20mph Speed Limits

[mangaman]

They might want to look a little more closely at their examiners then

Yawn.

So you know more than them.

Well done. Just don't expect anyone to believe a national organisation's website to be disproven by an anonymous keyboard warrior who may be 12 years old for all we know.

 

[400bhp]

As opposed to someone who gets his info from a website

Read what I wrote again and have a think why I wrote it.

 

[400bhp]

Paul-I know your MO and CBA to spend the next 3 weeks and 1 squillion posts discussing our differences of opinions on this subject.

Lets agree to disagree on this one.

 

[mangaman]

As opposed to someone who gets his info from a website

Read what I wrote again and have a think why I wrote it.

I've read it again and, sorry, I find I don't give a shoot.

I expect you will anonymously claim to be an expert driver and be too clever for speed limits etc etc.

I've seen it all before and you're on the wrong forum if you expect dangerous driving to be condoned.

I've said it many a time before you joined - so I'll flounce off and let you speed and believe you are an above average driver as much as you want. As long as you don't drive near me I don't care.

 

[jds_1981]

I'm afraid you'll have to work a bit harder to convince me that 17 year old newly qualified drivers aren't more likely to be dangerous than newly qualified 37 year olds. It's not just driving experience, it's maturity. You say you saw a story to the contrary - it would be interesting to see.

As to your second point - I didn't realised fora did "research"! Could you share your findings.

I'm not being awkward - just interested - as I have done a google search on these questions and not found much of any use.

Part 2

http://jama.ama-assn.org/search?fulltext=graduated+driving&submit=yes&x=23&y=13. Lots of places quote it. If you hover over one of the links you get a synopsis

Conclusions In the United States, stronger GDL programs with restrictions on nighttime driving as well as allowed passengers, relative to programs with none of the key GDL elements, were associated with substantially lower fatal crash incidence for 16-year-old drivers but somewhat higher fatal crash incidence for 18-year-old drivers. Future studies should seek to determine what accounts for the increase among 18-year-old drivers and whether refinements in GDL programs can reduce this association.

One of the potential reasons they give is that people may put off getting their license, but apparently next report will follow up on this (presumably by getting license application ages/insurance?)

 

[davefb]

20mph limits shouldnt be needed.. every place they're put in, no one should be driving more than 20 anyway... its the crass stupidity of people that seem to take limits as 'what i should drive at' instead of what it is , a limit..

we have one near us, it uses bumps ( personally I'd prefer cameras , more and more cameras, rather than wrecking the suspension, but hey ho)..

we dont have one on our road, but its a rat run and clowns fly down it.... so far, the incidents are knocks or drive aways, but theres lots of 'near misses', yet we've been told, until someone is killed, they wont do anything..

as for 'raising limits like europe', the 'problem' is that europe has something like double the death rates for driving, is that what we want?

but yeah , definately the case that europe also has lower during bad weather limits and lower past cities in a lot of cases... all very confusing afaik

 

[Becs]

[QUOTE 1554971"]
80mph limit on the motorway may be closer than most think. There's talk of the conservatives announcing the change during their conference.
[/quote]

About time too, most of us do at least that anyway, apart from on the M6 (toll)racetrack. :-)

 

[davefb]

[QUOTE 1554971"]
80mph limit on the motorway may be closer than most think. There's talk of the conservatives announcing the change during their conference.
[/quote]

disgusting piece of 'get votes quick' imho... yes , i'd lie if I said I don't go over 70, but I also know that in most occasions on the motorway 70 is not only more than enough, but faster than is sensible..

if it does come in, they really need to add lower limits during heavy traffic...

I genuinely don't understand why they're doing this, there is no need..

 

[Nigeyy]

Speed limits on motorways are all relative and how fast traffic is moving around you; if you're stuck in a traffic jam, doing a constant 30mph will seem to be incredibly fast and liberating.

70mph on UK motorways with clear conditions always seemed to be a bit slow -i don't mind admitting I would usually go 75-80mph.

Moved to the States.....

