Does anyone feel bad about speeding?

Does anyone feel bad about speeding?

Author
Discussion

vanordinaire

3,701 posts

161 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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I know it's irrational but I always feel a little guilty/embarrassed when I overtake someone and see it is someone I know.

Boosted LS1

21,167 posts

259 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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I never feel bad about speeding. It makes up for the time I've lost due to muppets crawling along at 25% below the posted speed limit or the new breed of dummed down speed limits that are springing up everywhere.

walm

10,609 posts

201 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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Boosted LS1 said:
I never feel bad about speeding. It makes up for the time I've lost due to muppets crawling along at 25% below the posted speed limit or the new breed of dummed down speed limits that are springing up everywhere.
You might reasonably ask whether this "dumming down" has gone too far! wink

ArmyMedic2012

66 posts

137 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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I'm getting rapidly sick and tired of pootling along at 50mph on a certain stretch of the M62/M60 on a sunday night heading back to work. The time i leave is when it's quiet and theres no workmen about, so i make it up by heading up the M1 slightly faster, and due to the time, weather, lack of other vehicles or people i don't feel guilty at all. Obv if its bad weather or busy i drive to the conditions.

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

131 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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HertsBiker said:
If I see pedestrians, I feel guilt - and slow down if I were moving on a pace.
But on these silly bits of dual carriage way that are now 30 or 40, after years of 60 or 70, then no.
The make it as socially unacceptable as drink driving idea hasn't worked for me, not when I see pointless reductions for no reason.
Anyone else?
There will be some PHers who can remember when NSL = no speed limit.

ORD

18,086 posts

126 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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I would readily admit that the only reason that I respect 50mph limits on what were NSL roads is the risk of getting points. I have been driving for long enough (without a single accident and without ever losing control of a car) to know when a road is perfectly safe at 60mph plus, and a lot of 50mph limits defy sense.

Are we really supposed to believe that a long, well-sighted stretch of an A road is now unsafe at 60mph? If so, it was presumably absolutely bloody lethal when at 60mph when cars did not have ABS, stability controls, massive sticky tyres, etc.

I resent having to comply with irrational laws, but this is the result of sensible people making less noise than nutters. It only takes a few hundred mentalists to get any A road re-designated as a 50mph limit on the ludicrous basis that it will reduce accidents (which are almost all caused by drunken 17 year olds driving at 100mph around blind corners).

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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carinaman said:
Simbu said:
LordGrover said:
Go to Bristol and enjoy the delights of 20mph limit pretty much everywhere.
Of the many reasons i loathe the odious fkwit we have for a mayor, this is the greatest. The only consolation is that it's barely enforced. Cars, taxis, buses, police, everyone ignores it. Hell even the hypocritical bell-end who imposed it. Except he got caught. That was satisfying to read about.
People don't respect stupid laws conjured up by agenda peddling jobsworths.
+50000000000!!!

Outside of the cities, I'll happily put my foot down. I've been known to do some 0-100 runs on an empty M5.

My car will sit happily at 90 all day long and it's a hatchback..

We have a limit for the 70's when cars weren't half as developed as they are now.

ORD

18,086 posts

126 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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R2T2 said:
We have a limit for the 70's when cars weren't half as developed as they are now.
But attitudes to danger and personal responsibility have changed massively. We no longer tolerate road deaths.

I would also suggest (partly as a guess) that driving standards have got a lot worse, which might even outweigh the benefit of advances in car safety.

I wouldn't trust most drivers that I encounter to drive safely at anything like 90mph.

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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As Jezza once said, replace the steering wheel airbag with a spike and see how much driving standards improve.

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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ORD said:
R2T2 said:
We have a limit for the 70's when cars weren't half as developed as they are now.
But attitudes to danger and personal responsibility have changed massively. We no longer tolerate road deaths.

I would also suggest (partly as a guess) that driving standards have got a lot worse, which might even outweigh the benefit of advances in car safety.

I wouldn't trust most drivers that I encounter to drive safely at anything like 90mph.
Driving standards would need to be improved yes, which is why there should be a motorway section when you learn to drive. To me, it should be a must.
Lane discipline.
Forward thinking.
Look ahead, rather than on the end of your bonnet.
Plan things.
learn about closing speeds.

After that, and a lot more besides, drivers would be able to travel at 90.
And how many people already do 85/90 already, and are they likely to push it to 110/115? IMO probably not, they'll stick to what they know, but others will be doing it too so it'll flow better.

Alex

9,975 posts

283 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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I ignore speed limits. If I see pedestrians, or I'm in a built-up area, I slow right down. If I'm on the open road and visibility is good, I put my foot down.

WD39

20,083 posts

115 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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Having read through this thread, the majority opinion is that no, I don't feel bad about speeding.

DottyMR2

478 posts

126 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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R2T2 said:
Driving standards would need to be improved yes, which is why there should be a motorway section when you learn to drive. To me, it should be a must.
Lane discipline.
Forward thinking.
Look ahead, rather than on the end of your bonnet.
Plan things.
learn about closing speeds.

