Brain injury can challenge every aspect of your life – walking, talking, thinking and feeling – and the losses can be severe and permanent. It can mean losing both the life you once lived and the person you once were.
Having good eyesight is one of the most basic requirements for safe driving. Research shows that poor vision increases a driver’s risk of crashing as it limits their ability to recognise hazards and affects reaction times.1
Speed can be such an emotive issue – so many of the loudest voices seem to have an opinion on it. Take away the emotion and political stance, though, and there is a simple case for changing our approach to speed. Physics and biology should be the main drivers.
In 2019 I had the pleasure of leading on Mark Ruskell MSP’s members bill ‘Restricted Roads (20mph Speed Limit) (Scotland)’. Put simply, our bill would have reduced the default speed limit on restricted roads across Scotland from 30mph to 20mph. This would have covered the majority of roads on which we live, work and play on a daily basis. Although our bill was ultimately unsuccessful we started an important discussion in Scotland about road safety and in the months since there has been a significant increase in 20mph speed limits across the country.
I am delighted that a 20mph sign features in the graphics for this year’s Road Safety Week. 20mph limits are now accepted as the norm by global road safety and health organisations as the maximum safe speed for streets where motors mix with pedestrians and cyclists unless segregated and crossing provision exists to ensure their protection. And even before 2020 this included WHO, OECD, FIA Foundation, Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs, Global Network of Road Safety Legislators, and many more.