Speed humps cause most irritation for motorists whilst driving 

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Speed humps, road improvement or just plain nuisance  - 1st October 2007 

Research in the UK has shown that the biggest cause of irritation to drivers whilst motoring are low-lying speed humps, with the vast majority of drivers wanting to see them removed.

Research conducted by NEWCARNET.co.uk (the online car purchasing guide) said that 87 percent of drivers would like speed humps removed and discontinued. 

The government introduced speed humps in 1991 to slow down vehicles, claiming that the risk of accidents are reduced by 5 percent for each 1mph that a vehicle reduces it's speed.

Massimo Pini, company spokesman for NEWCARNET.co.uk said: "Discrepancies exist not only in the rules for constructing speed humps, but also councils' reasoning for installing them. In Barnet, for instance, the local council removed all speed humps in 2005, and recorded a 14.9% drop in accidents in the first six months.

Usually, councils install speed humps on the grounds of improving safety!" The humps can cause a dangerous distraction to drivers which could result in possible road accidents.  Speed humps can also hinder rapid response emergency vehicles, cause an increase in road noise, will increase pollution from CO2 emissions and can damage vehicles.

Speed humps can be responsible for drivers taking different less suitable routes to avoid them.

Motorists can find driving over speed humps uncomfortable with recent studies showing that they have caused injury to drivers, particularly those with bone conditions like osteoporosis. Warranty Direct, the automotive warranty specialist; claim that over the last 10 years an average of 1 in 8 cars will have had suspension damage that will have been caused by speed humps.

The guidelines state it is illegal for speed humps to be raised more than 100mm from the road surface, though to avoid grounding they should not exceed 75mm states the Department for Transport.

The regulations also say that speed humps should not be placed within 25m of bridges, subways or tunnels because the impact from vehicles passing over the speed humps will send shock waves through the ground. Depending in the volume of traffic and the proximity of buildings, structural damage could occur.