POLL: Motorway speed limits

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Admitting you speed is just admitting that you break the law, thats all.

Driving faster does increase chances of death at ANY speed, why do people argue this. You all seem to be taking the example of poor mr. pedestrian crossing the motorway or something. If you spin off the motorway at 70mph you have less chance of diring than at 120mph no?

Also as using my above example, smashing into the back of a pileup at 120mph because you couldn't stop in time is a lot more likely to cause injuries and/or death than if you are going at 70mph, a) because of the momentum effect, b) because of the stopping distance
 
Originally posted by [ASSE]Arnie01
Admitting you speed is just admitting that you break the law, thats all.

Driving faster does increase chances of death at ANY speed, why do people argue this. You all seem to be taking the example of poor mr. pedestrian crossing the motorway or something. If you spin off the motorway at 70mph you have less chance of diring than at 120mph no?

Also as using my above example, smashing into the back of a pileup at 120mph because you couldn't stop in time is a lot more likely to cause injuries and/or death than if you are going at 70mph, a) because of the momentum effect, b) because of the stopping distance
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Why do you assume everyone who speeds does 120mph? I for one do not condone travelling at 120mph on the Motorway.

Do you *really* beleive there is a significant difference in what will happen if you crash your car at 70mph and what will happen if you crash at 80mph?

Don't forget that a crash at 120mph today will have a lower chance of resulting in death than a crash at 70mph in a car which was around when the limit was devised. Do you beleive the speed limit was 'unsafe' when it devised?
 
spin off the motorway at 70...you most likely die, spin off at 120 you most likely die.

All the stuff you were taught about stopping distances in lessons is Boddercups!, like most of the driving test its years out of date and doesnt account for differences in cars/brakes/people/etc.

Chances of not slowing down long before a pile up are slim due to the fact everyone in front of you will be getting slower.
 
Originally posted by [TW]Fox
Why do you assume everyone who speeds does 120mph? I for one do not condone travelling at 120mph on the Motorway.

Do you *really* beleive there is a significant difference in what will happen if you crash your car at 70mph and what will happen if you crash at 80mph?

Don't forget that a crash at 120mph today will have a lower chance of resulting in death than a crash at 70mph in a car which was around when the limit was devised. Do you beleive the speed limit was 'unsafe' when it devised?
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I give up, seriously. We all know why the speed limits were introduced yet there are still people saying much like what you are saying here. I'm not around to defend the decisions of the governing bodies on this one but I happen to agree with them. Lets face it, 70 is no safer than 80 right? So you say, why not make it 80? But let me put it this way.

I'm sure you'll all agree 70 is a lot safer than 50000mph (extreme example). If therefore we put the speed limit to 80, there would always be people testing the water with higher speeds, eventually these considered speeds would definitely be unsafe, say 100, its not much over 80, but a lot more unsafe. Maybe I'm not explaining myself very well.

You can't just raise the speed limit because a few miles an hour above that is safe, if the world worked like that eventually we'd all be going as fast as we wanted. These limits may seem unfair to some people but they are there to save you and others from harm, whether you like it or not, the limit is 70.

If you want to get somewhere fast, take a plane, easyjet is cheaper than the car anyway
 
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As far as I am aware the 70mph limit was put into force due to cars at the time (mid 70's??) were bombing along at ridiculous speeds causing hundreds of deaths a week. Cars couldn't withstand the inpacts at anything above 60 ish and so they decided on the 70mph limit.
In Britain we have THE safest roads in the world. I drive on the motorway every day and I would guess roughly 1 out of every 10 cars is sticking to the limit. So what we can we take from that? The majority of people ignore it. Why? Because it is out of date.

Simple answer. You have to have some sort of motorway training when you learn to drive, it astonishes me you can pass your test and hop of a motorway the next day. It's a completely different sort of driving.. concentration that a lot of people can hack.
Raise the standard of driving on the motorways and raise the limit. Combined you won't get any more accidents. Speed is not the ONLY contributing factor, as the government makes out it is.
 
Originally posted by [ASSE]Arnie01
I'm sure you'll all agree 70 is a lot safer than 50000mph (extreme example). If therefore we put the speed limit to 80, there would always be people testing the water with higher speeds, eventually these considered speeds would definitely be unsafe, say 100, its not much over 80, but a lot more unsafe.
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And? If we never did anything becuase 'oh no! people will want more!' we'd never make *any* progress!

'No, we cant build a new school here, becuase then everyone will want one!'

Sticking to an out of date limit cannot be justified by saying 'if we raise it people will want more!'

You can't just raise the speed limit because a few miles an hour above that is safe
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'a few'?


, if the world worked like that eventually we'd all be going as fast as we wanted. These limits may seem unfair to some people but they are there to save you and others from harm, whether you like it or not, the limit is 70.
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Great, so lets ban anyone who happens to disagree with any rule/law/government policy becuase hey, 'whether we like it or not' :rolleyes:

Do you drive an old shed with drum brakes all round? No. Cars these are perfectably capable of driving safely at higher speeds on Motorways.

