Why The Focus On Speed?

Tributes have been pouring in for a 20-year-old woman who died after being struck by a car in Swanley.

Pedestrian Victoria Woodbridge was hit by a brown Volkswagen Touran in London Road on Wednesday evening. The car was travelling in the direction of Sidcup and the collision happened at around 6pm on the junction with Brook Road.

A sad and sadly familiar story.

And in the comments, the usual cries for 'Something to be done!!' despite the fact that accident investigators are still investigating:

rw4732 says...

Victoria is my niece and if the Kent County Council had reduced the speed limit along London Road Swanley, As requested over a number of years then perhap's Vicky may have survived this accident as persons hit by a car doing 30 are more likely to survive than being hit by a car doing 40, so come on Newsshopper help campaign for a reduction in the speed limit so no else has to die, my thoughts are with the family at this time and I wish them all the best,

Hmmm.

missyd32 says...

I totally agree, the speed limit for that stretch of road should be reduced, I use that road a lot and never do more than 35mph along there and have been over taken for not going faster!!! The council need to take action to stop more serious and fatal accidents like this. My thoughts go out to all that knew Victoria x

Gosh, it seems like they needn't investigate, eh? This lot already know what caused the accident!

cherished says...

Sad news- please campaign for a speed limit and we will support. Thoughts to all Victorias family and friends

Well, here's a shot of London Road at the junction with  Brook Road:

And here's the other angle:

Notice what's missing? Yup, that's right. There's no pedestrian access across the road. No zebra crossing, no pelican, nothing. Wouldn't it make more sense to campaign for that instead?

Now, it might be that since Google crawled the area one has been put in & the driver failed to stop at it. It might be that the car mounted the pavement and she wasn't even crossing the road. I don't know, and crucially, nor does anyone commenting at this point.

But they are convinced that they know just what will do the trick. And that's making everyone drive at what they consider to be a 'safe' speed.

There seems to be a developing gestalt that pedestrians are never even partially at fault for an accident; just  look at the outrage engendered by the move by insurance giant Churchill to reduce the payout to a girl left brain damaged when she was hit by a car as she walked - in dark clothing - down an unlit country road with headphones in! Speed is again a factor, according to our diamond-sharp legal minds:

Mr Moore was found to be driving at about 50mph – which the judge considered to be too fast for such a road in darkness.

But the Court of Appeal has allowed the insurers to appeal against the original ruling. The test case will decide to what extent children can be held responsible for their injuries in road accidents.

Here's hoping sanity prevails. But I think it probably won't...