Violet's son Steven was killed by a speeding driver. He was 12 years old. The driver who hit him was going above 50mph on a road where the speed limit was 30mph. In this short film by Brake, Violet talks about how Steven's death affected her family.
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Why is Brake campaigning for 20mph speed limits?
In 2022, 593 people died on urban roads in Britain, including 385 pedestrians and 91 cyclists. Thousands more were seriously injured [1]. Reducing default speed limits to 20mph on roads in built-up areas will save lives, reduce severe injuries and help more people walk and wheel in safety.
Key facts:
- Speed is a contributory factor in one in four (25%) fatal crashes.
- 303 people died in crashes caused by drivers breaking the speed limit in 2022, up 20% since 2021.
- Every year, drivers speeding or travelling too fast for conditions contribute to 10,093 crashes, 345 deaths and 3,388 serious injuries.
- In 2022, 593 people died on urban roads in Britain, including 365 pedestrians and 91 cyclists. Thousands more were seriously injured [2].
The faster we drive, the greater our risk of crashing, the harder we hit if we crash, and the greater harm we do.
At lower speeds, stopping distances are reduced: when driving at 30mph, your stopping distance is 23m; at 20mph, your stopping distance is 12m.
Risk of injury increases with higher speeds: a crash at 30mph is twice as likely to cause severe injury than a crash at 20mph.
People who walk and cycle are vulnerable on roads. When we travel at safe speeds, we reduce the risk of road death and injury and we enable more people to make safe and healthy journeys on foot and by bike.
20mph speed limits reduce traffic collisions resulting in death or serious injury. Transport for London reported that traffic collisions resulting in death or serious injury decreased by 25% when 30mph roads were changed to 20mph.
