Cost of speed

*IF* it stopped even just one accident, you'd probably find that would
cancel out many of the gains of the speeding.

 

Just been on the local news about a dramatic drop in the number of accidents
in Suffolk since the introduction of speed cameras (the causal relationship
may or may not be significant).

I'm a cynical old sod believing that financial and economic factors always
outweigh social or human needs when HMG pursue a policy. I was a wonderin'
if anyone had come up with an estimate of the economic cost of everyone
keeping to the speed limit in this 'time is money' world. If you were also
to chuck in all road users keeping the correct distance from the vehicle in
front, I reckon a united front by all road users being good could bring the
country to its knees, and Bliar & Co. would soon be asking everyone to put
their lead boots back on.

 

in message

Read again. I did not express any opposition to speed enforcement and
driving standards. "I'm a cynical old sod believing that financial and
economic factors always outweigh social or human needs when HMG pursue a
policy" Should give you a clue about what I oppose.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Obviously

 

in message

Exactly. Just wondered if anyone had ever considered this question. On the
radio a few weeks ago experts were talking about the strain that would be
put on certain parts of the road network if road users were to keep the
correct distances. Can't remember the jist of the argument other than it
was something worthy of study.

 

If motorways are anything to go by, slowing traffic down during peak
times actually increases the amount of traffic a road can take. Keeping
the correct distance also reduces the amount of braking a car has to do,
thus preventing a wave of brake lights from sweeping back through the
traffic and slowing things by causing stoppages.

According to a program I saw on telly anyway...

This may be a load of old bollocks on these crowded A and B roads we
tend to have.

 

[snip]

IIRC the cost for one RTA death (average offic worker) when you factor
in emergency services, disruption of traffic flow, removal of vehicle,
insurance claims, funeral, lost time due to attendance of funeral, job
interview to replace dead person, training of new person, lost revenue
during perioud when short staffed and all the relevant paper work
associated with each of these is about 2,000,000 ukp.

Which aint cheap.

--
Martin:
"For a minute there, you bored me to death."
VTR1000 Firestorm
TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html
martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com

 

in message

As I suspect, a person's life has been measured in economic terms, although
as an average orifice worker myself I have difficulty believing that I am
worth that much to anyone.

 

You're not. The cost is carried by taxpayers and business, not one person.


--
Martin:
"For a minute there, you bored me to death."
VTR1000 Firestorm
TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html
martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com

 

in message
2,000,000 ukp.

SWMBO agrees, you must be right.

 

Martin says...

That figure is a load of crap. The person would die sometime anyway so
funeral costs would have to be paid sometime anyway,the same goes for
any training of new person costs.

Also did they subtract from that that figure the saving on any social
services that person might use, savings on pension costs, and of course
its one less user on the road.

"Think of the environment"

 

Keeping the correct distance leads to constantly moving traffic with gaps not
quite big enough to pull out into, which leads to frustrated drivers in side
roads pulling out and causing waves of brakelights etc. And crashes.

 

Damn, the master plan to get rid of all the cars foiled again.

 

For that we need the sprung deck on the road which tips anything heavier than
a Goldwing(plus dodger) into the pit below.

 

That's the master plan to get rid of HGVs.

 

Sorry platy, I'll up the spring rate for the Ural

 

Dnepr.

 

@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk:

Bless you.

 

Foiled I'm afraid.
HGVs died out at least 12 years ago.

--
ColonelTupperware,
spouting bollocks on Usenet since 1997
Usenet FAQ at
http://www.its.caltech.edu/its/services/internetapps/news/news2.shtml
UPCE FAQ at http://upce.org.uk/ UKRM FAQ at http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

 

What else do you expect?

The person would die sometime anyway so

Agreed however scraping them off the road isn't the routine method of
transfer to the box, not to mention the investigations into the death etc.

There's always another one keen to take their place.

So long as they aren't cremated it shouldn't be too bad.

--
Martin:
"For a minute there, you bored me to death."
VTR1000 Firestorm
TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html
martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com

 

1st January 1997.