Acceptable Speed
Discussion
Snollygoster said:
With the recent rain, it seems like NSL is now 40.
I learnt to drive 4 years ago, and my instructor taught me to get to the speed limit straight away, and just drive to the conditions. First lesson was straight onto a dual carriageway, up to 80 and make speed not an issue. Had a total of 11 one hour lessons, and no other driving passed. My friends were all on like 20-30 lessons, whilst using their parents cars, most of which can't drive.
I guess a lot of driving companies will try and extract as much profit out of each student, and thus, take ages to cover things spoon feeding them on how to drive. This reflects the lowering driving standard IMO.
Your driving instructor took you up to 80?I learnt to drive 4 years ago, and my instructor taught me to get to the speed limit straight away, and just drive to the conditions. First lesson was straight onto a dual carriageway, up to 80 and make speed not an issue. Had a total of 11 one hour lessons, and no other driving passed. My friends were all on like 20-30 lessons, whilst using their parents cars, most of which can't drive.
I guess a lot of driving companies will try and extract as much profit out of each student, and thus, take ages to cover things spoon feeding them on how to drive. This reflects the lowering driving standard IMO.
HGV's and LGV's all now have variable limits, thus making steady progress nigh on impossible. HGV's limited to 40 on single carriageway, sometimes adopted by all, and then sometimes none !!.Just need a wagon, followed by a bus/coach, then a van, and finally little old man who can't see over steering wheel and brakes at every corner, or on the approach of another vehicle, and unless you have something properly quick, you are stuck for quite some time...unless you know the roads inside out 
I noticed things change / start to change when fuel really stepped up from the £1 ish level to £1.40 the M4 was notably slower and has remained that way since really.
I recall the back pre 2009 ish the M25 west half was pretty much 70mph for all apart from the odd individual screaming past but then turn into the M4 at 90mph I felt like I was the slowest car there.
Now I think its a struggle to get to and keep at 70 as the traffic flow is so much slower - doesn't really bother me too much as on the trips I do it might make a 10 min difference to the journey.
I recall the back pre 2009 ish the M25 west half was pretty much 70mph for all apart from the odd individual screaming past but then turn into the M4 at 90mph I felt like I was the slowest car there.
Now I think its a struggle to get to and keep at 70 as the traffic flow is so much slower - doesn't really bother me too much as on the trips I do it might make a 10 min difference to the journey.
swisstoni said:
Personally I think a lot of people, certainly urban drivers, are so cowed by the speed cameras and camera vans that they drive around s
ing themselves that they'll miss one and pick up points (or more points).
No brown trousers involved thanks. Set cruise control to speed limit, and relax.ing themselves that they'll miss one and pick up points (or more points).I find that too many drivers does not help. Once a quite run is often a clogged up crawl and I think that is the result of popping down the shops etc, three or four cars in a family etc.
But does it matter if someone is driving on a road at 50 where you can do 60? I know it irks some but it is not the end of the world.
But does it matter if someone is driving on a road at 50 where you can do 60? I know it irks some but it is not the end of the world.
Quite happy to crawl at 20 in dense fog like the other night, even if I thought I could go faster safely. But to be stuck behind the same person crawling at 35, on the same road in the bone dry fogless day time where the road is straight and you can see for miles? Not on buddy. Sadly this type of driver seems to have infested where I live. Every day without fail, coming or going, will get stuck behind a noddy doing 30 in a 60. Worse there is usually some oncoming traffic and the Volvo doesn't have the stones for a safe overtake.
Oh yeah any kind of inclement weather has the people round here seemingly reading their how to drive for dummies manual, whilst driving. It's like they completely lose the plot. Braking for shallow corners when they're already doing less than 20, braking every time something comes near them. Unable to steer neatly round obstacles, unable to fit a 6ft wide car through a 12 ft gap. List is endless. In fact if they're so out of their depth in anything but bone dry blazing sunshine with a cloudless sky, I wonder why they don't just think to stay at home. Or get the bus.
Oh yeah any kind of inclement weather has the people round here seemingly reading their how to drive for dummies manual, whilst driving. It's like they completely lose the plot. Braking for shallow corners when they're already doing less than 20, braking every time something comes near them. Unable to steer neatly round obstacles, unable to fit a 6ft wide car through a 12 ft gap. List is endless. In fact if they're so out of their depth in anything but bone dry blazing sunshine with a cloudless sky, I wonder why they don't just think to stay at home. Or get the bus.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Sunday 23 November 09:59
littleredrooster said:
Troubleatmill said:
Old adage - It's a limit - not a target.
When I was a lad - there were at least 50% fewer cars on the road.
I end up spending a lot of my time in a slow convoy lead by a truck doing 40 in a 50.
You learn to live with it.
If it's a single-carriageway road and a big truck, 40 is his limit.When I was a lad - there were at least 50% fewer cars on the road.
I end up spending a lot of my time in a slow convoy lead by a truck doing 40 in a 50.
You learn to live with it.
But you knew that.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/11-million-boos...
But you knew that.
The_Burg said:
Actual speeds have definitely plummeted. A14 is the nearest dual and 10 years ago 85 would get you tailgated and flashed. Lucky to hit 65 now. 15 years ago and most motorways the regulars would stick in the 90s.
Oddly the M40 thi is still the case. Nowhere else though.
You must be extremely lucky then to hit 65 on the A14. I use that road every day to commute and I count myself lucky if my average speed over the 25 mile commute tops 24mph. I'm still waiting for my refund from the average speed cameras, the guided bus goes nowhere near where I work, plus the Council have decided that now people have got used to the idea of using the bus, they can start charging for the park and ride car park as well as the bus. Twice as much income for them to Oddly the M40 thi is still the case. Nowhere else though.
We seem to be pandering to the lowest common denominator - the sttiest driver, and also the green lobby. Everyone has lost the concept of "reasonable progress".
Authorities think that a wonderful new 40mph speed is safe and green when it reality it stacks traffic nose to tail.
But spare a thought for everyone in their 1 litre ecoboxes. They simply don't have the power to overtake the slow HGV in front and can only join the procession.
ttiest driver, and also the green lobby. Everyone has lost the concept of "reasonable progress". Authorities think that a wonderful new 40mph speed is safe and green when it reality it stacks traffic nose to tail.
But spare a thought for everyone in their 1 litre ecoboxes. They simply don't have the power to overtake the slow HGV in front and can only join the procession.
Cliftonite said:
SK425 said:
Your driving instructor took you up to 80?
.And on your first lesson?
Of course he did.
On the most part, all of my friends who used the same instructor of me all seem like much more competent drivers compared to the people who spend 10 lessons learning how to do parking. This plays a big part on how a driver will drive after passing their test.
I've noticed that the speed displayed on my GPS driven speedo app and the speed displayed on the sat nav read the same however the speed displayed on the mondeo speedo is below, sometimes by 6 or 7 mph. If this is the same with most new cars then maybe they really are driving slower while conforming to whats displayed on the dash as being the speed limit.
I tend to trust the sat nav and the phone app, they always tally and they also match speeds with the radar powered displays you get on suburban roads.
I tend to trust the sat nav and the phone app, they always tally and they also match speeds with the radar powered displays you get on suburban roads.
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