Speed limits raised, accidents decrease. Some mistake surely
Discussion
Just had a very interesting chat to my Brother in Law who lives in Abu Dhabi.
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
Quite sensible really...plus a lot of the current motorway users who "fear" using the motorway and drive at 50-60mph will be put off completely by the prospect of traffic being allowed to do 100mph, so it may further decrease congestion.
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
tigger1 said:
Quite sensible really...plus a lot of the current motorway users who "fear" using the motorway and drive at 50-60mph will be put off completely by the prospect of traffic being allowed to do 100mph, so it may further decrease congestion.
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
Fuel consuption is the least of their worries, fuel was about 40p per Gallon last time I was there. Sandal wearing Lentilists are generally treated with the contempt they deserve.
tigger1 said:
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel
consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
I think if you check up on the work of Mr I. Newton
about 400 years ago, increased fuel consumption doesn't
really happen much at higher speeds.
According to him, it's the acceleration used to get
there that causes reduced fuel consumption, not the final
top speed.
In practical terms, I get 26.9 mph in the UK, and 25.5 mpg
on the speed limit free autobahn in Germany.
In other words the value of the time saved swamps the
small increased cost of fuel getting to higher speeds.
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel
consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
I think if you check up on the work of Mr I. Newton
about 400 years ago, increased fuel consumption doesn't
really happen much at higher speeds.
What car was he driving though? I'm thinking about the "average" vehicle...a cruddy family hatchback say (yes, I know we don't like to dumb down to the mean...) - a 1.2 hatch certainly uses more fuel cruising at 90mph than at 70mph (mine does anyway - alledgedly!)
dcb said:
According to him, it's the acceleration used to get
there that causes reduced fuel consumption, not the final
top speed.
there that causes reduced fuel consumption, not the final
top speed.
Hmmm....but was Newton looking in terms of the internal combustion engines and the increased drag at high speed? To overcome this increased drag (doesn't it increase with the square of velocity or something?) you require more energy, and that's coming from one place only...the gas tank.
dcb said:
In practical terms, I get 26.9 mph in the UK, and 25.5 mpg
on the speed limit free autobahn in Germany.
Not exactly a fair test though - my guess is that your UK journeys have a lot more traffic (slowing / starting - even on the motorway ) than on the autobahn!
dcb said:
In other words the value of the time saved swamps the
small increased cost of fuel getting to higher speeds.
This, however, I entirely agree with. If people know that it may cost them more to get there quicker, they have a choice. Some days I'll cruise at 60-65 on the M1...otherwise I might push on a bit, depends how much of a hurry I am in (obviously never exceeding the posted speed limit...)
[/quote]
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel
consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
I think if you check up on the work of Mr I. Newton
about 400 years ago, increased fuel consumption doesn't
really happen much at higher speeds.
According to him, it's the acceleration used to get
there that causes reduced fuel consumption, not the final
top speed.
Erm. Wind resistance increases with the square of speed. The engine will need to do more work and will consume more fuel.
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Sure the lentil-ists won't be happy about the increased fuel
consumption though (for most if not all vehicles).
I think if you check up on the work of Mr I. Newton
about 400 years ago, increased fuel consumption doesn't
really happen much at higher speeds.
According to him, it's the acceleration used to get
there that causes reduced fuel consumption, not the final
top speed.
In practical terms, I get 26.9 mph in the UK, and 25.5 mpg
on the speed limit free autobahn in Germany.
In other words the value of the time saved swamps the
small increased cost of fuel getting to higher speeds.
So you are saying that we only use fuel when accelerating
Funny last time i ran out of fuel the car slowed down and stopped
thinfourth said:
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Stuff
Some other stuff
So you are saying that we only use fuel when accelerating
Funny last time i ran out of fuel the car slowed down and stopped
There's darker forces at work here, obviously.
Acceleration is required at all times on a flat road to keep a car at a costant speed. The "slowing" forces are (of t'op of my head):
Friction at the tyres
Any mechanical friction in the engine / diff / gearbox
Drag (wind)
That's why right boot is gently pushing on right pedal on the motorway (unless you have cruise control - in which case the car does it, far more economically than we can).
tigger1 said:
thinfourth said:
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Stuff
Some other stuff
So you are saying that we only use fuel when accelerating
Funny last time i ran out of fuel the car slowed down and stopped
There's darker forces at work here, obviously.
