Benefits of Speed Bumps: Are They Effective

We all dread those unexpected speed bumps that suddenly appear on our way and slow our pace. But they are on the road for some good reasons. The primary reason is your safety on the road. In this blog, we’re going to talk about all safety and health benefits of speed bumps (Buy Speed Bump Kits).

You can generally find speed bumps around housing estates, construction sites, schools, parks, manufacturing sites, hospitals, etc. These sites often see huge pedestrian traffic and speed bumps to make sure people walking on foot are safe. 

Benefits of Speed Bumps

The top benefits of installing speed bumps are explained below. Let's take a look:

1. Helps Control Speed on the Road

Speed is one of the most common causes of car accidents in the UK. Riders or drivers often fail to judge other people's speed or path while driving or walking. 

Strategically placed speed bumps help avoid road accidents up to a great extent. These are often placed on sharp turns before crossings, entrances and exits, and other accident-prone areas.

These humble speed bumps will make drivers slow down whether or not you want to. So, these are vital in areas that see high pedestrian traffic.

In fact, speed bumps successfully discourage reckless driving when people are in a hurry or do it for fun. People mostly don't consciously lower their speed on crossings or high-traffic areas without speed bumps.

2. Reduce Accidents

This is the main intent behind installing speed bumps. According to WHO (World Health Organization), nearly 1.3 million people die every year due to road traffic crashes. These crashes mostly result from the overspeed of vehicles. So, speed bumps are useful for keeping these crashes in check. 

Though we can't say that speed bumps can help avoid all road accidents, they help avoid clashes up to a great extent. They leave drivers with no option other than slowing down their speed while travelling on the UK roads. So, this puts people on the safe side and helps avoid road accidents. 

See: Speed Humps or Bumps: Key Differences

3. Helps Regulate Traffic

One of the most useful and common applications of speed bumps is that it helps control and regulate traffic. Obstructing traffic strategically helps it move controllably while helping avoid traffic problems. 

People often avoid streets that have speed bumps. We all can relate to this. But the purpose behind streets lined with speed bumps is to direct some traffic from one to another street to avoid traffic congestion. 

For instance, if a street near a school has a speed bump, it keeps that area free of severe traffic.

This helps reduce the risk of road accidents for children and reduces noise so that traffic doesn’t disturb classes. Moreover, if there’s a shortcut to a place, adding speed bumps can help prevent it from getting overcrowded.

4. Ensures the Safety of Pedestrians

Pedestrians are most often at a high risk of accidents caused by speeding and traffic. No matter how careful you are while crossing or walking on the road, speeding vehicles can put your life at risk.

It’s when speed bumps help. They help lower fatalities that occur because of vehicular accidents. Speed bumps force the driver to slow down.

As a result, pedestrians get enough time to cross the road, spot the vehicle, and get out of its way if required. Their strategic installation is vital near places like parks and schools where kids and youth regularly use the roads. 

5. Easy to Construct

Constructing speed bumps on roads is very easy. They don’t need any specialized or bulky machinery or tools. These can be easily installed wherever needed with the same material that is used for road construction.

You can say making speed bumps is a part of road construction now. They can be created while building roads using concrete material. 

In fact, you can choose plastic, metal or rubber speed bumps that work well in all weather conditions and on all road types. These are available in different shapes, colours, and styles. 

Speed Bumps in the UK

There are more than 42,000 speed bumps installed on UK roads. In total, they cover about 2,000 miles of road on nearly 14,000 roads around the nation. In addition, you’ll find 12,000 other traffic regulating measures, including ramps, speed tables and width restrictions.

All kinds of traffic regulating measures, including speed bumps, provide an excellent way to ensure safe roads nationwide. People in the country want to feel while in their surroundings.

They should not be worried or concerned about their safety while using roads. But, as mentioned above, speeding vehicles often claim many lives every year. Speed bumps help reduce this number up to a great extent. 

It's important to note that the installation of speed bumps comes with some consequences. They improve road safety while having a minimal negative effect.

Many people claim that bumps on the road can be risky to motorcyclists and bicyclists. In addition, they reduce the overall response time when it comes to delivering emergency services. 

But pros of speed bumps outweigh their minimal cons. In fact, the negative effects can be reduced with a more thoughtful and careful approach while installing them.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, there comes a wide variety of speed bumps in terms of style, colour, shape, size, etc. So, the respective authority can install speed bumps that are easy for motorcyclists and bicyclists.

So, all in all, we can say that speed bumps are highly effective and important to avoid road accidents.

Read also: Will Speed Bumps Hurt my Car?