I RECENTLY attended a speed awareness seminar organised by North Yorkshire Police/AA Drive Tech. This was extremely illuminating and humbling for an ‘experienced’ driver.

Every driver should do one of these if they get the opportunity. Sadly there are not enough speed cameras so too few drivers are caught speeding. I learnt a great deal, above all the difference between stopping distances at 30 mph and being “just a little” over the limit.

On a dry road in perfect conditions, travelling at 30mph delivers an average stopping distance of 23m (six car lengths). If travelling at 35 mph and you need to stop, you will hit the obstruction/pedestrian/ cyclist at 18mph, enough to cause serious injury. If travelling at 32mph, the impact speed will still be 11mph.

Two thirds of all fatal or serious injury accidents are in 30mph zones.

The seminar mentioned the importance of keeping a safe distance from the car in front, a minimum six car lengths at 30 mph, for example.

Sixty per cent of all road deaths in the UK are on rural roads, mostly at night. The limit on single carriageway rural roads is 60mph, but many drivers regularly exceed this on narrow roads in North Yorkshire every day. Even 50mph may be far too fast if approaching the brow of a hill, a junction, a bend, or any potential hazard.

Five people a day are killed on UK roads, and 50 a year in North Yorkshire.

Simon Sweeney, Sheriff Hutton, York.