The increase of 20mph speed limits in Britain has been sending drivers around the bend. But if an organisation called the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has its way, things could be about to get even slower – and more frustrating – for motorists. The RSF says that road speeds in cities should be cut to 10mph to prevent deaths and reduce serious injuries. Talk of a 10mph speed limit is preposterous. Does the RSF want to take us back to 1903, when the Motor Car Act of that year first raised the speed limit to what was then a blistering 20mph?
Nearly all of human progress involves trade-offs between advantages and risks
The RSF’s report says, with an apparent straight face, that drivers should not be allowed to go faster than 10mph in any urban street where cyclists or pedestrians are likely to be around, or near any school, hospital or sports ground. In the country, it is true, you could be permitted to let your hair down a bit.
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