Discussion
Why do people speed?
Legal limits are just that. Limits. Regardless of whether or not the limit is correct, it's still the maximum possible speed you are allowed to drive at.
Think about it. Nobody likes getting caught speeding and I'm yet to meet anyone who likes camera vans and speed cameras. Yet people keep doing it, keep getting caught, keep totting up the figures for the partnerships and keep adding to the justification for more and more cameras and automated systems. People who speed actually keep the anti-speed establishments alive.
It just seems bizarre to me that so many people simply cannot abide to the limit.
I started a thread about the increasingly bad behaviour of a lot of drivers in 30 mph zones. It is as if a lot of drivers are far too stupid to understand why they are in place.
Vehicles are far more advanced and safe than when the speed limits were originally introduced. However, the human body hasn't evolved much further and is still a big sack of meat that doesn't like sudden deceleration, or being hit by a tonne of metal doing any sort of speed. This is where the problem lies, I think. Sat in a comfy, air conditioned and peaceful modern vehicle, 50 mph along a residential road may seem like nothing. Yet to a pedestrian, a cyclist or anyone else at the roadside, it's still fast.
As this is a motoring site, I can understand the thrill a good blast in a motor vehicle can provide. However, thrills can be had without having to put others at risk. So, to anyone who thinks that driving really fast along a residential road is great fun and shows what a huge sausage they have, you are wrong. You are a muppet and I hope one day the extra speed you carry doesn't result in an injury or a death. Also, the morons who whizz along the motorways well above the speed limit. Just think about what would happen if something went wrong. Sudden deflation of a tyre or hitting a patch of water isn't fun at 70 mph, but it could be even worse at 100 mph. Of course, morons will be morons and you will always get idiots driving like idiots. But why people who aren't morons do it?
There is so much more to bad driving than speed alone. However, speed is one of the easiest things to measure. It's much easier to catch someone doing >10mph over the speed limit than someone tailgating. It's also one of the easiest things to control from the driver's seat. Yet many, many people still do it and play right into the hands of the local partnerships.
It's got to a point now where someone like me (who sticks to limits) is regularly hounded, tailgated, abused and made to feel like a piece of s
t on the road. It isn't because I drive slowly and doddle around as I like to crack on as much as any PH'er. However, my cracking on stops at the limit of the road or a limit I feel safe at if conditions don't warrant doing the limit. To some, that is like me asking to bum their wife or daughter.
I just don't get it. My humble opinion, of course.
Legal limits are just that. Limits. Regardless of whether or not the limit is correct, it's still the maximum possible speed you are allowed to drive at.
Think about it. Nobody likes getting caught speeding and I'm yet to meet anyone who likes camera vans and speed cameras. Yet people keep doing it, keep getting caught, keep totting up the figures for the partnerships and keep adding to the justification for more and more cameras and automated systems. People who speed actually keep the anti-speed establishments alive.
It just seems bizarre to me that so many people simply cannot abide to the limit.
I started a thread about the increasingly bad behaviour of a lot of drivers in 30 mph zones. It is as if a lot of drivers are far too stupid to understand why they are in place.
Vehicles are far more advanced and safe than when the speed limits were originally introduced. However, the human body hasn't evolved much further and is still a big sack of meat that doesn't like sudden deceleration, or being hit by a tonne of metal doing any sort of speed. This is where the problem lies, I think. Sat in a comfy, air conditioned and peaceful modern vehicle, 50 mph along a residential road may seem like nothing. Yet to a pedestrian, a cyclist or anyone else at the roadside, it's still fast.
As this is a motoring site, I can understand the thrill a good blast in a motor vehicle can provide. However, thrills can be had without having to put others at risk. So, to anyone who thinks that driving really fast along a residential road is great fun and shows what a huge sausage they have, you are wrong. You are a muppet and I hope one day the extra speed you carry doesn't result in an injury or a death. Also, the morons who whizz along the motorways well above the speed limit. Just think about what would happen if something went wrong. Sudden deflation of a tyre or hitting a patch of water isn't fun at 70 mph, but it could be even worse at 100 mph. Of course, morons will be morons and you will always get idiots driving like idiots. But why people who aren't morons do it?
There is so much more to bad driving than speed alone. However, speed is one of the easiest things to measure. It's much easier to catch someone doing >10mph over the speed limit than someone tailgating. It's also one of the easiest things to control from the driver's seat. Yet many, many people still do it and play right into the hands of the local partnerships.
It's got to a point now where someone like me (who sticks to limits) is regularly hounded, tailgated, abused and made to feel like a piece of s
t on the road. It isn't because I drive slowly and doddle around as I like to crack on as much as any PH'er. However, my cracking on stops at the limit of the road or a limit I feel safe at if conditions don't warrant doing the limit. To some, that is like me asking to bum their wife or daughter.I just don't get it. My humble opinion, of course.
