Top Ten Tips

RoSPA's practical tips for drivers who find it difficult to stay within the speed limit. 1 Check Your Speedometer Regularly 2 Know the Limits - Look for Signs 3 Assume Lamp Posts Mean 30 mph 4 Speed Limits are a Maximum 5 20's Plenty When Kids Are About 6 Try no Higher Than 3rd Gear in 30 mph 7 Recognise What Makes You Speed 8 Concentrate - Distracted Drivers Speed 9 Slow Down When Entering Villages 10 Give Yourself Time • Refresh Your Skills

Give yourself time – there’s no need to speed and you won’t get there quicker

Exceeding the speed limit makes little difference to your arrival time. The time it takes to complete a journey is determined much more by your average speed during the whole journey, rather than the maximum speed you achieve for part of it. This is especially true in urban areas, where you constantly have to slow down for junctions, traffic lights and other road users. The faster you drive, the sharper you have to brake. This also uses much more fuel and so makes driving more expensive.

Knowing that you have plenty of time to complete your journey will help you to relax and avoid the temptation to push your speed.

For longer journeys, use RoSPA’s Safer Journey Planner, to help make sure you plan the journey safely. ( PDF format 162 kb)

If you drive for work, or manage staff who drive, for work, use RoSPA’s “Driving for Work: Safer Journey Planner”. ( PDF format 280 kb)