50 MPH Speed limit.

[col]

After seeing the news about that awful accident on the motorway recently, I thought Id put my opinion forward on this as a way to help stopping this sort of accident from happening.
I have thought for a long time that our maximum speed limit should be 50 MPH. I can see no practical reason why this should not be the case. And can think of some reasons as to why it would benefit everyone. The main ones being fuel consumption, engine stress is less so leading to longer lasting and more reliable vehicles, a calmer drive as all drivers are going a similar speed. What do you think?

 

[Danny]

The last time I drove down to Cornwall the congestion was so bad that I wasn't able to drive more than 50mph most of the way. It was a real eye opener how dramatically it reduced my fuel consumption.

 

[marzjennings]

After seeing the news about that awful accident on the motorway recently, I thought Id put my opinion forward on this as a way to help stopping this sort of accident from happening.
I have thought for a long time that our maximum speed limit should be 50 MPH. I can see no practical reason why this should not be the case. And can think of some reasons as to why it would benefit everyone. The main ones being fuel consumption, engine stress is less so leading to longer lasting and more reliable vehicles, a calmer drive as all drivers are going a similar speed. What do you think?

A more boring suggestion I can't imagine. I wonder if a slower speed limit would bore drivers to sleep causing more accidents.

For me I'd like to see higher limits on the motorways, maybe 80 or 85 mph. I can see no practical reason why not.

 

[MissTillyFlop]

After seeing the news about that awful accident on the motorway recently, I thought Id put my opinion forward on this as a way to help stopping this sort of accident from happening.
I have thought for a long time that our maximum speed limit should be 50 MPH. I can see no practical reason why this should not be the case. And can think of some reasons as to why it would benefit everyone. The main ones being fuel consumption, engine stress is less so leading to longer lasting and more reliable vehicles, a calmer drive as all drivers are going a similar speed. What do you think?

The current speed limit is 70mph yet some people drive well in excess of this. Changing a few signs and a law on piece of paper isn't going to change people's behaviour.

Also this accident was due to unforeseable freak conditions. People disn't have time to respond appropriately.

I suppose you could educate people about changing their driving style to suit the conditions. But in an instance like this, it may not have made much of a difference.

 

[HLaB]

I don't think speed limit on a motorway is too big of an issue, its driver training which is, folk drive too close and not appropriate to the conditions unfortunately. Lowering it would only have a negative effect on this already depressed economy. Transporting etc long distance across the UK would take longer and thus cost more.

 

[I_S]

Have you driven on the unrestricted autobahns in Germany? Vehicles slow for on/off ramps and a limit is applied in the wet. Large distances can be covered quickly and easily. The system works very well.

Using the same logic should we ban all aircraft or trains if there is a single tragic event?

 

[col]

The way I see it, is driving at 50 mph will save accidents. It gives drivers longer times to react, even if they still drive too close to others in front. So improving safety.
IS Your logic isnt the same as mine, as is obvious by your answer.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Speed doesn't kill, bad driving does.

 

[Night Train]

It isn't the speed that is the problem it is the lousy and mostly useless driver training we have in this country.
You stick a teenager in a Micra and get them to do a bare minimum pass at no more then 30 mph in an urban environment and then they are allowed to do 70mph with no knowledge or experience as to the differences in skill level required.

That teenager then learns no more about driving for the next 60 years and never again refers to any of the driving manuals nor the highway code.

I think driving over 50 mph should only be allowed after a second test that follows two years active driving experience (not two years of holding a licence) and then all drivers have to undergo a 5 yearly retest (regardless of actual driving time) or lose their licence.

As a driver I have absolutely no fears about doing a retest with minimal notice and it scares me the number of 'drivers' who don't believe they could pass a retest.

By simply suggesting a 'random' speed figure you might as well suggest we make it 0mph as no one gets hurt by vehicles if they are not moving. Legally limited to 50mph and still too stupid to keep a good distance or slow down further when necessary wouldn't reduce incidents on the road.

I recognise the limit is 70mph however I also recognise that very often 70 is unachievable with an acceptable level of safety so I slow down. That level of ability came about through proper training and understanding of the responsibilites of driving. That's why I don't have speeding tickets or crashes, I look out for my own driving and that of everyone else on the road around me defensively.
What I can do has to be a minimum standard or maybe even less then minimum as I am sure there is so much more I can improve on.

