"Limited to 70mph"

[Arch]

I was behind a van in town the other day, a PHS van delivering sanitary bins, and it had a sticker on the back that said:

"This vehicle is limited to 70mph to reduce our emissions and reduce our impact on the environment". I remembered seeing one the same on a BT van.

WTF! So basically: "This vehicle is limited to the greatest speed it could do legally anyway, and a speed probably greater than that at which it will return maximum fuel efficiency, and which it cannot legally do on probably about 90% of the roads it uses." Still, that would be a very big sticker.

Why? Ok, I know, it's greenwash, but who ever thought it would fool anyone?

Oh, and having seen one before and thinking I might have been mistaken, it definitely said MPH, not KPH.

I feel an email coming on.

 

[meenaghman]

In fact its not legally allowed to do 70.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/vanspeedlimits

 

[Archie_tect]

On the other hand Arch, I think it's very sensible that vehicles should be limited so they can't be driven faster than the maximum legal speed that applies to that vehicle even on motorways and dual carriageways. What people do on other roads with much lower speed limits is a matter for their own conscience and they take the consequences if caught speeding.

 

[marinyork]

In fact its not legally allowed to do 70.
http://www.dft.gov.u.../vanspeedlimits

I was going to say that and not sure the size of the vehicle, some van derived cars (BT one may be, doubt PHS is) are allowed to do 70 on the motorway and dual carriageways whereas vans under 7.5 tonnes have to have 10 mph shaved off on dual carriageways and are only supposed to do 60mph on dual carriageways and 70 on the motorways. I would have thought it is most likely the van is under 7.5 tonnes and so can only do 70mph on a motorway, which does make the sign a bit daft on single-carriageway roads where it should be going no faster than 50mph.

 

[marinyork]

On the other hand Arch, I think it's very sensible that vehicles should be limited so they can't be driven faster than the maximum legal speed that applies to that vehicle even on motorways and dual carriageways. What people do on other roads with much lower speed limits is a matter for their own conscience and they take the consequences if caught speeding.

A lot of goods vehicles are limited and/or have their speeds monitored, it's just they don't make a song and dance about it.

 

[Dan B]

Maybe the driver has asked for it because he feels his manhood has been challenged by not being able to go faster and he wants everyone to know it's not his fault

 

[beanzontoast]

Not unconnected - it makes me wonder when I see reviews of cars that talk about a top speed well in excess of 100 miles per hour. Where exactly are people meant to drive that fast? I wonder what proportion of people living in this country who buy these cars will actually find themselves driving it in a country where that speed is allowed on public roads - or how many will have access to private roads in this country where they can drive that fast? Not so many, I think.

So what's the point of making the top speed of a vehicle a promimnent advertising feature?

 

[Archie_tect]

A lot of goods vehicles are limited and/or have their speeds monitored, it's just they don't make a song and dance about it.

Agreed- it'll only be certain car drivers who make a fuss about speed limiters, but unreasonably as there is no justification or need for cars to go faster than 70mph.... will reduce speed related accidents as idiots would still drive at crazy unrestricted speeds on levery road anyway so 70mph is more than fast enough, and make the police's job a lot easier too!

 

[Archie_tect]

'Course the government's consideration of altering the maximum on motorways to 80 would make adjustment up [and probably back down again a nightmare].

 

[meenaghman]

To be fair the IAMs advice to me when overtaking was to use all the power available.. Don't know if thats changed now, but the justification for breaking the speed limit while overtaking was to spend as little time as possible on the wrong side of the road.

 

[Arch]

On the other hand Arch, I think it's very sensible that vehicles should be limited so they can't be driven faster than the maximum legal speed that applies to that vehicle even on motorways and dual carriageways. What people do on other roads with much lower speed limits is a matter for their own conscience and they take the consequences if caught speeding.

Oh, I'd happily see all vehicles limited to the relevant speed limit all the time, if the technology was there. Well, I suspect it is, but not the will to do it.

Except that taking away another thing for drivers to think about would make some of them even dozier, and likely to sit at max possible speed without thought for conditions.

I may well email PHS to ask them what they think the point is. My view is that producing a load of unnecessary plastic stickers is worse for the environment than the 'benefit' of limiting a van to a speed it shouldn't be exceeding anyway.

The van wasn't being driven in any way to give concern, I should add, but I wonder how much the drivers are instructed in fuel economy to this noble end.

 

[subaqua]

To be fair the IAMs advice to me when overtaking was to use all the power available.. Don't know if thats changed now, but the justification for breaking the speed limit while overtaking was to spend as little time as possible on the wrong side of the road.

must get past.... must get past..... must get past.....

if you are driving at the speed limit and come across another vehicle driving slower and need to speed up over the limit to pass it safely, one would suggest its not safe to carry out the manouverea and you don't need to overtake.

if its a vehicle trundling at 20mph on a National speed limit road then good anticipation and reading of the road ahead, something you also get taught on the advanced driving schemes, also negates the need to travel faster than the speed limit. if you have to pass a stationary vehicle then a good top speed is not what you need but a good acceleration.

 

[Brains]

The Germans were threatening (not unreasonibly) to ban UK trucks and vans that are speed limited from their entire autobahn system as they are dangerous not only to themselves but also other road users.

Having driven a (UK) van in Germany that could only do 68mph top whack I completly agree with them.

As Arch says, the solution is in technoligy, is would be very easy to limit vehicles to the maximum speed permitted on a given stretch of road, as even the simplist GPS system has this feature.

The question is: Vote winner or vote looser ?

 

[Dan B]

I'm surprised, I thought the Germans were more sensible than that

 

[Archie_tect]

A car capable of 70 would only reach that speed on dual carriageways and motorways... all you have to do then is use the lanes properly to pass slower vehicles. On any other road even with a 60mph speed limit you have the ability to do 70mph if you are unwise enough to want to to get past a slower vehicle but if it's at or near the speed limit and the driver is not braking and slowing unnecessarily you wouldn't need to get past.