The Facts about Speed Bumps

Most places in the UK now have speed bumps in place as a speed breaker and in the majority of places they are very effective such as near schools and quiet residential roads. There are many drivers who cannot do more than 20mph in some places due to speed bumps as low cars, such as sports ones, are the vehicles most likely to be damaged. Many areas that have speed bumps still have the national speed limit of 30mph but just because it says 30mph, it doesn't necessarily mean it's always safe to drive at that speed.

Interesting truths about these speed breakers

There have been many arguments against the use of speed bumps in every street in England and there is good reason for this too. Speed bumps halt emergency services such as ambulances and fire engines and in some cases risking and losing lives. What most drivers don't know is that there are ways to cheat the speed bumps.

• It is illegal to have speed bumps anywhere within 25 metres of bridges, subways and tunnels; this is due to structural damage that it may cause
• Speed bumps can cause suspension problems, shock absorber problems, and damage to the exhaust, front plate and underside of the vehicle
• Speed bumps can cause more accidents as drivers tend to concentrate at manoeuvring over the speed bump than looking out for any hazards that may be occurring
• In the evening cars can be dazzled by headlights going over speed bumps and can potentially cause accidents
• Speed bumps cause spinal problems, back problems with hundreds of drivers taking time off sick because of this
• It's discrimination to disabled passengers, a jolt from a speed bump could leave them paralysed or in severe pain. Disabled passengers also need to be strapped in the vehicle to avoid any discomfort
• House prices could suffer from the inconvenience caused by speed bumps and eventually lead to putting off any prospective buyers
• Depending on the size of the speed bump and vehicle, by going at a higher speed it may cause less discomfort
• Some speed patrol cars are known to skim over speed bumps at the speed over 70mph!
• There is actually no safety benefit to slowing down dramatically to pass over a speed bump
• Accelerating after passing over a speed bump cause more pollution than if it hadn't been there
• Larger vehicles that brake make more noise
• Noise from the tyres make more noise than if the bump hadn't been there
• In some countries drivers sound their horn every time they pass over a speed bump; since the councils put them without any consent drivers feel this protest is justified
• Speed bumps are inverted pot holes and as pot holes cause tremendous damage, speed humps are just as bad
• Speed bumps have had to be rebuilt after buses in Birmingham suffered extreme damage to the front of the bus
• In Hastings taxi fares rose slightly to cover maintenance cost and the additional care required when taking passengers on journeys
• In a three month period police cars had £7,500 worth of damage to their vehicles due to speed bumps

As you can see there are more reasons to remove speed bumps than to keep them in place but until speed bumps are removed we all have to take due care when driving over them.