European Countries Issue Stiff Fines for Curbing Speeding

As Malaysians head into the Chinese New Year Festive season I can't help but wonder how many lives will be lost in automobile accidents this year. This is not a problem only seen in Malaysia. Automobile accidents occur daily throughout the world.

Statistics published by the World Health Organization in "World Report On Road Traffic Injury Prevention" are overwhelming if not frightening. The report, which was jointly issued with the World Bank, reiterates what should be obvious to all drivers. Controlling and enforcing suitable speed limits on our local roads and highways can minimize the number of automobile accidents occurring daily as well as lessen the severity of injuries to those involved in the accident.

Speeding, according to the report, falls into two categories - excessive speeding and inappropriate speeding. Excessive speeding is driving in excess of the posted speed limit whereas inappropriate speeding is driving at an unsuitable speed for traffic or weather conditions.

Regardless of the reasons motivating a driver to push the pedal to the floor the fact remains - speeding can, and too often does, result in a mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, friend or distant relative losing their life. Sadly, those who choose to speed often learn this lesson after they've crashed their car.

According to the report drivers traveling at 1 km/hr above the speed limit have a 3% higher risk of being involved in an automobile accident involving injury with a 4-5% higher risk involving a fatality in comparison with a automobile traveling at the recommended speed limit. Why is this? For two reasons, actually.

First, the speed at which a vehicle is moving determines the amount of time it takes to slow down and stop. An automobile traveling at 50 km/h, typically requires 13 meters of roadway in front of it to come to a stop. However, that same vehicle traveling at 40 km/h, requires approximately 8.5 meters of roadway to come to a stop. Hence, the faster you are traveling the less time you have to come to a stop to avoid an accident.

Statistics provided in the WHO's fact sheet titled "Roadway Safety - Speeding" paint a bleak picture for those involved in an automobile accident when speeding is a contributing factor. Speeding not only determines the amount of time it takes to bring a vehicle to a complete stop but also determines the force of impact at the point of crash. It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway if doing so means there will be one less car speeding along the highway tomorrow, the faster your vehicle is traveling the more damage it will cause. According to the fact sheet, car occupants in a crash with an impact speed of 80 km/hr are 20 times more likely to be killed than if the impact speed were 30 km/hr. If that is not enough reason to cause drivers to think before applying pressure on the gas pedal, the same fact sheet goes on to say that, "Pedestrians have been shown to have a 90% chance of survival when struck by a car traveling at 30 km/hr or below, but less than 50% chance of surviving an impact at 45 km/hr. Pedestrians have almost no chance of surviving an impact at 80 km/hr."

Some European countries have a rather unique approach to curb speeding that might actually have merit, if enforced. Countries like Switzerland, Germany and Finland have replaced the across the board light fines usually handed out for speeding with stiffer ones based on the driver's income. According to the article, European Countries Slapping the Rich With Massive Traffic Fines, which appeared in the 12 January 2010 edition of Malaysia's newspaper, The Star, the maximum fine for "wealthy" speeders in Germany can go as high as 16 million US dollars whereas speeding along the Swiss Alps could set drivers back one million US dollars.

There are some drivers who I am sure would disagree with issuing speeding fines based on income. They might ask, "Why should we be penalized with a stiffer fine based on our income?" Simply put, for a fine to be an effective deterrent against the senseless injuries and loss of lives occurring throughout the world at the hands of impatient drivers it should make a considerable dent in the driver's wallet.

Driving is a privilege often taken for granted by driver's once they receive their license. Too often, they forget that they are sharing the road with others who have the same right to return home in the same condition that they left as themselves. If doing away with generic fines and issuing stiffer ones based on income can reduce the number of injuries and lives lost annually then more countries should follow in the footsteps of Germany, Finland and Switzerland.

References:

Europe slapping the rich with massive traffic fines, The Star, 12 January 2010, page W42.
World Report On Road Traffic Injury Prevention, World Health Organization 2004
Roadway Safety - Speeding, World Health Organization 2004