Why aren't speed limits set at the 85th percentile any more..

Fuzz said:
I didn't even know they weren't!

No wonder all the limits feel excruciatingly slow now adays.


A great blog has popped up about it.
http://mmcmusings.com/2014/12/27/dolores-umbridge-in-charge-of-speed-limit-policy/

The last two paragraphs seals it for me and why I never bother trying to adhere to the posted limit on any particular road any more.
If I get caught, well I get caught...
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Same stance from me, I drive to the conditions and my ability, so whatever speed that is so be it.

If I so happen to be speeding and get caught, so be it, my fault and so be it. I've never had an accident related to speed on the road and I don't intend on doing so, just drive safe and to both your own and the vehicle limits, not beyond. :)
 
Interesting read.

I can certainly agree with the statement where driving to a very low limit (40 on a previously NSL road) just makes me switch off and daydream along
 
Five_Star said:
Interesting read.

I can certainly agree with the statement where driving to a very low limit (40 on a previously NSL road) just makes me switch off and daydream along
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Problem is some of those roads were accident blackspots due to people doing 80 in a 60, 60 in a 40 is markedly safer on the same road as you are still not exceeding the former limit.

Like you say, 40 on an open road in a non-built up area is just painful and does make you switch off due to the feeling of safety.
 
Gibbo said:
Same stance from me, I drive to the conditions and MY ability, so whatever speed that is so be it.

If I so happen to be speeding and get caught, so be it, my fault and so be it. I've never had an accident related to speed on the road and I don't intend on doing so, just drive safe and to both your own and the vehicle limits, not beyond. :)
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Trouble is, are those guys coming the other way doing the same?

Driving near the limit on the road really isn't good advice tbh, however, I am guessing you kind of overstated that really and I get what you are saying ;)
 
He is spot on as I experience the same thing.

I also find roads with artificially low speed limit very hard to concentrate, almost doze off, and then on roads with over the top speed cameras and whatnot, I end up spending more time looking at the speedometer than on the road, like for example on 20MPH it is impossible to keep at that speed and if you take your eyes off the speedometer you can easily be doing 30MPH as it feels the same as 20MPH in my car.

On the contrast roads that have less speed cameras I tend to be more observant of my surroundings and concentrated on my actual driving than on the speed.
 
If only the opinion of blogs like this were more widely accepted. Unfortunately, the Speed Kills (TM) brigade have succeeded in making everyone think that faster = more dangerous. A good read, thanks for sharing.
 
Noticed it going over to my Grandparents for Christmas (haven't been that way in a few years) - loads of places that used to be 60mph are now 30-40mph and you end up dawdling along wide open main roads (no turnings, junctions, crossings, etc.) with your concentration wandering and you feel like your just marking time for awhile.
 
They have placed new 30MPH speed limits around areas where I live where they were previously 40-50MPH. This now means there is a blanket 30MPH limit for about 20 square miles of road and some of it used to even be NSL!

The article is right. All you have now is frustration as someone sits at 30MPH in a previously 50-60MPH limit and the people behind itching to get past as soon as the 30MPH finishes. Really grinds my gears when trying to get home after work :(
 
Conscript said:
If only the opinion of blogs like this were more widely accepted. Unfortunately, the Speed Kills (TM) brigade have succeeded in making everyone think that faster = more dangerous. A good read, thanks for sharing.
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If speed killed then the autobahn would be like something out of carmageddon.

I drove a couple of hundred miles in Germany where allowed at constant 210km/h without issue and the only reason I did not go faster because if a vehicle is fitted with Winter tyres that is the safe maximum speed, otherwise I'd have gone quicker.

It makes travelling far easier and in my view safer.......

Why you ask?

Well 3hr journey at 70mph or less than 90 minutes at 150mph, for me it is far safer to only be travelling for 90 minutes versus twice that amount of time, you will tire and your period of risk is doubled (Based on a car easily capable and stopping at such speeds).

A different view to take on it. ;)


P.S. I'd probably stick to around 120-130mph to be honest, as 150mph feels far quicker and anything over 170mph is like entering warp speed, stuff becomes a blurr.
 
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Gibbo said:
If speed killed then the autobahn would be like something out of carmageddon.

I drove a couple of hundred miles in Germany where allowed at constant 210km/h without issue and the only reason I did not go faster because if a vehicle is fitted with Winter tyres that is the safe maximum speed, otherwise I'd have gone quicker.

It makes travelling far easier and in my view safer.......

Why you ask?

Well 3hr journey at 70mph or less than 90 minutes at 150mph, for me it is far safer to only be travelling for 90 minutes versus twice that amount of time, you will tire and your period of risk is doubled (Based on a car easily capable and stopping at such speeds).

A different view to take on it. ;)


P.S. I'd probably stick to around 120-130mph to be honest, as 150mph feels far quicker and anything over 170mph is like entering warp speed, stuff becomes a blurr.
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I have to agree here.

There have been times I've been driving back from the airport (Gatwick) and from Manchester where its taken me 3-4 hours in total where I've had to stop 4-5 times in succession due to being tired. When you're in this situation, its scary as hell, especially when you find yourself unconsciously drifting to the hard shoulder <--This only happened one which was enough to scare me but I know my limits and tolerances better now! Only happened to me once though, must have been really tired!
 
Broadly speaking, I don't mind what the local road speed limits are as long as enforcement is reasonable and takes in to account conditions, time of day etc. When it's busy going faster makes little difference to journey times, but I don't expect the police to care if they see me buzzing along at e.g. 50 in a 30-that-should-be-NSL at 5:45 am.. and in my experience they don't.

That said, the motorway speed limits should be revised as there you do impact journey times and there's very little reason not to be going much faster than 70, especially considering the other deathtrap roads that are considered 'safe' to have 60 limits.

As said before, I think a tiered licensing system could be used to allow higher speed driving for certain vehicles.
 
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I agree that trying to stick to a speed limit i spend more time looking at the speedo than the actual road therefore creating a more dangerous environment IMO than if i was speeding and watching the road and able to react more quickly to anything that may to happen.

I used cruise on 40/50 limits on MW (average speed check) and for 20 zones where i know there is cameras as it's so hard to keep to the limits in those situations
 
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