If you hit a pedestrian at 30mph there is an 80% chance of survival

At 40mph there is a 90% chance of killing a pedestrian

By reducing your speed you will also give yourself extra time to respond to hazards

• You are more likely to kill a pedestrian driving at 40mph than 30mph
• Specifically, if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 20mph, the pedestrian has a 95% chance of survival
• If you hit an adult pedestrian while driving at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. But if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, the pedestrian's chances of dying rises to 90%. (This lowers to 80% for a child)

• Every driver can make a difference just by slowing down a few miles per hour and observing speed limits
• Excessive speed is a contributory factor in over 1,000 deaths and over 40,000 injuries every year
• You are not as safe as you thought - in 2004 car users made up 52% of all road traffic fatalities in Great Britain
• On average, nearly nine people die every day on Britain's roads
• Two out of three crashes where people are killed or injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less
• Just over half (50%) of drivers break the 30mph speed limit. (Vehicle Speeds Great Britain)
• The law of physics dictate that the higher the speed at impact, the more energy must be rapidly absorbed by hard metal, soft flesh and brittle bone