If you want to get somewhere fast, take a plane, easyjet is cheaper than the car anyway
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Yea great. Becuase *everyone* lives just down the road from the Airport, and it's just like hopping on a bus :rolleyes:
 
To achieve my 25mpg i thrash the daylights out of my car.

have done for the past 28k after red line doesn't start till 7k does it?

Im not tight enough to winge about fuel - so I don't.

I speed because Ii like driving at high speed, but I try and make sure its as safe as possible for when I do.

Eidolon - I work in Springfield Fiat on Durham Road.
 
Originally posted by [TW]Fox
Do you drive an old shed with drum brakes all round? No. Cars these are perfectably capable of driving safely at higher speeds on Motorways
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Cars are not capable of driving its the person behind the wheel.
Dosnt matter how high tech the car is if the driver cant handle it at high speed.
Also at high speeds you have less time to anticipate what everyone else is going to do.
 
Originally posted by Oldun
Cars are not capable of driving its the person behind the wheel.
Dosnt matter how high tech the car is if the driver cant handle it at high speed.
Also at high speeds you have less time to anticipate what everyone else is going to do.
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You really beleive there is that much of a difference between 70 and 80?
 
Originally posted by [TW]Fox
You really beleive there is that much of a difference between 70 and 80?
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Between 70 & 80 no but from 80 onwards the difference begins to show
Dont get me wrong I speed but I very rarely go over 100mph and i drive all day every day for the last 35 yrs and have only ever had 1 speeding ticket because I pick the places where I speed carefully.
I was merely pointing out that it isnt the car that is safe its the drivers capabilities that count.
 
Good Thread
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I drive between 100/115mph, any less and i get bored easily im afraid


If i know there are lots of camera's and coppers about i stick to 75ishmph


The speed limit DOES need rising on the Motorways.... i bet the autobahn has less casualtys than ours.

Generaly, lack of concentration makes people crash, and i tend to concentrate more at 90mph+ then any slower, thus better chance of reacting :-)
 
Not only has car technology advanced a lot since the 70mph limit was brought about, but so has the general standard of driving.

Passing your driving test today is a lot more difficult than it was 10 years ago, never mind about 30+ (not sure exactly when) years ago, when this limit was introduced. Im sure some of our more 'mature' members will agree with that. :D

I know someone who had to indicate by waving his arms out of the window to turn/change lanes when he passed his test because his indicators were'nt working. He didnt have to take a theory and had about 2 lessons! If you could drive to the bottom of the road and back you got your licence.

Compare that to today where in not uncommon for people to have 30+ lessons and several attempts at both the theory and practical tests. Plus cars with disk brakes, abs, ebs.. blah blah airbags... blah blah crumple zones... blah blah.... [insert acronym here].

p.s I drive at 70 and occasionally go upto 80-85 when overtaking. And yes, I think the limit should go up slightly.
 
Originally posted by bioharryuk
i so find that when u are stuck behind some one slow u go into a day dream, surley this is much more dangerous.
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HAHA! :D Sorry but this really is funny, you're saying that you have to drive fast otherwise you'll fall to sleep!! If you go into day dreams, I don't think you should be driving really, do you? Turn the radio up :p And I was pretty much agreeing with people's arguments for raising the limit too. It is a fact that you have to do 80-85mph to get by these huge trucks that sit in the middle lane :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Fusion
HAHA! :D Sorry but this really is funny, you're saying that you have to drive fast otherwise you'll fall to sleep!! If you go into day dreams, I don't think you should be driving really, do you? Turn the radio up :p And I was pretty much agreeing with people's arguments for raising the limit too. It is a fact that you have to do 80-85mph to get by these huge trucks that sit in the middle lane :rolleyes:
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He makes a good point actually.
COncentration does wander at slower speeds - there is also the general tendancy to think "I'm going slowly, therefore I must be safe"

I'd rather be in a car with somebody driving balls-out and therefore concentrating than with someone dawdling along at 55 not paying any attention.
 
Originally posted by Lopéz
I'd rather be in a car with somebody driving balls-out and therefore concentrating than with someone dawdling along at 55 not paying any attention.
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But what about if the person driving at 55 is concentrating :) I understand what you are saying, but if someone is going "ball-out", then I'd have thought it was an absolute requirement that they concentrate, as concentration is needed a lot more. Personally I can't stand people that dawdle either, but don't make the assumption that everyone doing 70 or under has no concentration. You see people eating their sandwiches and allsorts in the fast lane of the M1, on phones etc and many are doing well over the ton.
 
Speeding along at 120 etc is fine and dandy until some one who can't judge how fast your going pulls out and you kill him and his family because he had bad judgement.

I belive my car if it was unrestricted would do 180+ but i've never gone above 100.

Speeding does kill, full stop. Saying your in control and your car is capable etc is fine but when something happens outwith your control it still game over.

This come from experience by the way as one of my dads oldest friends was cruising down the motorway in his old jag at speed when an old couple pulled out into the outside lane. 4 Deaths. My old man doesn't speed much either nowadays. He has an M5. Mind you my mum does still.

Anyway this thread is pointless as you get far too many people in the " i'm a great driver and i can handle speed " brigade.

Motorways though should get the limit raised to 80. Most modern cars sit comfortable at around 75 so this would be an improvement.
 
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