to all heavy trucks would save about 100million litres of fuel a year-the equivalent of 280,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. The study further shows that the risk of collision is reduced when driving at lower speeds while safety of road users is assured..Driving at higher speed induces major stress that results in driver fatigue and loss of concentration. Installing speed d limiters will reduce the operating costs of many transporters by reducing fuel consumption and increasing vehicle energy efficiency.
 WHO and the Global Road Safety Partnership in a publication titled “Speed Management: a Road Safety Manual for Decision Makers and Practitioners”, has recommended that speed limits be introduced in every country as part of the global strategy to cut down road fatalities.
Interestingly, the Corps Marshal also stated that the forum was arranged because of the need to educate the public, drivers and fleet operators on the importance of speed limiting devices in vehicles as a means of achieving safer road use. With the crash trend last year and the improved road network, the Corps’ greatest challenge in 2013 will be on how to tackle excessive speeding. As stated earlier, the United Nations in its Pillar 4 stresses the need to develop comprehensive programmes to improve road user behaviour. These activities include the development and adoption of model road safety legislation and sustained or increased enforcement of road safety laws and standards. These efforts should be combined with public awareness and education to increase seat-belt usage and helmet wearing and to reduce drinking and driving, speeding and other risks. Other activities include reducing work related road traffic injuries and promoting the establishment of graduated driver licensing programmes for novice drivers.
For emphasis, what really is speed? Speed, according to Adewale Akande, in a paper ’’EXCESSIVE SPEED AS A VITAL HUMAN FACTOR IN ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT’’ is defined as exceeding the posted limit or driving too fast under stipulated or normal conditions. Speeding is deemed to have occurred when an individual is travelling above the accepted legal speed limit on any road. Speed limit varies between roads. For example, the maximum speed on the expressway is 100km/h for private cars and 90km/h for taxis and buses. Trailers and tankers have a maximum speed of 60km/h while tow vehicles when towing are expected to do 45km/h and 70km/h when not towing. The speed for a highway ranges from 80km/h for private vehicles, 80km/h for taxis and buses and 45km/h for towing vehicle. In a built up area, the speed could be between 20 or 30km/h to 50km/h. It is the obligation of the traffic law to signify any change in speed between routes. Speed limits are introduced to promote greater road safety and prevent environmental pollution such as noise and smoke.
In a safety research conducted by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research at Adelaide University in South Australia few years ago, it was found that for every 5 kilometers per hour, increases in vehicles speed over the limit in a 60 Kilometer per hour zone, the risks of crashing doubles. The research explains further that a driver traveling at 70 kilometers per hour faces four times the risk of a driver travelling at the speed limit. Further researches on excessive speed states that, when the stopping distances increases other maneuvers to avoid crashes become more difficult and complicated. It states that gravity or severity of an impact or crashes increases with higher speed and the possibility for other road users to communicate and perceive the intentions of the road-users in time to react appropriately decrease as does the ability to detect hazards.
Excessive speed was critical in last year’s crashes. Speeding is often a deliberate and calculated behaviour where the driver knows the risk but ignores the danger that might be involved. . The Corps major challenge will be to enforce traffic laws on over speeding without any bias or exceptions especially as it affects executive recklessness.
 Speed laws have are penal codes in some countries and dangerous or reckless driver are charged fines, lose all points from his driving license or liable to many years in imprisonment if found guilty. Much as the FRSC has the point system in the works, its implementation should be fast-tracked in order to achieve the goal of reducing fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2020.
Most importantly, to achieve the goal of tackling  the speed factor, relevant government departments, public health, the judiciary,  non-governmental organizations, the media  and motorists have role to play
This speed campaign has been adopted by Tanzania in 2003, Kenya in the same 2003, and Uganda in 2004 and Zambia in 2006.The examples from these African countries speaks of success despite initial hiccups. For example, the Kenyan Government implemented compulsory speed limiters, on all public service vehicles and heavy good vehicles in 2003. Since November, 2003 fatal injuries in public service vehicles reduced by approximately 70 percent. The result was A very positive impact on the country’s national economy, gross domestic product. Insurance companies subsequently reduced insurance premiums as a result of reduced accident claims while Commuters enjoyed safer travelling conditions. Hospitals were less crowded and could give better attention to other patients. Equally, there was reduced national health expenditure on road accident injuries, Vehicles lasted longer with Lower fuel consumption due to reduced speed and Reduction in harmful emissions.
Zambian story where government added specification to make speed limiters tamperproof is also worth noting. It required the vehicle to be immobilized if any electric circuit of the speed limited is cut. In addition, Zambia introduced a method of easy inspection by Police to determine if a speed limiter is operational. It consisted of a hand held inspection tool which connects to an extended socket of the speed limiter inside the vehicle. These measures have proven to be effective. Recently Kenya government introduced the same additional specification as Zambia, but added to it, the requirement of a speed recording device. It records data of vehicle road speed for at least 8 hours and stores it in non-volatile memory. The data is extracted from the speed recording devise by USB from laptop. This is done at road side inspections to verify the speed limiter’s operation and can also be used to investigate the causes of accidents. As we prepare we might note these experiences.