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- United Kingdom
Interestingly (or perhaps not to some), some councils have discovered that introduction of 20mph speed zones has increased the number of collision and deaths compared to when the same zones were 30mph. There is also an argument for removing pedestrian barriers as a number of areas where those have been installed have seen increases in pedestrian deaths.
Part of the reason is perceived safety, drivers will approach a crossing where pedestrians are stood with no barrier more cautiously than where a barrier is present and if a pedestrian steps out the drivers tend to be more alert to the danger. The same perception of safety on the part of both drivers and pedestrians is thought to be responsable for the increase in injuries and deaths in 20mph zones.
Making driving "too safe" is a dangerous move, drivers should be alert, should be in control and should be aware of the risks of thier actions. The more we take away thier control the less people will be aware of the risks of the speed they are doing. They will say "the car let me do 50mph" after skidding off a wet corner into a helpless pedestrian. It's an issue of responsability and training not semi-autonomy.
On the accidents in 20mph zones, I can't help but wonder if traffic calming measures are also responsible for allowing pedestrians to become blasé about their own safety... That along with the rise in smart phone zombies.
I don't disagree that the responsibility is on drivers to a large degree, but mitigating risk through passive training is not as effective as having active controls in place. There are too many irresponsible stupid people on the roads, simple as that. I'm not going to pretend I'm not one of them! 21 points, 1 write off, 1 license revocation, 0 injuries... I know I've been lucky, and fortunately no one other than me has had to pay the price... I hope every other clown here who thinks their skill elevates them above the law is as lucky.