Cut speed limit by 10mph, begs mother of death-crash doctor

THE mother of a Scottish doctor, who was killed when a speeding driver crashed into her while he was overtaking, has backed a campaign to reduce speed limits on single-carriageway roads.

Elizabeth Davidson said that her daughter Margaret's death would have been "preventable" if action had been taken to reduce the number of motorists driving at lethal speeds on narrow roads.

Dr Davidson, 26, from Hamilton, died when 19-year-old Nolan Haworth collided with her at more than 70mph after he had overtaken traffic on the brow of a hill on a road in Oxfordshire.

Now her mother is supporting a campaign launched by road safety charity Brake to put pressure on the UK government to slash the default speed limit on single carriageway roads from 60mph to at least 50mph.

Mrs Davidson spoke out after Brake published figures that revealed nearly half of all motorists admitted to overtaking above the speed limit on single carriageway rural roads.

The survey showed that of more than 940 drivers polled by the charity, 47 per cent admitted speeding at more than 60mph to overtake on country roads

Mrs Davidson, speaking as the campaign was launched, talked about the death of her daughter in 2006, when a victim impact statement moved the presiding judge to tears and saw her daughter's killer handed a four- year jail term following the Oxfordshire crash.

She said: "I loved Margaret from her first breath and will love, mourn and miss her until my last. Margaret's death and others like hers are entirely preventable; it was because of the driver's selfishness that she was killed.

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"I plead with all drivers to think of Margaret and slow down on country roads. Attempting to overtake when you're not 100 per cent sure it's safe is utterly disgraceful - my message to drivers is simply don't overtake unless it's absolutely essential."

Green MSP Patrick Harvie, the convener of the Scottish Parliament's transport committee, backed the call from Mrs Davidson to reduce speed limits and said some 60mph limits on roads "cannot be justified".

"While there may be single lane roads where 60mph remains safe, there are many more where even 50mph simply cannot be justified, and the default legal speed for these roads must come down from 60mph."

Ellen Booth, Brake's campaigns officer, said: "Brake is calling on the government to act to tackle the problem of drivers who overtake irresponsibly and speed on rural roads."

The UK's road safety minister Mike Penning he was "looking at the most effective ways to further reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads".

The Scottish Government's transport agency Transport Scotland said that "ministers had requested local authorities to review speed limits set on local roads."