National speed limit zones disappearing fast!
Discussion
In my experience it is a lack of speed which makes NSL country roads dangerous. You always get some old Dorris plodding along at 40mph with a long queue of people stuck behind them. At sheer frustration someone finally goes for the overtake. At this point you have a car on the wrong side of the road just waiting for someone to come around the next bend and get a shock. I've seen the same thing almost daily for decades out in the sticks. However a little plot on someone map won't tell you an accident was due to some daft old codger going too slowly.
XJ Flyer said:
Euro wide licence penalty system will probably be the last straw in that regard.
This will nail it for me when it happens. (Not if. When). In the UK I am genuinely of the opinion that speed traps are not revenue raisers. Elsewhere in Europe - above all France - the opposite is true.
The French being able to lob 3 points on my licence because some cop hiding in a tree caught me doing 92 in a 90 is going to put the damper on any trips I might want to make there, as I know for a fact they won't exercise any discretion.
g3org3y said:
Dog Star said:
XJ Flyer said:
Euro wide licence penalty system will probably be the last straw in that regard.
This will nail it for me when it happens. (Not if. When). In the UK I am genuinely of the opinion that speed traps are not revenue raisers.
g3org3y said:
Dog Star said:
XJ Flyer said:
Euro wide licence penalty system will probably be the last straw in that regard.
This will nail it for me when it happens. (Not if. When). In the UK I am genuinely of the opinion that speed traps are not revenue raisers.
k-ink said:
In my experience it is a lack of speed which makes NSL country roads dangerous. You always get some old Dorris plodding along at 40mph with a long queue of people stuck behind them. At sheer frustration someone finally goes for the overtake. At this point you have a car on the wrong side of the road just waiting for someone to come around the next bend and get a shock. I've seen the same thing almost daily for decades out in the sticks. However a little plot on someone map won't tell you an accident was due to some daft old codger going too slowly.
Agreed.It's even more frustrating when in a commercial vehicle that is being held up by someone who can't drive, but no safe stretches for an overtake in such a vehicle.
At least in parts of Scotland the road is so long you can see for miles.
XJ Flyer said:
k-ink said:
I am rapidly losing faith in the point of quick cars. I can see me downsizing to a mario kart if it continues along this path.
This country has always been a case of quick car driving hell compared to the continent.I've been happy to leave the quick car in the garage much more than before as our speed regime gets even ever worse than before.It is getting seriously frustrating, but then I see so many drivers fuelling the "overtaking is lethal- let's make everyone drive slowly instead" fire by driving like dicks.
I'm sure very few well planned, well executed overtakes will stick in peoples minds, they do remember when they've had to take avoiding action because some muppet is coming at them on the wrong side of the road or almost being run off the road because someone has failed to wait for an opportunity to overtake safety or properly plan/prepare to overtake them.
Of course the opposite is true for the overtaker (see the "Being Overtaken" thread.) I always notice when someone speeds up or otherwise tries to block a safe overtake, but an uneventful overtake where the driver being overtaken maintains their speed and position doesn't exactly stick in my memory! I'm sure this is why it seems like it happens a lot more than it probably does.
I'm sure very few well planned, well executed overtakes will stick in peoples minds, they do remember when they've had to take avoiding action because some muppet is coming at them on the wrong side of the road or almost being run off the road because someone has failed to wait for an opportunity to overtake safety or properly plan/prepare to overtake them.
Of course the opposite is true for the overtaker (see the "Being Overtaken" thread.) I always notice when someone speeds up or otherwise tries to block a safe overtake, but an uneventful overtake where the driver being overtaken maintains their speed and position doesn't exactly stick in my memory! I'm sure this is why it seems like it happens a lot more than it probably does.
As I said on the other thread, people who have an issue with being overtaken make the overtakes dangerous by speeding up or swerving. You're then having a near miss with them and people coming the other way when, had they behaved responsibly, there would have been no drama or danger. This confirms in their minds that overtaking is dangerous but they don't see that they're the ones making it so. If their behaviour did result in an accident it's most likely the person overtaking who will get the blame unless there's concrete witness or dashcam evidence to prove otherwise.
Some people will see all overtakes as dangerous even if nothing happens, just like they see every teenager walking down the street as a thug just looking to mug them or burgle their house. They see danger and menace everywhere and insist something must be done about it.
As for the image above, there's a road near me which was reduced from NSL to 40mph and 50mph and had a weight restriction put on it because people used to crash on the same few short straights after taking risks to pass HGVs heaving themselves up the hills. The nature of the road contributed to the problem, steep hills and few good straights, but it was impatience and risk taking on the parts of the drivers and the perception they could get away with actions they couldn't that actually caused the accidents. Now I can't do 60mph when the road has been freed up of trundling lorries because it's a Talivan hotspot.
Speaking of consultation though, a friend has Tweeted a link to this article about the council in Bristol trying to force on street parking charges onto residents.
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/STAND-St-Paul-s-resid...
Some people will see all overtakes as dangerous even if nothing happens, just like they see every teenager walking down the street as a thug just looking to mug them or burgle their house. They see danger and menace everywhere and insist something must be done about it.
As for the image above, there's a road near me which was reduced from NSL to 40mph and 50mph and had a weight restriction put on it because people used to crash on the same few short straights after taking risks to pass HGVs heaving themselves up the hills. The nature of the road contributed to the problem, steep hills and few good straights, but it was impatience and risk taking on the parts of the drivers and the perception they could get away with actions they couldn't that actually caused the accidents. Now I can't do 60mph when the road has been freed up of trundling lorries because it's a Talivan hotspot.
Speaking of consultation though, a friend has Tweeted a link to this article about the council in Bristol trying to force on street parking charges onto residents.
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/STAND-St-Paul-s-resid...
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