A war of words has broken out after a drivers' group and a leading insurer about relation between speed limits and the risk of fatal accidents.
The Association of British Drivers (ABD) have accused the insurance company Direct Line and the road safety charity "Brake" of encouraging 'foot to floor driving'.
The ABD expressed concern that drivers are being encouraged to think they are are safe 'as long as they don't go over 30 mph'.
It comes after Direct line and Brake released a joint statement claiming that by driving at 35mph rather than 30mph drivers are twice as likely to kill a child.
The ABD say Brake are obsessed with 'irrelevant numbers' but they have hit back accusing the driver's group of acting like "kings of the road".
ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries started the row when he said: "Brake have misinterpreted a statistic which shows that in an impact of 35mph a pedestrian is twice as likely to be killed as in an impact of 30mph.
"Any accident investigator will tell you that impact speed is rarely anything like travelling speed.
"Impact speed is the result of a combination of factors including travelling speed but also more crucially the quality of driver observation, positioning, adjusting of speed to hazard density, reaction times, road surfaces, tyre condition and many other things.
"Very few accidents occur with no slowing or braking whatsoever. Such accidents are usually only those where the driver falls asleep or is totally distracted."
Mr Humphries added: "Motorists must ensure that speed is always set at a level where they can safely stop within the distance guaranteed to be clear.
"It is no good driving at 30mph and assuming it is OK because the child will only be injured not killed. A child can be killed in a 30mph impact and if not will probably be seriously maimed.
"It is thoroughly irresponsible of Brake and Direct Line to imply that simply sticking to the speed limit, regardless, is good practice.
"Their advocated electronic speed management systems will actively encourage more foot to floor driving with fewer drivers setting their speed safely.
"The safest drivers are continually varying their speed to suit conditions; any expert driver will tell you that."
Statistic show there are around eight deaths on Britain's roads each day while an average of 79 people are injured in car accidents.
A Brake spokesman said: "We are trying to make Britain's roads safer by promoting safer driving. We are saying that keeping to the speed limit is one thing they can do.
"It is quite clear that we are trying to achieve that goal by putting out this information. The ABD however, is an association of drivers who think they are kings of the road and don't need
to be told how to drive."
A spokesman for Direct Line said: "I think they (ABD) have taken one element of a statement when the core message is about speeding.
"You only have to look at the fact that one third of male drivers speed in 30 mph zones."
Tom, Bootle around 11 months, 1 week ago