Acceleration is required at all times on a flat road to keep a car at a costant speed. The "slowing" forces are (of t'op of my head):
Friction at the tyres
Any mechanical friction in the engine / diff / gearbox
Drag (wind)
That's why right boot is gently pushing on right pedal on the motorway (unless you have cruise control - in which case the car does it, far more economically than we can).
Perpetual motion for cars is still a way off
tigger1 said:
Not exactly a fair test though - my guess is that your UK journeys
have a lot more traffic (slowing / starting - even on the motorway )
than on the autobahn!
Look, cloth-ears, I've given you for free the benefit of my
experience over thousands if not tens of thousands of miles of
autobahn in Germany and motorway in the UK and you have the brass
faced cheek to argue with me !!!
I have counted hours spent in Stauen in stop start traffic
and I have counted in the 60 mph club in the BMW lane in UK.
I have counted in 154 mph tops south of Frankfurt and a couple of
blasts to 150 mph near Koln also.
I have counted in 100 mph in the rain near Limburg and
90 mph past Stratford on the way to a funeral.
Trust me: driving at autobahn speeds costs a couple of mpg tops.
Bugger all in other words.
tigger1 said:
Some days I'll cruise at 60-65 on the M1...otherwise I might push on a
bit, depends how much of a hurry I am in (obviously never
exceeding the posted speed limit...)
You big girls' blouse.
Nurse bring me my tablets.
tigger1 said:
thinfourth said:
dcb said:
tigger1 said:
Stuff
Some other stuff
So you are saying that we only use fuel when accelerating
Funny last time i ran out of fuel the car slowed down and stopped
There's darker forces at work here, obviously.
Acceleration is required at all times on a flat road to keep a car at a costant speed. The "slowing" forces are (of t'op of my head):
Friction at the tyres
Any mechanical friction in the engine / diff / gearbox
Drag (wind)
That's why right boot is gently pushing on right pedal on the motorway (unless you have cruise control - in which case the car does it, far more economically than we can).
But what about on a conveyor belt?
Sorry, it was a physics question involving some form of motion - someone had to say it...TypeR said:
Just had a very interesting chat to my Brother in Law who lives in Abu Dhabi.
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
Back on the original topic though, it might only be a temporary effect. People will become used to doing the higher speeds as the norm, and will then want to go quicker. And there's always the folk that seem to have it in their mind they have to that little bit quicker than everyone else. Your into a vicious cycle then.
Having said all that, I'd be happy to see m-way limits in Britain upped to 80, and like in Abu Dhabi more strictly enforced. Speed doesn't cause accidents alone, but there are a lot of drivers out there who need more time to take in and react to events - so there has to be a limit at some point.
cj_eds said:
TypeR said:
Just had a very interesting chat to my Brother in Law who lives in Abu Dhabi.
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
It seems that due to the amount of people on the motorways who suddenly brake when they see a speed camera, thus causing rear end shunts, the Government has decided to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of road to 160Km/h (approx 100mph). Incidents of rear end shunts have reduced dramatically and the scheme is going to be rolled out in the regions other motorways. The old speed limit (140Km/h) was Policed with a fair bit of leeway, but the new limit is to be enforced rigidly.
The new limit doen't make any difference to my BiL as his Landcruiser can only do 120Km/h anyway!!
Maybe we should send Richard Brunstrom over there to show them the error of their ways!!
Back on the original topic though, it might only be a temporary effect. People will become used to doing the higher speeds as the norm, and will then want to go quicker. And there's always the folk that seem to have it in their mind they have to that little bit quicker than everyone else. Your into a vicious cycle then.
Having said all that, I'd be happy to see m-way limits in Britain upped to 80, and like in Abu Dhabi more strictly enforced. Speed doesn't cause accidents alone, but there are a lot of drivers out there who need more time to take in and react to events - so there has to be a limit at some point.
I disagree with the temporary effect. The raising of the limit will for the large majority of drivers mean that their speed is not governed by the 'safe/legal speed' but is governed by the driver actually thinking and paying attention to the speed which is correct for their car, driving skills and the road conditions. This can only be a good thing.
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