It’s interesting that the big issues affecting business travel and drivers tend to be some of the most controversial and have such a wide reach. I was reading an argument recently against increasing the speed limit on motorways from 70mph to 80mph in England and Wales.
There has been a lot of publicity on this subject and the crux of the debate seems to pit safety advocates against those looking to reduce journey times and improve UK productivity. In putting this proposal forward, the government argues that deaths on our roads have fallen 75 percent in the past 55 years because of advances in car safety so we can cope with an increase in speed limits.
Ministers think increasing the speed limit makes sense given that a high proportion of drivers break the current limit anyway. They also flag the economic benefits of goods and people getting from A to B more quickly.
However, based on the article that I just read you can throw into the debate the medical connotations of change.
As well as citing the increased accident risk, the British Medical Journal ran an article containing research stating that there are other health-related reasons for keeping the current limit. This includes the increase of gas emissions and air pollution which could have a negative effect for asthma sufferers.
It even talks about a potential rise in obesity because more people will take advantage of shorter car journeys. Many of you will see this as a tenuous link to the motorway speed limit but if nothing else, it demonstrates a new strand to the argument.
On this subject (like many) its very difficult to decide if the pros outweigh the cons because both sides have a robust story to tell.
Pragmatically, on large roads many drivers do currently drive above the speed limit and safety has come a long way. However, any risk of injury or death is a serious one and should be treated with the utmost caution.
What this does show, is that whenever government comes up with policy proposals around transport, the list of stakeholders to consider and arguments to weigh up is vast. It’s no wonder that transport ministers in recent times have tended to have a short shelf life!
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