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Speed limit enforcement and reducing dangerous driving

Excessive speeding and dangerous driving pose significant risks to pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users, especially in residential areas or near schools. By enforcing speed limits and reducing hazardous driving, parish and town councils help prevent accidents and fatalities. Unsafe driving also leads to noise pollution, road rage, and increased stress for local residents. Speed enforcement promotes a calmer, more peaceful environment, making residential areas more enjoyable. Additionally, effective speed management can reduce the number and severity of accidents, easing the burden on emergency services and reducing the associated economic costs. Parish and town councils should prioritise speed limit enforcement and efforts to reduce dangerous driving to enhance community safety. These measures help protect residents, reduce accidents, and improve local areas' overall quality of life.

Here are a few ways parish and town councils can effectively address the issue:

  • Collaboration — Parish and town councils should work closely with principal authorities and local police forces to enforce speed limits. They can lobby for lower speed limits in residential areas, request regular police patrols and speed checks in areas with frequent speeding complaints, and encourage using mobile speed cameras or automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor speeding.
  • Support Community Speedwatch programs — Parish and town councils can support local Community Speedwatch programs, where trained volunteers monitor speeding vehicles and report offenders to the police. These initiatives raise awareness among drivers and provide valuable data about high-risk areas to law enforcement. To increase participation, they can promote Speedwatch programs through local newsletters, websites, or community meetings.
  • Use vehicle-activated signs (VAS) — Vehicle-activated signs that flash when vehicles exceed the speed limit are effective reminders to drivers. Parish and town councils can install these signs in problem areas. While they don’t issue penalties, they raise awareness and encourage safer driving.
  • Raise awareness through public engagement — Educating the public about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving can be highly effective. Parish and town councils can run local road safety campaigns, engage with schools and businesses to promote road safety initiatives and distribute road safety materials.
  • Report and monitor dangerous driving — Parish and town councils can set up systems to report dangerous driving, such as online forms or phone hotlines, where residents can notify the council or police of speeding incidents. This helps identify patterns, allowing for targeted enforcement. Parish and town councils can work with police to receive regular updates on speeding enforcement and monitor trends in accident rates or violations.

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