It's fun. If it's clear I'll pin it down a NSL road with good sighting. If I mess it up, I'll be alone, upside down in a field and if I get caught I'll only have myself to blame. Acceptable risk. Or at least it was. But with busier roads and crazy punishments for breaking the limit the risks in terms of personal inconvenience are massive. That all said, I rarely speed at all these days, I drive a diesel van and I only ride my bike on tracks. As long as they have racetracks for use, I'll have a happy life. When/if that stops I'll be moving abroad.
I was on this road today (about 18 miles long). No houses, no turnings, no roundabouts, no traffic lights, no rain, no police, no nothing.
I'm in a car that has a top speed of 155 mph and will very comfortably cruise at 120mph.
You want me to drive at 60mph because it's a rule someone decided who hasn't driven further north than Edinburgh.
Come up here, drive a decent car, and see what happens.
HTH
I'm in a car that has a top speed of 155 mph and will very comfortably cruise at 120mph.
You want me to drive at 60mph because it's a rule someone decided who hasn't driven further north than Edinburgh.
Come up here, drive a decent car, and see what happens.
HTH
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:29
funkyrobot said:
However, thrills can be had without having to put others at risk.
This is where you have gone wrong. Exceeding an arbitrary number is not inherently unsafe nor putting others at risk.
Of course, driving fast in an urban area is foolish and ought to be stamped on, but there are plenty of open roads which have limits which are too low. How do I know? Because people don't obey the limits. If the limits were appropriate, most people would obey them.
MODS! I think FunkyRobot's account has been hacked by someone from BRAKE or Mumsnet!? 
GetCarter said:
I was on this road today (about 18 miles long). No houses, no turnings, no roundabouts, no traffic lights, no rain, no police, no nothing.
I'm in a car that has a top speed of 155 mph and will very comfortably cruise at 120mph.
You want me to drive at 60mph because it's a rule someone decided who hasn't driven further north than Edinburgh.
Come up here, drive a decent car, and see what happens.
HTH
Wow that looks like a fantastic bit of road. I must plan a trip oop north.I'm in a car that has a top speed of 155 mph and will very comfortably cruise at 120mph.
You want me to drive at 60mph because it's a rule someone decided who hasn't driven further north than Edinburgh.
Come up here, drive a decent car, and see what happens.
HTH
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:29
Say it's 2am, you have to be somewhere on time, and the road is deserted, well lit and sighted - in this case, why not speed if you can get away with it? The only reason I can think of is po-faced rote obedience to laws. I accept that most speed limits are there for a reason (even if it's sometimes a wrong or questionable reason) but they are not some universal moral imperative.
Jasandjules said:
This is where you have gone wrong.
Exceeding an arbitrary number is not inherently unsafe nor putting others at risk.
Of course, driving fast in an urban area is foolish and ought to be stamped on, but there are plenty of open roads which have limits which are too low. How do I know? Because people don't obey the limits. If the limits were appropriate, most people would obey them.
How do you know the limits are too low?Exceeding an arbitrary number is not inherently unsafe nor putting others at risk.
Of course, driving fast in an urban area is foolish and ought to be stamped on, but there are plenty of open roads which have limits which are too low. How do I know? Because people don't obey the limits. If the limits were appropriate, most people would obey them.
As I mentioned in my post, in a modern vehicle they may seem too low. To a vulnerable road user who is sharing the same piece of tarmac though?
caelite said:
funkyrobot said:
yonex said:
Taxi....for OP
I got in a taxi once. The driver was proudly telling me that his Toyota Avensis was special because it had 'Subaru wheels on, mate!'.Nope. It made it better as it had a hint of rally bred heritage. It was better than his mate's one that had standard Toyota alloys, which obviously aren't rally bred.
funkyrobot said:
How do you know the limits are too low?
As I mentioned in my post, in a modern vehicle they may seem too low. To a vulnerable road user who is sharing the same piece of tarmac though?
The modern vehicle will remain in control for longer and is more likely to be able to brake or evade in time.As I mentioned in my post, in a modern vehicle they may seem too low. To a vulnerable road user who is sharing the same piece of tarmac though?
And besides, even getting hit at or below the limit will be quite harmful for a pedestrian, that argument just leads to every car plodding along at 10 mph except for the motorways..
Also, mumsnet is that way >>
ezi said:
Because a lot of roads have stupid speed limits which were suitable 30yrs ago when cars were less well engineered.
Or as is more often the case recently roads that have been NSL since they introduced limits have been reduced to 50mph or 40mph for no real reason. Cars stop better and handle better so lets reduce the speed limit and watch most people then ignore the new rule.
The current speed limit "policy/strategy" in the UK brings the law in to disrepute IMHO.
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