So, why won't the UK and other european gov's raise the speed limits on motorways?

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

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As per title, cars are safer by the day, and everyone I know is getting ****ed of the current max speed, in this country you may only drive 120 kph, while when you drive 65 miles further and then you can race as you please on the German Autobahn and it works there.
I'm reading all kinds of threads in OcUK about people caught for speeding, then people start saying : Then don't break the law.
What if nobody agrees with the law, doesn't everyone want the speed limit on the motorway gone from some spots and perhaps @ some times (eg. between 11 pm and 6 am ). There's just one political party here in the NL, a liberalistic party, that wants to raise the speed limit ( to 170 kph, 102 mph) and the rest don't want to touch it or wants to lower is ( GRRRRR green party (Greenleft) :mad: & the party for animals ).

If I'd be prime minister of the NL I'd remove any speed limit during the night, raise the speed limit to 170 kph ( 102 mph) during day from urban territory's, raise the speed limit from 100 (60mph) to 130 in urban area's motorways, and completly burn the 80 kph (48 mph) zones with avg. speed camera's from some of the ring motoways like the ring east of amsterdam or the A12 in the hague or the A13 near Rotterdam.


How do you guys look @ the motorway speed limit?
Do you agree with me that the UK ( and any eu country like the NL too) should adjust the speed limits to the year we're living in and remove all the rubbish speed limits that were made ages ago?

No swearing

Gilly

sorry, forgot the word is a sweary too :(
Snowdog
 
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It is true to say that when the limits were set cars were nothing like their modern brethren, but then neither was the volume of traffic. I think there are roads in this country that could have derestricted sections on them, not least the M6 north of Preston, but it won’t happen. It is too much effort and there are too many nutters (not least me!) who would head up there to open their taps and ‘see what she’ll do!’ I think speed limits that reflected road conditions would be the best thing, but I can’t see that happening due to the green/environmental argument and the associated costs.
 
I feel a non-speed limit would encourage our stereotypical degenerate youth to come steal our cars and race them up and down the motorways.

Of course that is a different law entirely, dangerous and reckless driving, but it'll be another encouragement for them to do I think. Plus, our government would lose a lot of income from not need a few speed cameras in these areas.
 
It's the way politics works.

The government have spent years trying to convince us that 'speed kills'. The opponents of any politician who went against this and increased the limit would then be able to use dubious statistics to demonstrate that increasing the limit has caused more accidents/deaths/cancer/gun crime or whatever thus tarnishing the name of whoever was brave enough to actually act in the best interests of this country.

Then of course you've got the green lobby who will start bleating on about CO2. Essentially from a politicians point of view there's too much at risk and not enough to gain from supporting such a policy so it won't happen.
 
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because the majority of drivers out there already have no idea whats going on behind the wheel and are dangerous as it is with a limit of 70

if it were higher, people would be dying left right and centre
 
Everyone (well almost everyone might see the odd 1 or 2 cars not doing this :p) does at least 80mph on the motorway. And I can guarantee if your doing 80 on the M3 get in the inside lane because you will get overtaken a hell of a lot, Speed limit is too low tbh, but we could all sit here all day and state what the limit is but its not worth it lol nothing will come of it, as said in countless posts before this one the 70mph limit was imposed when cars could only just do that, now the motorways filled with cars that can do 130 with ease, bit silly really.
 
Matt82 said:
because the majority of drivers out there already have no idea whats going on behind the wheel and are dangerous as it is with a limit of 70

if it were higher, people would be dying left right and centre
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ORLY, how come I've seen no problems driving through Germany yearly to Poland? Most people stick to 140-150 kph and don't go higher even if they're allowed to, some even drive 110 kph. Only the occasional guys speed through @ 200 kph in their epensive merc's and bimmers. I've never seen an accident yet in Germany.
 
on the continent ive noticed the drivers drive with a hell of a lot more awareness than you see over here. been on the m25 lately?

look at this board for example and the number of people who have fallen off the road since winter happened.

allowing uk drivers to go over 70 legally would be hilarious
 
i personally think speed limit should be raised to 85mph but very strictly enforced. ie 1mph over and you get points and a fine.

