Community safety
Cut your speed
Be alert, drive sensibly, safely and share the risk
Time to react
Many crashes happen on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or less. Even at these lower speeds, the impact from a collision is equivalent to falling from a four-story building.
- the collision risk rises by 3% for every mile increased speed
- the risks are higher on bends or in wet and icy conditions
Time to stop
Your thinking distance is the time it takes you to react and apply your brakes. You will have less time to react if you are:
- tired
- distracted
- under the influence of alcohol and drugs
- speeding
Plan for the conditions. Braking takes twice as long on wet roads and 10 times longer on icy roads.
| Speed | Thinking distance | Breaking distance | Stopping distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 6 m | 6 m | 12 m (40 feet) |
| 30 mph | 9 m | 14 m | 23 m (75 feet) |
| 40 mph | 12 | 24 m | 36 m (118 feet) |
| 50 mph | 15 m | 38 m | 53 m (174 feet) |
| 60 mph | 18 m | 55 m | 73 m (240 feet) |
| 70 mph | 21 m | 75 m | 96 m (315 feet) |
The distances shown in the table above are a general guide. The distance will depend on:
- your attention
- the road surface
- the weather conditions
- your vehicle's condition
View the national speed limits.
Think!
Think! is the government's road safety campaign website. There you can view the laws relating to speeding.
It's not worth the risk
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