Why are new drivers not offered a speed awareness course?

By Martin Pretorius 

“Speed Kills.” It's a catchy, marketable slogan with which our transport authorities try to drum the dangers associated with speeding into the consciousness of drivers all around the country. Although the slogan itself isn't entirely accurate (though that's a whole new debate for another day), it does aim to highlight the risks associated with speeding. It also raises a pertinent question: If speed is so dangerous, why is awareness about speed only raised through hidden camera traps?

 More speed equals reduced braking ability

First, let's look at some physics. A car at speed has kinetic energy as a result of its motion, which is related to its speed through a quadratic mathematical relationship. That sounds more complicated than it actually is: simply stated, every time the speed doubles, the kinetic energy quadruples.

 How does this relate to braking performance? Well, the brakes convert the car's kinetic energy into heat as they bring a car to a standstill. Given the quadratic relationship between speed and kinetic energy, it follows that the brakes will have to work four times as hard to stop a car when the speed is doubled.

 This translates directly to the stopping distance, as in this example: If a car needs 10 metres to come to a stop from 60 km/h, it will need 40 metres (4 x 10m) to come to a stop from 120 km/h (2 x 60 km/h). Many a young driver have been caught by surprise by this fact, leading to unnecessary damage and potential injuries or loss of life.

More speed means a bigger crash

Just as the car's kinetic energy increases exponentially with increasing speed, so too does the damage it will sustain (or inflict upon others) increase exponentially with increasing speed. A car might sustain only superficial (or at least repairable) damage in a crash at 25 km/h, but at 50 km/h, the energy absorbed by the car's structure will likely deform it beyond repair. In most cases, it will lead to the car being written off, and the occupants sustaining at least some injuries, whereas they would probably have walked away in a crash at half the speed.

This effect increases along with the increase in kinetic energy which comes with added speed, to the point where many crashes at freeway speeds lead to fatalities. And again, new drivers aren't told about this – most blissfully believe that simply sticking to the speed limits will safeguard them against accident and injury.

But it's really about the speed difference

Let's look at another example: In a collision where the speed difference between two moving cars is comparatively small (say 20 km/h or so), the damage will most likely be minor. But if the speed difference amounts to 60 km/h, the picture changes significantly, as there is a larger difference between the kinetic energy of the two cars – energy which will have to absorbed by the car's crash structures.

If only more new drivers understood this. Instead, they might venture onto the freeway, driving at well below the posted speed limit (because it's safer that way, as they've been taught), and due to their inexperience, accidentally stray into the way of a car travelling at the speed limit. Neither of them will be breaking the law, yet the resulting crash could prove to be very serious indeed.

We should start teaching this to new drivers

Speed awareness courses will highlight all these aspects to new drivers. Arming them with knowledge is the best way to reduce the possibility of them becoming involved in speed-related (or rather speed-difference-related) accidents, creating a safer environment for all road users.

Dear reader, you may want to forward this article to a new driver you might know, and I'd strongly encourage you to do so – in the absence of proper training about this subject, any information will be an improvement on what they're currently being taught. We need to start offering speed awareness courses to our young drivers, but until that happens, the least we could do is to educate as widely as we can.