Watch Your Driving Speed in Bournemouth
While we know most of you realise that you have to drive within the speed limit, whatever road you’re on, recent news of spot checks in the Bournemouth area may have got many people thinking.
At the beginning of April, according to the Bournemouth Echo, police caught no less than 211 motorists breaking the speed limit in a single, three hour period. The worst offender was travelling at 64mph in a 40mph zone. This day of action by Dorset police also saw 11 people fined for not wearing seat belts and four getting penalty points for using their mobile phones while driving.
Going over the speed limit is pretty easy even if you are an experienced driver but there are some things you can do to reduce the risk of getting on the wrong side of the law:
1. Pay Attention to Your Speedometer
Okay, this sounds a bit like talking to Captain Obvious but we can all get into bad habits including not regularly checking the speedometer. Take special care if you are leaving a high-speed road as most of us don’t realise how fast we’re actually travelling.
2. Keep an Eye on Signs
Missing or ignoring signs could mean you’re travelling way over the limit when you should be going slower. If you are in an area with lamp posts, it usually means you are in a 30 mph zone, so use your common sense and don’t speed.
Many towns and cities are now introducing 20 mph areas which are watched over with traffic cameras, especially around schools and parks where kids may be playing.
3. Watch Your Speed in Residential Areas
You should always drive to the speed that is safe for any particular area. That can actually mean going slower in places where the top speed is 30 mph but there is a lot of pedestrian traffic and cars parked either side of the road. Take your foot off the accelerator and pay attention to your surroundings.
4. Are You Regularly Speeding?
Pay attention to your driving habits once in a while. If you find you are going over the speed regularly, it’s important to know what is causing this. While one common cause of speeding is not monitoring the speedometer, another is getting distracted. Maybe you’re talking to someone in the car or thinking about something at work. Make sure you divert your attention back to driving and put a stop to bad habits.
5. Leave Time to Get to Your Destination
Finally, one of the big causes of speeding is being late and needing to get to your destination within a set time. You might like to think about leaving early or at least in plenty of time to get to your destination without breaking the speed laws.
While these simple tips might seem obvious, if you get caught speeding, it can cost you more than just money. If you build up enough points it could mean the loss of your licence. It will almost certainly mean your insurance company will feel entitled to put up your premium.
