CO2 Increased by Road Humps

Not only do they damage cars and irritate drivers they’re also killing the planet by increasing emissions.

The AA, who commissioned the report with an independent engineer, tested the fuel consumption of small and medium sized cars. It found that due to the constant accelerating and braking in speed hump areas, the average the cars would deliver was only 30.85mpg compared to 58.15mpg while maintaining a steady 30mph.

Also the results showed that reducing speed from 30mph to 20mph resulted in a 10 increase in emissions, due to car engines being most efficient at speeds above 30mph. This would equate to an extra tonne of CO2 a year if the driver observed the 20mph limit on a one-mile stretch of road compared to driving at 30mph for the same distance.

This is supported by previous research from the Transport Research Laboratory. They found that CO2 emissions rose by 82 on roads with speed humps.

The London ambulance services claims that humps are costing 500 lives per year in the capital due to crews being delayed navigating the 30,000 humps to get to cardiac arrest victims.

January 28^th 2008