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Joined: Jun 16, 2004 Posts: 454 Location: London, Ingerlund
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:36 pm Post subject:
Really? I'm sure I read an article only a few days ago (possibly in the back of the last Top Gear mag) that was written by the guy who introduced the limit. His reasons were safety.
Joined: May 09, 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Reading, UK
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:21 pm Post subject:
Quoting from Wikipedia, which I think is right ...
Quote:
"The first British motorways did not have imposed speed limits. However, after a series of severe crashes a temporary speed limit of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) was enforced in 1965, which was made permanent in 1967. It was reduced to 50 mph in response to the 1973 oil crisis and restored to 70 mph in 1974"
In the sixties, diddly-squat to do with fuel economy. _________________ Ian
iPaq 2210
Globalsat BT-338
Seidio G2500 Amplified Vent Mount
CoPilot 6, GPS Tuner 4.2, Navio 3.01
BMW 330ci Sport
Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:50 am Post subject: speeding
most people speed , its a fact of life ,
as i said b4 , its where ya speed thats the problem.
if ya speed past a school at 50, then ya an idiot !!
if ya on a motor way at 85 then theres no problem rearly.
they need to maybe divert there cameras on the zebra crossings,
cars just dont stop no more!!
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 55 Location: Northampton, Surrey
Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:51 pm Post subject:
nej wrote:
I also think that there should be differing limits depending on the time of day. For example, 30mpg on normal roads during the day, but between say 22:00 and 05:00 it could be 40mph. Again, you are unlikely to hit any kids at that time of day, and dwadling along along at 30mph seems silly.
Ok, who's next?
me me me !!! :D
Although you might be unlikely to hit any kids between 22:00 and 05:00 (mind you having said that there are a darn sight more kids around at those times then they used to be) there will be an increased likelyhood of staggering drunks around which would make an even bigger dent in your car!
Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 119 Location: West Suffolk
Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:04 pm Post subject:
iankb wrote:
CaptainK wrote:
I've got to say that ever since purchasing my first GPS, I've stopped speeding as much as I used to. The reason is not the speed camera database (although that's why I'm here of course) but the fact that my GPS units give me the arrival time for my journey.
Knowing the arrival time certainly makes a difference, if only in stress levels.
I've found this has an enormous effect on my driving.
Before the days of SatNav (IE:3 weeks ago! )
I would be very much foot to the floor trying to get around the M25
to where i would need to be.
Now I find that i am happy to either avoid it alltogether (m25 that is) and
take a more sedenitry route. Or that i don't need to drive faster as i can see both Arrival time and Time/Mileage Remaining.
And i'm more happy to go cross-country as the database alterts me to dangerous areas with the bing-bonging for safety cameras!
JD _________________ TTG 300 Died the death of a cracked screen
Navman F20 USB Fell off
TTG 520 Third time lucky?
Bloody Superb PGPSW Camera Database.
Not much else!
I would like to agree with the "innapropriate speed" view. To my mind- driving at 80-90mph at 6am on a deserted dry motorway is perfectlysafe and acceptable. More should be made of the standard of driving which is definately getting worse and more aggressive! This is what causes most accidents. Modern vehicles have much better tyre, brake and suspension technology that even 10 years ago and given the correct conditions then speeding outwith a built up up area is relatively safe. I drive 40,000 miles a year all over the UK and some of the things you see beggar belief! Not so much speeding but general poor driving is a far greater issue and more needs to be done- rather than picking on people going a few miles an hour over the limit.
It’s an odd concept how fast is safe on a deserted motorway?
I drive a fast car, on a deserted motorway I could drive very safely at 180 MPH, so long as there was nobody else on the same road – it all comes down to situation.
Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 42 Location: Cheshire, UK
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:06 am Post subject:
From my own viewpoint there are two distinct types of speed limit. There are the 20, 30 and 40 Mph 'red circle' limits within urban areas that were established for safety reasons, particularly for pedestrians , cyclists and local residents. I never knowingly exceed these limits - they are there for a good reason, and in certain cicumstances even these limits are too high - eg. when school starts/finishes.
