A Bristol driving instructor has caused controversy recently, by claiming that the city’s 20mph speed limits in some zones are making the streets more dangerous, and that most drivers ignore the limits anyway.
Joel Wreford, who runs a school in the city, told the Bristol Post that many of his students actually face abuse on the road from other drivers when they adhere to the limits. He also believes that the 20mph zones are causing tension and an increase of aggressive driving on the roads of the city. “I obviously insist that my pupils stick to the advertised 20mph limits, but we are regularly overtaken on residential roads in very dangerous situations,” he told the Post.
“Only the other day, myself and a pupil were driving on Cranbrook Road in Redland at 20mph and the car behind kept hooting and then overtook straight into the path of an oncoming cyclist. Luckily the cyclist was able to squeeze through the gap, but it could have been a lot worse. This sort of thing is becoming common.”
Limits brought in too quickly
Mr Wreford is at pains to emphasise that he is not against the introduction of the 20mph zones, but feels that the limit has been brought in to too many locations too quickly. The result is that some motorists are blatantly ignoring the limits, and a few are even intimidating those, like learner drivers on a lesson, who do adhere to the limits.
The council has responded to Mr Wreford’s concerns, by saying that the reduced speed limit was part of a series of measures to make Bristol’s roads safer. Bristol City Council’s assistant mayor for transport, Mark Bradshaw, has put the onus firmly back on Bristol’s motorists, saying that: “We realise that the change in speed limit will take a little getting used to and change may be gradual. If learner drivers can drive at 20mph, experienced drivers can too. We encourage all drivers to think about changing their driving style.”
With variations in the speed limits changing from one location to another, this is an issue that driving instructors may face with increasing frequency. There is also a question over driver culpability and responsibility in a case like this, especially if an instructor is forced to make a claim on his driving school insurance as a result of an accident caused by another driver becoming impatient with a learner in a 20mph zone. Obviously, the law is on the side of the driving instructor and the pupil (as long as they’ve been adhering to the speed limit), but how will insurance companies view the situation? It’s a debate that’s worth watching in the future.