40mph?

[Wills2]

The best ones are those that don't know what the speed limit is so they drive at 27-29mph in 40. The other day I followed someone doing 24-30mph in a 50mph limit and they were braking for every slight bend in the road.

Yet we all need to slow down! I think we're already there.

[Pan Pan Pan]

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

With this thread in mind I was following a car this morning on the way to Winchester. Leaving the village of Hursley the 30 zone ends and NSL signs appear. The car in front speeded up slightly to about 35. I was itching to overtake but the bends and traffic the other way just didn't give me the opportunity. So I followed..

After a few minutes of somewhat tedious progress in the NSL a 50 sign appeared and the car promptly increased speed to 50. This brief respite doesn't last long, a 40 sign followed shortly and the car reduced speed again. Likewise on reaching the 30 on the approach to the city.

I really think that this driver was adhering to speed limits with some zeal, but it was only the ones with numbers that were being recognised.

I've noticed this too. Some drivers adhere exactly to lower limits, but higher limits don't get the same treatment.

Arguably at speeds up to say 30 mph, accidents with other vehicles are possibly survivable
despite the potential closing speed being 60 mph. Of course where pedestrians are concerned much lower speeds are required to give the pink squishy things `some' chance of survival in a coming together.
Once much above 30 mph the survivability of persons involved in an accident is going to be heavily down to luck. For sure our cars all have airbags crumple zones, and other clever safety features, and of course all our cars seem solid as a tank, until they hit something else as solid as a tank coming the other way. We have to realize that total safety is just an illusion, so all we `can' do, is as much as possible, try not to come into contact with other road users, all the rest is just down to luck.

[Freddy88FM]

Pan Pan Pan said:

Arguably at speeds up to say 30 mph, accidents with other vehicles are possibly survivable
despite the potential closing speed being 60 mph.

For two vehicles of roughly equal mass closing speed is of no relevance. In fact it's significantly safer to have a head on crash with an identical car with crumple zones both travelling 30mph than it is to hit a big tree at 30mph.

[Shakermaker]

Both yesterday and today on my commute to work I have encountered the same idiotic woman in a white Ford KA who not only does no more than 40, but does so in the outside lane of the Dual Carriageway when there is no traffic on the inside lane. Flashing etc, did nothing too her, and after a while I decided that she wasnt going to move so my only option was to move to the inside lane and pass at the allowable 70mph, rather than wait for her to move over. I could see her in my rear mirror, still happily sat in the outside lane whilst I then took the right turn at the next roundabout and she continued straight on, still in the outside lane.

[WD39]

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

I was itching to overtake

Scratch and relax.

[Johnnytheboy]

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

I was itching to overtake

Scratch and relax.

Would you mind not making up quotes by me, you odd person?

Edited by Johnnytheboy on Friday 12th February 20:48

[8potdave]

Shakermaker said:

Both yesterday and today on my commute to work I have encountered the same idiotic woman in a white Ford KA who not only does no more than 40, but does so in the outside lane of the Dual Carriageway when there is no traffic on the inside lane. Flashing etc, did nothing too her, and after a while I decided that she wasnt going to move so my only option was to move to the inside lane and pass at the allowable 70mph, rather than wait for her to move over. I could see her in my rear mirror, still happily sat in the outside lane whilst I then took the right turn at the next roundabout and she continued straight on, still in the outside lane.

That's another one of my pet hates. It's INCREDIBLY selfish and moronic. The police would more than likely just ignore this when instead they should prosecute her by means of a fine and a driving course. The flavour of this week has been people using the left lane of a roundabout to turn left! I swear things are getting worse, how can anyone think this is safe!?!?

[Pan Pan Pan]

Freddy88FM said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

Arguably at speeds up to say 30 mph, accidents with other vehicles are possibly survivable
despite the potential closing speed being 60 mph.

For two vehicles of roughly equal mass closing speed is of no relevance. In fact it's significantly safer to have a head on crash with an identical car with crumple zones both travelling 30mph than it is to hit a big tree at 30mph.

Not sure how the energy dissipated from a 60mph crash is going to be less than the energy involved in a 30 mph crash, but hopefully I will not be trying to find out any time soon.

[R8VXF]

Pan Pan Pan said:

Not sure how the energy dissipated from a 60mph crash is going to be less than the energy involved in a 30 mph crash, but hopefully I will not be trying to find out any time soon.

Closing speed has little relevance actually, still just hitting a brick wall at 30mph.

[WD39]

Johnnytheboy said:

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

I was itching to overtake

Scratch and relax.

Would you mind not making up quotes by me, you odd person?

Edited by Johnnytheboy on Friday 12th February 20:48

But you said you were itching.

[Pan Pan Pan]

R8VXF said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

Not sure how the energy dissipated from a 60mph crash is going to be less than the energy involved in a 30 mph crash, but hopefully I will not be trying to find out any time soon.

Closing speed has little relevance actually, still just hitting a brick wall at 30mph.

Energy cannot be destroyed, so if a vehicle hits a tree or brick wall at say 30 mph, the energy used to accelerate the vehicle to 30 mph will be dissipated into the tree and crumple zones of the vehicle. If two vehicles both travelling at 30 mph hit each other head on, where does the energy used to accelerate the second vehicle to 30 mph go?

[Johnnytheboy]

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

I was itching to overtake

Scratch and relax.

Would you mind not making up quotes by me, you odd person?

Edited by Johnnytheboy on Friday 12th February 20:48

But you said you were itching.

You don't get this quoting thing, do you?

[danlightbulb]

Speed limit signage has a big part to play in this i think. Ive driven through countless villages where on the approach you see the 30 or 40 signs, but on the exit of the village the signs returning you to NSL are missing. Sometimes you pick up a repeater further down the road, sometimes you can go for miles without seeing one.

Whilst one could say with fair amount of certainty you are back in NSL after exiting a village, it can be risk to assume so with police with speed guns sitting in laybys all too regularly.

[Vipers]

danlightbulb said:

Speed limit signage has a big part to play in this i think. Ive driven through countless villages where on the approach you see the 30 or 40 signs, but on the exit of the village the signs returning you to NSL are missing. Sometimes you pick up a repeater further down the road, sometimes you can go for miles without seeing one.

Whilst one could say with fair amount of certainty you are back in NSL after exiting a village, it can be risk to assume so with police with speed guns sitting in laybys all too regularly.

If this is one you encounter on a regular basis in the same village, why not report it. Same as motorist report potholes, at least I do, if you don't tell them they won't know.

[WD39]

Johnnytheboy said:

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

WD39 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

karma mechanic said:

I was itching to overtake

Scratch and relax.

Would you mind not making up quotes by me, you odd person?

Edited by Johnnytheboy on Friday 12th February 20:48

But you said you were itching.

You don't get this quoting thing, do you?

Come on Johnny, enlighten me.