Speed bumps on roads add to the pollution levels

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has indicated that introducing measures which stop vehicles from continually stopping and starting would go a long way in reducing harmful emissions from cars and will also help motorists to economize on fuel.
In its opinion, enforcing average speed checks and variable speed limits across the motorway network could help lower the levels of deadly air pollution.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 December 2016.

Air pollution accounts for 5% of all deaths in England - about 25,000 deaths a year. The health watchdog has proposed a number of measures and a series of initiatives that would help lessen the impact of pollution. These are -
(i) review the use of speed bumps on roads because some of these tend to cause drivers to accelerate and decelerate towards them
(ii) introduce "no-idling" zones around schools. Usually, parents leave their car engines running during drop-offs and pick-ups - this should be discouraged
(iii) explore possibilities of congestion charge zones in towns and cities worst hit by pollution problems - and launch public awareness initiatives such as "car free days"


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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