Then there is the national speed limit out on the open road of either 60 or 70 Mph, depending on road classification. At one time there there was no limit, but these were introduced as a fuel saving measure during the 'Oil Crisis' of the 70's and we've been stuck with them ever since. If the conditions are right and it's safe to do so, then I will drive at higher speeds up to a sensible limit.
iankb wrote:
The trouble about speeding 'when it is safe to do so' is that everybody has a different idea of what that means.
I agree. Unfortunately most of the drivers on the roads nowadays, don't have the skill or correct attitude to determine what is a reasonable speed for the circumstances, and tend to drive at whatever speed they think they can get away with.
What annoys me is the phrase "speed kills". Speed is only one factor, and in many cases, it's the fact that one or more drivers have their brains turned off that causes accidents in the first place. I think it more appropriate to say that "a low standard of driving kills". If more time and effort were spent improving driving standards in the country, than concentrating on the enforcement of speed limits, then we would all benefit from it. Drivers should be encouraged to improve their skill levels by taking advanced courses with organisations such as IAM, ROSPA etc. That would have far more effect than blanket speed limits. _________________ Cheers,
Garmin Streetpilot i3 (V.8 maps, v.2.7 F/w)
Joined: May 09, 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Reading, UK
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject:
To a certain extent, it's not the speed that you're doing that is the killer, but the relative speed to other traffic that is travelling on the same road, and that may veer into your path. The same goes for pedestrians when on local roads. If you're in the outside lane of the motorway and you're passing a car that is doing 50mph less than you, then you won't be able to avoid a major accident if a lorry pulls out from the inside lane and forces the other car into your path. However good a driver you are, you can't stop other people from causing accidents. Of course, the faster you are going when the accident occurs, the worse the accident.
When you used to take the Advanced Drivers Course (do they still do it?), then part of it was speaking your thoughts out aloud. e.g. 'Watch for that child playing on the pavement, watch out for the driver who may pull out in front of you and hasn't looked in your direction, watch out for that cat, etc, etc'. It's interesting to try it, since it automatically makes you think more about your style of driving.
The other good thing about that course (similar to the police driving courses at the time), was that it taught you how to get places quickly but safely. e.g. Taking the 'racing line' through winding roads when it was safe to do so. Mind you, they didn't have national speed limits when I learnt to drive, and I did have problems when telling a police motorcyclist that the 'racing line' was a recommended way to take a roundabout. _________________ Ian
iPaq 2210
Globalsat BT-338
Seidio G2500 Amplified Vent Mount
CoPilot 6, GPS Tuner 4.2, Navio 3.01
BMW 330ci Sport
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12 Posts: 2946 Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:43 pm Post subject:
Crad wrote:
It’s an odd concept how fast is safe on a deserted motorway? I drive a fast car, on a deserted motorway I could drive very safely at 180 MPH, so long as there was nobody else on the same road – it all comes down to situation.
Your vehicle may be capable of that speed and you may well have the skill and experience to handle it at high speed but you are living in cuckoo land if you think 180 MPH is "safe". If anything goes wrong at that speed you have a very serious problem. _________________ Gone fishing!
...Your vehicle may be capable of that speed and you may well have the skill and experience to handle it at high speed but you are living in cuckoo land if you think 180 MPH is "safe". If anything goes wrong at that speed you have a very serious problem.
I know where you are coming from, but I would rather be doing 180mph in good conditions in a car designed for such speeds (as a passenger to a brilliant driver - as I certainly wouldn't be up to it) than in a one of the first Ford Sierras at 60mph in a crosswind. I think Neil Kinnock would probably agree too. In case noboddy remembers - they had a bit of a tendancy to turn over in a crosswind, which Ford refused to acknowledge until Neil Kinnock was in one which turned over. My father had one for a few days while his car was in for service - it was frightening - even while stationary in a strong crosswind.
Perhaps if Crad had chosen a lower (but still high) speed, the point would have been better made.
Your vehicle may be capable of that speed and you may well have the skill and experience to handle it at high speed but you are living in cuckoo land if you think 180 MPH is "safe". If anything goes wrong at that speed you have a very serious problem.
No I live in the midlands.
I quite frequently drive along a hill-side road with sheer drops and no barrier, if anything goes wrong I’m serious dead at 30MPH. There is always a risk of catastrophe in anything we do. The point is that on a totally deserted motorway i.e. devoid of all other traffic there is little chance of things going wrong. Do they have gatsos in cloud cuckoo land?
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