Excessive speed is a frequent problem, reflected both in the number of violations and in accidents. In Portugal, the maximum speeds allowed vary on different roads and there are penalties for not complying with certain limits due to excess. It should also be noted that excessive speed and excessive speed for the conditions are not the same thing. A Help Flash explains the inherent risks at the speed of the legislation applied in the national territory.
O que é a velocidade?
Speed is the relationship between a certain distance traveled by a vehicle and the time spent traveling. When a vehicle travels at a speed of 36 km/h, this means that it travels a distance of 10 meters in every second (result of 36,000 meters divided by 3,600 seconds). This way, in case of an unexpected accident in a vehicle traveling at 36 km/h, as the driver takes only a second to react to the danger situation, the work will only start after traveling about 10 meters.
It is also worth mentioning that there is a difference between excessive speed and excessive speed. Firstly, it is characterized by ultrapassagem two legal speed limits imposed by law. Excessive speed occurs when driving at a speed that is not adequate for the road conditions, the vehicle or other circumstances, such as, for example, atmospheric conditions.
The ANSR (National Road Safety Authority) reports that more than 60% of traffic violations and one third of deaths on roads are caused by excessive speed.
Increasing speed can have serious implications:
- At narrow speed or field of vision. At 130 km/h, the field of vision is barely 30 degrees, which slows down the detection of cliffs and reduces the ability to react quickly.
- The higher the speed, the more serious the damage is. At 30km/h, the probability of a collision resulting in death is 10%. At 50km/h, this probability increases to 80%. At 70 km/h, the death of a person is practically inevitable.
- Pay attention to the reaction time. The average reaction time is about 1 second. Logo, apart from security for the vehicle that precedes it, will always be superior. However, immobilization distances between vehicles also increase with speed and, above 60 km/h, 1 second will not be enough. I thought that, with the ideal ground conditions, at 90 km/h you need to keep at least 3 seconds of distance.
In short, over 20 km, increasing the average speed from 50 km/h to 60 km/h saves just 4 minutes on the trip, but it may have serious consequences in terms of safety for yourself and others.
Better visibility, more time to refresh
The Help Flash , being a luminous device that is visible from 1 kilometer away and in 360º , substantially improves the visibility of the immobilized vehicle , giving more time to the remaining drivers to restart, reducing speed and maneuvering carefully, if necessary.
Speed limit for light passengers and motorcycles
| Vehicles | Dentro das localidades | Remaining public roads | Reserved routes | Highway |
| Ligeiros de passageiros e mistos sem reboque | 50 km/h | 90 km/h | 100 km/h | 120 km/h |
| Ligeiros de passageiros e mistos com reboque | 50 km/h | 70 km/h | 80 km/h | 100 km/h |
Penalties provided for speeding
| Dentro das localidades | Fora das localidades | Contra-ordenação | Bribe | Inibição de conduzir | Subtração de pontos - Geral | Subtração de pontos – Coexistence zones* |
| Up to 20 km/h | Up to 30 km/h | Mild | 60€ to 300€ | NA | NA | NA |
| From 20 km/h to 40 km/h | From 30 km/h to 60 km/h | Serious | 120€ to 600€ | 1 mês a 1 ano | 2 points | 3 points |
| From 40 km/h to 60 km/h | From 60 km/h to 80 km/h | Very serious | 300€ to 1500€ | 2 months to 2 years | 4 points | 5 points |
| Greater than 60 km/h | Greater than 80 km/h | Very serious | 500€ to 2500€ | 2 months to 2 years | 4 points | 5 points |
*Area designed for use by people and vehicles, where the maximum permitted speed is 20 km/h.
