Les Clefs de la Paroisse de St Pierre 04/09/2012 - Parishes Online

La Vie Paroissiale
Speedy St Peter
Concerned about safety on our roads? Bart
Messervy-Evans explores the issue of speeding
and road traffic accidents and argues that we all
could contribute to the solution.
To get a clear perspective on speed limits and how they
affect us, let’s examine one of the most regularly travelled
journeys by vehicle for St Peter residents - from our homes
to St Helier. For ease of calculation I will base the following
example on the distance between St Peter's Parish Hall and
town, which stands at 4.4 statute miles. At the maximum
speed limit of 40 mph this journey would take seven
minutes and at this speed if you were to hit a pedestrian
there is an 80 percent chance you would kill them. The
force of the impact would also fling them 20 feet through
the air... hold that thought. So how about a nice leisurely
drive enjoying the fine views and beautiful countryside
whilst driving at 30 mph? The journey now takes nine
minutes and the pedestrian is given much better odds of
survival at 80 percent and the driver gets the bonus of
saved fuel. The two scenarios are startling; were you to
have an accident, your life - and more importantly the
crumpled pedestrian's – would be changed forever for the
sake of two meagre minutes. You would be left haunted by
the collision for the rest of your life, knowing that you were
wholly or at best partly responsible for either killing or seriously
injuring someone. An internet search of what could be usefully
achieved in two minutes elicited nothing worthy of note.
So far I have concentrated on those who remain within the speed
limit. If caught speeding at up to 12 mph over the limit (52mph
would result in a time saving of two minutes over the 4.4 miles) a
driver can expect to be fined between £50 to £100 and be dealt
with at a Parish Hall enquiry - a minor inconvenience for the driver,
however the pedestrian's chance of survival now stands at zero.
Our priorities are badly misplaced.
Speed limits are just that and not a target to be aimed for. Ensuring
you are driving to the conditions is of paramount importance; these
include weather, road surface, distractions within the car, your own
driving abilities and those of other road users and the mechanical
condition of the car. How confident are you in your reactions and
ability to stop safely if the driver in front slams on the brakes to
avoid a pedestrian? The States of Jersey Fire Service driving
instructors beat two extremely worthwhile mantras into the heads
of all their drivers: ‘only a fool breaks the two-second rule' (i.e.
there should be a two-second gap between you and the car in
front) and 'drive to arrive'. At 40 mph on a dry road it will take 120
feet to stop, rising to 200 feet in wet conditions and that is
supposing you react immediately and that your brakes and tyres are
in peak condition - as there is no MOT in Jersey this can often not
be the case. I'm sure we've all experienced the vagaries of Jersey's
road surfaces but it becomes especially relevant when roads are
contaminated by oil and hydraulic fluid which can leak from poorly
connected commercial vehicle brake systems leaving drivers
stationary whilst wheels spin frantically at a junction as someone
bears down upon them.
“
So how about a nice leisurely drive enjoying
the fine views and beautiful countryside
whilst driving at 30 mph?
“
page12 St Pierre Summer2012