snowdog said:
I've never seen an accident yet in Germany.
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My old man used to be a salesman in Germany and crashed his granada/scorpio at around 120mph. Walked out but the emergency services said he was very very lucky. Some youths had dropped a concrete block onto the motorway and he hit it.
 
snowdog said:
ORLY, how come I've seen no problems driving through Germany yearly to Poland? Most people stick to 140-150 kph and don't go higher even if they're allowed to, some even drive 110 kph. Only the occasional guys speed through @ 200 kph in their epensive merc's and bimmers. I've never seen an accident yet in Germany.
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because that is germany, this is the UK.
45 miles each way on m25 (currently 65 each way on m4) every day and i see atleast 1 accident each way every day.
This morning in 65 miles on M4 i saw 3 accident, the average speed over those 65 miles was probably 60mph (taking into account the 2 long SPECS 50mph zones).
 
god, i remember driving to enfield every day, traffic was always heavy, rarely more than 40mph etc but youd still get some idiot driving into something
 
Matt82 said:
on the continent ive noticed the drivers drive with a hell of a lot more awareness than you see over here. been on the m25 lately?

look at this board for example and the number of people who have fallen off the road since winter happened.

allowing uk drivers to go over 70 legally would be hilarious
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The majority of this subforum I can safely say are younger drivers. It's no excuse but maybe we're not taught to drive properly and educated better on weather etc.

You can pass your test without any cold weather experience. Not much can prepare you for it bar learning by example and from your mistakes it seems. I was on the road in a few hours when I did my CBT at 17 and I had no ides what to expect in Winter. Even slow speeds were impossible in the colder weather.

Yes, raise the speed limits but I think other aspects of the roads could be better improved, starting with better education on driving in the first place.
 
I heard people suggest the chevron system, if you are fewer than two chevrons apart of a car over a certain distance, you get the fine and the points in the mail.

Would this work, is that how it works in Germany?
 
I think variable motorway speeds are the way forward. Then at night on straight roads, the limit can easily be raised, but equally motorways junctions/sections known for accidents can be kept lower and all limits can be lowered in fog/rain/traffic. Obviously speed cameras would have to be linked to these updates
 
Because the government doesn't want to address bad driving because it would be politically problematic, so they focus on speed, let people die and ignore all the real causes of our unsafe roads.

Raising speed limits would be an admission that their entire road safety policy is a bunch of drivel.
 
[DW]Muffin;10868300 said:
I heard people suggest the chevron system, if you are fewer than two chevrons apart of a car over a certain distance, you get the fine and the points in the mail.

Would this work, is that how it works in Germany?
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chevrons are something else they dont 'get' in the south.

in germany there used to be a system of chevrons where cameras monitored for tailgating and fined people accordingly.

if that was introduced over here (and points were dished out) the scores of idiots that tailgate would soon be off the road, and then others would attempt to drive at the higher new legal limit and die

the roads would be clearer and id be happy, so yeah, im all for change
 
Dup said:
The majority of this subforum I can safely say are younger drivers. It's no excuse but maybe we're not taught to drive properly and educated better on weather etc.

You can pass your test without any cold weather experience. Not much can prepare you for it bar learning by example and from your mistakes it seems. I was on the road in a few hours when I did my CBT at 17 and I had no ides what to expect in Winter. Even slow speeds were impossible in the colder weather.

Yes, raise the speed limits but I think other aspects of the roads could be better improved, starting with better education on driving in the first place.
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Good point, Past Plus which should include night driving should be made mandatory.
 
i have got to say, im 19 and last summer and the summer before i have driven a lot of europe. 2006 - Devon to croatia and back via italy (including the autobahn) and just last summer 2007 - Devon to the nurburgring then to holland etc (again taking in the autobahn)

i knew there was no speed limit. but still kept myself at 90 / 100 mph it was a comfortable crusing speed.

maybe im just kinda sensible for a young driver? but i wasnt even tempted to "see how fast i could go" however.......

whilst on the back straight of the ring this was a different story lol i was quiet happy to push the car to as fast as i could go, but then i had no problem with that as it was a race track and its expected and under controlled enviroment. etc

my 2 cents
 
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