After that, and a lot more besides, drivers would be able to travel at 90.
And how many people already do 85/90 already, and are they likely to push it to 110/115? IMO probably not, they'll stick to what they know, but others will be doing it too so it'll flow better.
Problem being, I notice this problem at work often too, people have became so used to following strict guidelines and "if I'm under the number on the stick I'm safe" attitudes they have lost their ability to think. Same at work, people are (mostly) trained to follow a script or to just input stuff, so they "switch off". Then when it's out with their script, or in driving terms adverse conditions, they have no idea what to do. They haven't ever known what they were doing, only that pressing the pedal on the right makes it go, middle makes it stop and some have a third pedal which makes it change gear.
They can't think out with their routine or normal task, have no understanding of what they are achieving when they do things so when something changes or out of the ordinary happens, it all goes pear shaped.
Look at the first day of snow every year, total chaos! It's because they can't put 2 and 2 together and adjust their actions accordingly to the situation. They follow their script, normally take thst corner at 40 so try it in snow and end up in a field and wonder why it happened.

Yes in theory improving driving standards would fix it. Improving the driving standards though is a rot that can't be undone. The biggest problem is anyone can teach anyone to drive. Madness! So the bad driving technique, bad habits and stupidity behind the wheel of the car of the parent in passed on to the children, thus perpetuating and further deepening the problem. First step is like our Finnish friends and a mandatory number of hours logged in all conditions with a trained professional. Makes it harder to get a licence but that's how it should be, earned not found in the bottom of a Coco Pops box like it is now.

People also need to drop the moronic thing in this country that the driving test means nothing and "you learn to drive after your test" mentality. Yes the shuffle is annoying and isn't useable day to day, but still has suitable applications in certain situations. There is a lot of good stuff in the test people stupidly ignore because other people tell them to.

I'm afraid it's a problem that will never be solved IMO, it's not high up any government agenda, doesn't fit in with public opinion and is so far gone that it's grown arms and legs and can't be reversed.

You can't undo stupid unfortunately.

V8Matthew

2,675 posts

165 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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No - I don't speed, even on the motorway. Sat at 70mph I average 25mpg, anything quicker and the small gain in time isn't worth the expense or stress. I arrive 10 minutes later, in a good mood. smile

Phatboy317

801 posts

117 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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LordGrover said:
Go to Bristol and enjoy the delights of 20mph limit pretty much everywhere.
Latest: Cyclists and pedestrians most at risk on Bristol's roads as deaths rise

So much for the 20mph limits saving lives.

Boosted LS1

21,167 posts

259 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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ORD said:
But attitudes to danger and personal responsibility have changed massively. We no longer tolerate road deaths.
There will always be a trade off between an acceptable level of deaths and the need to get from A to B in a reasonable time but I understand your point.

HertsBiker

Original Poster:

6,300 posts

270 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
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V8Matthew said:
No - I don't speed, even on the motorway. Sat at 70mph I average 25mpg, anything quicker and the small gain in time isn't worth the expense or stress. I arrive 10 minutes later, in a good mood. smile
Do you ever feel that you'd be better off with a nice dull slow car, that would match your nice dull slow driving style? I'm sure you are as perfect as a perfect thing, but limited to 70 is boring. The motorway gives good mpg, so how bad is your car if pressing on? I'm confused by your post sorry.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

185 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
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HertsBiker said:
V8Matthew said:
No - I don't speed, even on the motorway. Sat at 70mph I average 25mpg, anything quicker and the small gain in time isn't worth the expense or stress. I arrive 10 minutes later, in a good mood. smile
Do you ever feel that you'd be better off with a nice dull slow car, that would match your nice dull slow driving style? I'm sure you are as perfect as a perfect thing, but limited to 70 is boring. The motorway gives good mpg, so how bad is your car if pressing on? I'm confused by your post sorry.
Or a nice slow car that you could cane?

My van does 40mpg all day however I drive it!

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
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Phatboy317 said:
Latest: Cyclists and pedestrians most at risk on Bristol's roads as deaths rise

So much for the 20mph limits saving lives.
Makes me laugh how that portrays the fault to be entirely on the motorist, notwithstanding the fact that on an average 10 mile journey home from work I see 4/5 cyclists run red lights? A few time seen them nearly get flattened by it too..

I know it's apparently the minority that do this but like driving, it's the few that ruin it for the many.

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Thursday 2nd April 2015
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Phatboy317 said:
LordGrover said:
Go to Bristol and enjoy the delights of 20mph limit pretty much everywhere.
Latest: Cyclists and pedestrians most at risk on Bristol's roads as deaths rise

So much for the 20mph limits saving lives.
Hmmm. I suspect it runs a little deeper.
Don't these stats pre-date the new restrictions? This blip will be used to demonstrate how much 'safer' the roads are after they were imposed when the stats return to normal, maybe even slightly higher than before but still lower than this aberration.
Not that I'm sceptical of course.