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J. J. Leeming

J. J. Leeming is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand J. J. Leeming rather than just read about it. In short: John Joseph Leeming (1899 – 1981) was a British civil engineer and traffic engineer. He forwarded controversial ideas for the causes of, and remedies for, road traffic accidents (RTAs), including the notion that drivers should not always be assumed to be at fault.

J. J. Leeming — main illustration
J. J. Leeming — illustration

Key takeaways

  • J. J. Leeming belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect J. J. Leeming to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of J. J. Leeming from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Joseph Leeming (1899 – 1981) was a British civil engineer and traffic engineer. He forwarded controversial ideas for the causes of, and remedies for, road traffic accidents (RTAs), including the notion that drivers should not always be assumed to be at fault.

Biography

Leeming was born in 1899 and served in the First World War. From 1924 he worked in various road engineering capacities for Oxfordshire County Council, latterly as deputy county surveyor until he left for Dorset in 1946. Leeming supervised the rebuilding of some historic bridges in Oxfordshire and what was then Berkshire, including Abingdon Bridge in 1927, Cropredy Bridge in 1937 and Shilton Bridge in 1938. He wrote or co-wrote articles about these bridges that were published in the Oxford Architectural and Historical Society's journal Oxoniensia. In 1946 Leeming moved to work for Dorset County Council as county surveyor, where he stayed until his retirement in 1964. In this period he pioneered road accident investigation. In 1969 his book Road Accidents: prevent or punish? was published. A 2007 review of a reprint of the book described it as controversial, and as being written by an "enlightened highways expert". The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire holds an archive of Leeming's papers covering the period 1959–72.

Road traffic accident causes In Road Accidents: prevent or punish? Leeming set out his ideas and views of the causes of road traffic casualties (RTCs), and of how best they can be tackled. The book is described as attacking the beginnings of the blame culture, with Leeming convinced that RTCs could be reduced by using road engineering methods based on evidence derived from the scientific analysis of the causes of RTAs, and that drivers were not the main cause of many road safety problems.

Other observations

Induced demand Leeming described the phenomenon of induced demand, with respect to road traffic volumes:Motorways and bypasses generate traffic, that is, produce extra traffic, partly by inducing people to travel who would not otherwise have done so by making the new route more convenient than the old, partly by people who go out of their direct route to enjoy the greater convenience of the new road, and partly by people who use the towns bypassed because they are more convenient for shopping and visits when through traffic has been removed.

Risk compensation The risk compensation principle, upon which Hans Monderman's counter-intuitive shared space concept is founded, was described by Leeming:It can safely be said that places which look dangerous do not have accidents, or very few. They happen at places which do not look dangerous. The reason for this is simple. The motorist is as intelligent as the ‘local people’. If a place looks dangerous, he can see that it is so, he takes care and there are no accidents.

See also John Adams (geographer)

References

Works Leeming, J.J. (1940). "Shilton Bridge" (PDF). Oxoniensia. V. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society: 170. Retrieved 27 October 2013. Leeming, J.J. (1951). Road curvature and superelevation. London: Contractors' Record and Municipal Engineering. Leeming, J.J. (1963). Statistical Methods for Engineers. Glasgow and London: Blackie and Son. Leeming, J.J. (2007) [1969]. Road Accidents: prevent or punish?. Oswestry (reprint) and London (original): Quinta Press (reprint), Cassell (original). ISBN 978-1-897856-29-1. SBN 304932132. Leeming, J.J.; Salter, H.E. (1937). "Burford Bridge, Abingdon" (PDF). Oxoniensia. II. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society: 134–140. Retrieved 27 October 2013. Toynbee, M.R.; Leeming, J.J. (1938). "Cropredy Bridge" (PDF). Oxoniensia. III. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society: 123–138. Retrieved 27 October 2013.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with J. J. Leeming

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what J. J. Leeming claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to J. J. Leeming before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about J. J. Leeming ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of J. J. Leeming

In research
J. J. Leeming appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses J. J. Leeming in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
J. J. Leeming is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1899 births, 1981 deaths, Transport engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for J. J. Leeming outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study J. J. Leeming in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what J. J. Leeming means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain J. J. Leeming out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is J. J. Leeming in simple terms?

John Joseph Leeming (1899 – 1981) was a British civil engineer and traffic engineer. He forwarded controversial ideas for the causes of, and remedies for, road traffic accidents (RTAs), including the notion that drivers should not always be assumed to be at fault.

Why does J. J. Leeming matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study J. J. Leeming?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on J. J. Leeming.

Tags

  • 1899 births
  • 1981 deaths
  • Transport engineers

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