Part of what increases the likelihood of someone pulling out into the inside lane at 60mph in front of someone at the moment is the assumption that they won't be going much faster (because the legal limit is 70). Make the legal limit 90 and this changes.
Could increasing speed limits make some roads safer?
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Soldato
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I agree that motorways and NSL dual carriage ways could be up'd to 80 speed limit.
Though IMO most speed limits, at least in my area on A roads are fine.
B roads and unnamed roads however which barely fit two cars down are 60mph speed limit. And you always get some crazy person doing silly speeds down those roads, often driving in the middle of the road!
Though IMO most speed limits, at least in my area on A roads are fine.
B roads and unnamed roads however which barely fit two cars down are 60mph speed limit. And you always get some crazy person doing silly speeds down those roads, often driving in the middle of the road!
This is the thing that strikes me the most - the lack of any significant difference between (some) NSL single lanes and motorways. Being in a vehicle doing 100mph on a Motorway is far less 'scary' than 60mph on a winding, hilly, unlit, narrow single lane with hedges obscuring bends at night and passing traffic with a (legal) closing speed of 120mph by mere inches. I'm aware that how 'scary' something is isn't directly proportional to how dangerous it is, but you get my point.
What makes the issue even worse is that by definition on a single lane road the only way to overtake is in the wrong lane. And impatient drivers who get stuck behind another driver doing a speed they consider too low will sooner or later attempt an overtaking manoeuvre, which again due to the nature of the roads is more dangerous than on a motorway (blind hills/bends, oncoming traffic, narrow lanes with obstacles immediately outside them etc).
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I don't care what the speed limit is, going much over 70 seems to obliterate my fuel consumption in the Mondeo, if the limit was 100 i'd still sit at 70. Last time we went down to London in one of my GF's dads Mondeos he had his foot down all the way & he managed a pathetic 39MPG, I can manage into the mid 60's on the same run driving normally in pretty much the same car.
Gone are the days when I used to be hammering it down the outside lane not giving a carp about my fuel costs.
Gone are the days when I used to be hammering it down the outside lane not giving a carp about my fuel costs.
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The NSL is a difficult one. I'm assuming its a baseline that exists to prevent the need to evaluate every piece of road in the country? The costs involved in reassessing every NSL road and setting limits accordingly would be so astronomical that the easy option would be to just lower it.
So at the risk of accidentally wandering into a 50 or even 40MPH NSL, I'm happy to not push the NSL issue.
As for Motorways, much of an increase is going to start causing issues with vehicles limited to 56MPH. Assuming that is that people up their speed when the limit is increased. That said, a lot of Europe have limits up to 80MPH. How do accident rates compare?
So at the risk of accidentally wandering into a 50 or even 40MPH NSL, I'm happy to not push the NSL issue.
As for Motorways, much of an increase is going to start causing issues with vehicles limited to 56MPH. Assuming that is that people up their speed when the limit is increased. That said, a lot of Europe have limits up to 80MPH. How do accident rates compare?
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The numbers of accidents might not change but surely the level of fatalities could
You have just explained exactly why the limits will never be raised: people. Cars may have improved over the last forty years, but people have not. Indeed, there's plenty of evidence of risk compensation: as the cars have got better, people have actually got worse. I've seen lots of people on motorways that I wouldn't trust to do 70, never mind 80. I should also point out that the second biggest reason for motorways being so safe (after the fact everyone is usually going the same way) is the relatively low closing speeds. Anyone who has spent any time on an unrestricted autobahn (contrary to popular belief, only some of that network has no limit) will know that overtaking is a fraught exercise for most cars doing around 70 due to the huge possible closing speeds of any vehicle coming up behind you. Now remember that idiot who pulled out in front of you when you were doing only 10mph more than him, and imagine that it was 20 or 30 mph more. Less time to react, and more chance of something other than a glancing blow.
Same, most of the time I'll just sit at an indicated 70-75 and get reasonable fuel consumption from the V6. Only occasionally will the mood take me or I'll be in a rush and so I'll drive faster. Motorways are boring whether you're doing 60 or 100mph IMHO
Nowhere near as bad as some of the other examples on here but I had an accident down this lane when I was 19 year old. I went storming down here doing 60mph and missed that gorgeous little sign. Went straight across and an Audi TT came out of the left, who of course, had priority.
My crummy little defence is that the previous time I had traveresed the road, some two weeks previous to my accident, the priorities were in my favour.
Anyway, the road follows into this;
And finally;
And it's NSL the entire way...
Edit; oh, yeah, there was a point to my post. I am an advocate of a change in speed limits, and as illustrated previously, there are some seriously mixed up examples.
Really hate that little lane, people go way to fast down it. I have to admit I have seen many people get caught out.
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25 in a 30 is annoying but tolerable
20 in a 30 is infuriatingly slow
<20 in a 30 is completely ridiculous in most cases, and I will be looking for an opportunity to overtake. Quite achievable without speeding too.
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I say keep 2 lanes at 70 then have the 3rd lane derestricted for 300hp+ cars.
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I've seen enough big smashes on the motorway even at 70 to make me think is it worth going any faster? The damage and risk increases significantly as you increase the speed. I find it much more relaxing driving at 70 on the motorway than hairing down at over 80-90. Probably because I know that I won't lose my licence or get points.
Raising the speed limit is all very well and good but raising the driver skill is more important. The number of MLM and people that don't see you or pull out in front of you is mind blowing. The driving standards are pretty poor here, and people are FAR too aggressive, and drive FAR too close to the car in front.
I love a good countryside blast as much as the next petrol head (heck I wouldn't have bought my car if I didn't!) but I just don't trust a lot of people to react properly on the roads.
I guess as I get older I'm getting more patient. If someone is pootling along at 25mph in a 30, I'll just grin and bear it, and if someone is going slower, there's probably a reason (lost, looking for a house / address), and if the opportunity is there, I will overtake, but with great care and consideration, seeing as it's a built up area. On a nice long sweeping NSL road, when clear, of course I'll open it up a little more and overtake when it's safe, even if only doing fractionally under the speed limit. In town however, it's just not worth it IMO.
Raising the speed limit is all very well and good but raising the driver skill is more important. The number of MLM and people that don't see you or pull out in front of you is mind blowing. The driving standards are pretty poor here, and people are FAR too aggressive, and drive FAR too close to the car in front.
I love a good countryside blast as much as the next petrol head (heck I wouldn't have bought my car if I didn't!) but I just don't trust a lot of people to react properly on the roads.
I guess as I get older I'm getting more patient. If someone is pootling along at 25mph in a 30, I'll just grin and bear it, and if someone is going slower, there's probably a reason (lost, looking for a house / address), and if the opportunity is there, I will overtake, but with great care and consideration, seeing as it's a built up area. On a nice long sweeping NSL road, when clear, of course I'll open it up a little more and overtake when it's safe, even if only doing fractionally under the speed limit. In town however, it's just not worth it IMO.
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