The 27th of May, 2016 was earmarked as a national “slow down” day by An Garda Síochána. The aim of the day was to focus on the problems of speeding, the high number and severity of accidents and to understanding why monitoring your speed is important—specifically, why we should pay more attention to the problem and be less tolerant towards it in general).
The initiative was supported by the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland (HSA), by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), by An Garda Síochána and other stakeholders.
According to An Garda Síochána statistics, deaths on the road at this time of year are up by 12 fatalities compared to 2015, and some of those killed were driving for work.
Speeding increases the likelihood of a collision happening as well as its severity. According to the RSA, even a small 1% decrease in speed will reduce the risk of a fatal collision by 4%. Of all the fatal collisions on Irish roads, excessive speed was a contributory factor in 32% of cases.
If you drive for either work or pleasure, you have to drive within the speed limit and avoid aggressive driving patterns such as rapid acceleration and harsh braking. Make sure you adopt a speed not only in accordance with the limit set by law, but also with respect to weather conditions and the type of road you are driving along.
Safety has to be a priority and this is the top thing you have to keep in mind when promoting a respect for speed limits. But it is also a win-win situation for everyone concerned since a safe driving style is also more fuel efficient and environment-friendly. If you have never thought about monitoring the driving style of your fleet, contact us and you will find out how to create a safer and more responsible generation of drivers with SynX.
