(Montreal) A new Quebec study reveals the notable impact of reducing speed limits in rural and peri-urban areas in addition to scientifically confirming the evidence that speed kills.
In particular, the researchers demonstrated that the proportion of segments recording serious or fatal accidents on the roads under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Ministry of Transport between 2006 and 2013 rose from 4% to 1% when the speed was lowered by at least 20 km / h, for example from 90 km / h to 70 km / h.
“Having a 3% reduction in our segments that are affected sounds like small statistics, but when you transfer that into the number of injured, the number of seriously injured and the number of deaths, it is a real reduction, ”insisted the study’s lead author, Professor Marie-Soleil Cloutier of the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS), in an interview with The Canadian Press.
One of the strengths of this study, which has just appeared in the Journal of Transport & Health lies in the use of a “control group”, which reinforces the value of the statistic. In other words, the proportion of segments where there were accidents only decreased to 3% in cases where there was no reduction in the speed limit, a difference the researcher attributes to the general trend.
This is one of the few empirical studies on an international scale that examines the effects of reducing speed limits, according to a review conducted by researchers. Most of the scientific writing dates back to the 70s, 80s and 90s and was concerned with increasing limits, mainly on highways.
The results of the study will justify the implementation of a provincial speed reduction policy, according to Ugo Lachapelle, the co-author and associate professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at UQAM.
How much to reduce
Speed reduction requests are currently coming from peri-urban areas, explained Professor Cloutier, that is, areas that were rural not so long ago, but which are becoming denser. The problem is mainly in “village entrances” at the moment.
“What we want is to help the ministry say to the municipalities: ‘Yes, you can reduce it. [la limite de vitesse] and then that’s how much you should reduce it, “” said the researcher.
Not surprisingly, the suggested reduction in speed limits varies depending on the environment. Going from 90 km / h or 80 km / h to 70 km / h on rural roads with houses might be sufficient, but one should stick to 50 km / h where there is “going-and-going”. comes ”, for example new real estate developments, a school, a leisure center or a cycle path like the green route.