 

[Archie_tect]

Until someone gives evidence or the Police release information we won't know, so there's no value in speculating about the M5 crash.

However if people always leave a 2 second gap between them and the car in front [even if a slower car pulls out into the space in front you have to slow and leave the 2 second gap until they move out of the way].

No exceptions, and no justification for not doing so. If you always leave a gap to the car in front, equivalent to the total stopping distance of your vehicle- which the 2 second rule of thumb equates to- you will not run into the back of someone in front even if it's stationary.

If in fog, you drive at the speed necessary to always be able to see ahead equal to the total stopping distance then you will be safe from hitting something. In patchy fog that's not always possible but everyone should always drive with their rear fog lights on which would help.

+ can't believe how some morons drive in poor conditions or as dusk falls with sidelights or no lights showing at all.

However neither solution prevents some idiot from hitting you but they are responsible for their driving not you.

 

[snorri]

It isn't the speed that is the problem it is the lousy and mostly useless driver training we have in this country.

I don't think driver training has much to do with it.
It's not a lack of driving skill that causes people to tail gate, overtake dangerously, or go round blind corners at high speed, it's a reckless attitude. Unfortunately there are no tests for an inherent reckless attitude in the existing driving test.

 

[Night Train]

I don't think driver training has much to do with it.
It's not a lack of driving skill that causes people to tail gate, overtake dangerously, or go round blind corners at high speed, it's a reckless attitude.

I'd say it is. A properly trained driver would understand the risk and not do it and so not be reckless.
I have sat with a number of tailgating drivers who, when challenged, state that they are great drivers and are more then able to stop in the two car lengths at 80mph! Proper training would show them that they are wrong.

Unfortunately there are no tests for an inherent reckless attitude in the existing driving test.

Maybe an an aptitude test of some sort would be a good addition to the driving test.



It always bugs me that if a person has a skill that they use for work then they are more then willing and accepting of retraining and keeping up to date and maybe even bragging about how up to date their knowledge and experience is. But it doesn't apply to driving.

You wouldn't get an IT person claiming to be an IT expert because they did a BBC basic course at school and nothing more since.

 

[fatblokish]

Until someone gives evidence or the Police release information we won't know, so there's no value in speculating about the M5 crash.

However if people always leave a 2 second gap between them and the car in front [even if a slower car pulls out into the space in front you have to slow and leave the 2 second gap until they move out of the way].

No exceptions, and no justification for not doing so. If you always leave a gap to the car in front, equivalent to the total stopping distance of your vehicle- which the 2 second rule of thumb equates to- you will not run into the back of someone in front even if it's stationary.

If in fog, you drive at the speed necessary to always be able to see ahead equal to the total stopping distance then you will be safe from hitting something. In patchy fog that's not always possible but everyone should always drive with their rear fog lights on which would help.

+ can't believe how some morons drive in poor conditions or as dusk falls with sidelights or no lights showing at all.

However neither solution prevents some idiot from hitting you but they are responsible for their driving not you.

No, it does not, and it is dangerous to think otherwise. Ignoring the reaction time, I know that my car cannot decellerate from 70 to 0 mph in 2 seconds. Perhaps an F1 car can, maybe a Caterham can. But the overwhelming majority of cars cannot.

I estimate that if you rely on the two second rule as you illustrate it above, travelling at 70 mph and this time including reaction time, you would smack into the back of a stationary car ahead of you at a speed in excess of 40mph.



The two second rule means something entirely different.

 

[Archie_tect]

You're right fb... all these years I've been smugly driving along berating tailgaters. Doesn't bear thinking about!
Just found this so should be a minimum of 3 seconds at 70mph on dry roads in good visibility... thanks fb, appreciate it.

At 70 mph:stopping length 96m: 315ft = slowing at 102.9 ft/sec = 26 car lengths - one 100m motorway marker post gap

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[Gromit]

People who stay in the middle lane really annoy me, they often only do about 65mph and don't seem to realise that they are causing a heap of trouble for other drivers.