All of a sudden being able to do 60mph in a 55mph limit (usual speed limit on a major highway over here) seems to be pretty fast.

Problem with any speed limit is that the de facto limit always seems to be 5-15mph faster than the posted one. I think it's a poor argument to say that since most people do 80mph in a 70mph, the limit should be increased -all it means is that if the new limit is 80mph, people will go 90mph.

FWIW, I would have a 20mph limit through any urban zone. Just remember, back in the early 1900s 20mph was a galloping horse

 

[Becs]

Speed limits on motorways are all relative and how fast traffic is moving around you; if you're stuck in a traffic jam, doing a constant 30mph will seem to be incredibly fast and liberating.

70mph on UK motorways with clear conditions always seemed to be a bit slow -i don't mind admitting I would usually go 75-80mph.

Moved to the States.....

All of a sudden being able to do 60mph in a 55mph limit (usual speed limit on a major highway over here) seems to be pretty fast.

Problem with any speed limit is that the de facto limit always seems to be 5-15mph faster than the posted one. I think it's a poor argument to say that since most people do 80mph in a 70mph, the limit should be increased -all it means is that if the new limit is 80mph, people will go 90mph.

FWIW, I would have a 20mph limit through any urban zone. Just remember, back in the early 1900s 20mph was a galloping horse

That's brisk canter at best dear boy!

My year's worth of driving in the US (rural pennsylvannia mainly) was rather eye opening - hardly anyone speeds but most either drink drive or turn a blind eye when those around them do (and these were decent professional people not boy racers!).

 

[MontyVeda]

That's brisk canter at best dear boy!

My year's worth of driving in the US (rural pennsylvannia mainly) was rather eye opening - hardly anyone speeds but most either drink drive or turn a blind eye when those around them do (and these were decent professional people not boy racers!).

Sounds like Cumbria... I used to live nextdoor to, and regularly drink in a rural pub which regularly had lock ins, some of the regulars lived between 5 and 15 miles away. Nobody seemed to 'stagger' to their cars but almost all were regularly over the limit, and probably not 'just over' either.

It wasn't uncommon to hear somebody blame the breathalyser for 'destroying' the country pub.

+1 for lowering the speed limit in residential areas.
+10 for the poster who leads by example and drives at 20 on the roads they think should have that limit.

 

[Norm]

+10 for the poster who leads by example and drives at 20 on the roads they think should have that limit.

Maybe +10 for pointing it out but, well, isn't it obvious?

Shouldn't it be -1000000 for anyone who drives above a speed which they consider appropriate and safe, regardless of the posted limits?

 

[MontyVeda]

Maybe +10 for pointing it out but, well, isn't it obvious?

...

Completely obvious Norm, but people do tend to drive at the limit rather than a suitable speed for the surroundings.

The more that lead by example the better.

 

[Norm]

I agree with that, Monty, I just feel slightly saddened to think that it needs to be said.
Don't point a loaded gun at people
Don't stand on the edge of a cliff in a strong wind
Don't jump off a bridge into water that you don't know to be deep
Don't read the helmet forum unless you have your blood pressure tablets handy
Don't stand too close to someone who has just said 'Hold my beer and watch this'
Don't drive / ride / gallop faster than you think is safe

Whilst I realise it is possibly controversial, I think that people who drive at the limit without consideration are more dangerous than those who consider their surroundings. I'd rather someone did 80 on an empty motorway despite the limit than someone did 30 past a school gates at 8:30 because of the limit.

 

[pshore]

[QUOTE 1554981"]
Anyway, the story about increasing the motorway limit is apparently speculation (it was the Daily Mail) and it wouldn't be done without public consultation.
[/quote]

Remember that Spain lowered its speed limit. More here on: Monbiots blog entry (March 2011)

Despite the government's professed rediscovery of the environmental agenda in the past few days, it's not likely to happen here in a hurry. Just a fortnight ago Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, suggested the opposite: that we should raise the top speed limit from 70 to 80mph, thus rushing us even faster towards the oil crisis. And the government seems to be allergic to enforcing existing speed limits, let alone reducing them.