Speed limit cuts move a step closer
- Thread starter Alex UK
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
The problem is that some people are too stupid to judge their own speeds. I do drive in a lot of 60 zones and there are some section in which you should slow BUT people seem to think that it's okay to carry on going at 60 through some tight bends. The government are catering for the idiots, the people that don't know what speed is appropriate for what road conditions.
You either drive a crap car, are not interested in driving, or both.
No true petrolhead could tolerate sticking to 50mph on an otherwise safe open NSL A road.
I rarely ever look at my speedo on country back roads. There's just no point. Because you know that the chances of coming across a speed camera trap are very low (especially if you know the roads well).
When attacking a b-road I would say the last thing I'm thinking about is "zomg am I breaking the limit?". I'm totally focused on such things as:
1. what sort of speed can I take this corner at?
2. is that a pot hole I need to avoid?
3. is that a pheasant I need to be prepared to stop for?
4. is that some idiot about to pull out on me at the cross roads?
Far more important to mine and others safety than some arbitrary "speed limit" number.
[TW]Fox;13928112 said:
I prefer the term 'mediocre' rather than crap and driving isn't exactly a pastime, it's a necessity and because of that, I'm not going to be stupid and end up having to fork out for fines, higher insurance or run the risk of losing my license.
So the people that obey the speed limit now, will still obey the lower speed limits, and the people that don't obey the speed limits now, will continue to break the speed limits.
I guess the only difference will be that people doing 70-odd in what were 60 zones will be doing 20mph over now so more points and fines to hand out
I guess the only difference will be that people doing 70-odd in what were 60 zones will be doing 20mph over now so more points and fines to hand out
So the people that obey the speed limit now, will still obey the lower speed limits, and the people that don't obey the speed limits now, will continue to break the speed limits.
I guess the only difference will be that people doing 70-odd in what were 60 zones will be doing 20mph over now so more points and fines to hand out
Exactly. It's like changing the National Lottery to have one less number... of course more people will score the jackpot.
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Because people don't do 60 any more, they are doing 75, 80 and more. And it's a myth about the braking. From 60mph a small 60's Ford like an Anglia or 100E with stock brakes doesn't stop that much slower than say my girlfriend's Renault Scenic. That scene a few years ago with Clarkson pulling up an Anglia from 60 must have been rigged because none of mine have ever braked like that.
So the people that obey the speed limit now, will still obey the lower speed limits, and the people that don't obey the speed limits now, will continue to break the speed limits.
I guess the only difference will be that people doing 70-odd in what were 60 zones will be doing 20mph over now so more points and fines to hand out
Sounds similar to raising the legal smoking age to 18, all those 14 year olds that smoked under age are still smoking under age but now by 4 years and not 2! Hooray for great time & money wasting ideas! Fatal accidents will always occur, its a fact of life, people will continue to speed no matter what they do to the limit. The only time you will find deaths due to excess speed falling is when you get:
A) More real policemen out on the roads as a visual deterrent (unlikely).
B) Driver training and speed awareness improves substantially.
Cutting limits in rural & built up areas im happy with, its going to be very hard to police but while im out and about I find it difficult to drive at dangerous speeds in such areas anyway.
+1
The number of traffic officers you see on country roads is low, and there is no way the government could afford to roll out average speed cameras all over the place, it would cost a bloody fortune. If they lower the limit, I shall simply ignore it. I often ignore the 60 limit on roads that I know well where appropriate, my license is clear and guess what: I haven't killed anyone yet or wrapped my car around a tree.
And cutting the speedlimit will nor suddenly make people do 60 on that road. Equally, I agree with Fox (*shudder*); most modern cars will stop from 80 as fast (or well as far since we are talking distances here) as an 25 year old car (with non braking system / tyres) will from say 60.
It's more fundamental than that, most performance cars will stop in a significantly shorter distance than a shopping car (as well as being more stable at speed and in cornering).
The cause of accidents is bad driving, not speeding, and this measure will do nothing to treat bad driving, so the accidents will still continue.
Cutting the speed limit is akin to giving an untrained man a slightly blunt sword rather than training them how to use the sharp one correctly, it completely fails to deal with the cause of why they keep hurting themselves.
depending on the b road you might not hit 60 currently anyway, depends how twisty they are, hell some youll be lucky to get any acceleration time (car depending) to get back above 50 before breaking, therefore the reduced speed limit is pretty irrelevent and on the majority of b-roads, non enforced, therefore if i end up above 50 if its reduced, so what
oh and yes people who drive 40 in a 60 (when road is perfectly safe to travel faster) really annoy me, especially when they then carry on at 40 when they hit a village with a 30 limit...
however as others have said this does absolutely nothing to solve the simple problem that some people are just incompetent behind the wheel, which is a flaw in the driving test structure of this country not the speeds that are legally allowed. Driving is a priviledge, not a right, if people are not competent on the UK roads then the learning/test system should have filtered them out preventing them from getting behind the wheel
oh and yes people who drive 40 in a 60 (when road is perfectly safe to travel faster) really annoy me, especially when they then carry on at 40 when they hit a village with a 30 limit...
however as others have said this does absolutely nothing to solve the simple problem that some people are just incompetent behind the wheel, which is a flaw in the driving test structure of this country not the speeds that are legally allowed. Driving is a priviledge, not a right, if people are not competent on the UK roads then the learning/test system should have filtered them out preventing them from getting behind the wheel
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Or it should be addressed through properly applied policing designed to increase road safety rather than raise revenue.
The number of people I see most days doing the most stupid things within the speed limit shows the current system really does not work.