Laugh? I wet me pants....

[mybrainhurts]

Listening to Radio Sheffield this morning, phone in was occupied with today's shockhorror story from the RAC that people break speed limits.

Surprised by the number of elderly listeners who've been caught on camera, but one old dear really got me rolling.....

I learned to drive with BSM and the instructor had me doing 100mph up on Hathersage Road on my first lesson to see if I could.........

Ohhh....me ribs...

[Streetcop]

There might have been a reason for it...?

I've just searched for Hathersage Road on the net and found this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4235503.stm

[Don]

There is also the point that some people of the older generations learned to drive when there was no upper speed limit...

IIRC it was back in the sixties that the 70mph motorway and 60mph single carriageway speed limits were introduced. And they were set, at that time, at that level, because that was about as fast as a regular car could go.

The reason for the new limits?

The Jaguar E-type could do 120...


Anyone remember back with more accuracy? I'm a little too young...

[Targarama]

My driving instructor used to make me speed. She said it was to build my confidence. Only on an open, wide, empty stretch of the A18 (near sCUNThorpe). I got the car up to 70mph a few times. I guess it helped my confidence a bit as I was rather nervous in the early days of my driving career.

Trouble was the car ... A Metro. I never got the hang of 'high' speed corners in that car.

Passed first time and have been clean ever since (well not been caught anyway, not sure about clean ).

[Dwight VanDriver]

[redacted]

[Don]

Dwight VanDriver said:

1977 Don. DVD

There you go! Who'd have thought it was as late as '77!

[8Pack]

Targarama said:

My driving instructor used to make me speed. She said it was to build my confidence.

This is a good point Targa, If we carry on with our present policy on speed, we will end up with a whole generation of: so called drivers who have no idea of car control because they have never travel fast enough to develope the skills.

Speak to many Americans about it, where years of driving at 55 mph did nothing but create a nation of "numpty" drivers who came to grief at the first sign of bad weather. Oh My Gaawd! It's raining!!! I simply carrrnt driive in the rain!!!

[DeltaFox]

8Pack said:

Targarama said: My driving instructor used to make me speed. She said it was to build my confidence. This is a good point Targa, If we carry on with our present policy on speed, we will end up with a whole generation of: so called drivers who have no idea of car control because they have never travel fast enough to develope the skills. Speak to many Americans about it, where years of driving at 55 mph did nothing but create a nation of "numpty" drivers who came to grief at the first sign of bad weather. Oh My Gaawd! It's raining!!! I simply carrrnt driive in the rain!!!

Yeah or bail out when they skid on the snow.
Dumbing down to oblivion....

[matt_t16]

8Pack said:

Targarama said: My driving instructor used to make me speed. She said it was to build my confidence. This is a good point Targa, If we carry on with our present policy on speed, we will end up with a whole generation of: so called drivers who have no idea of car control because they have never travel fast enough to develope the skills. Speak to many Americans about it, where years of driving at 55 mph did nothing but create a nation of "numpty" drivers who came to grief at the first sign of bad weather. Oh My Gaawd! It's raining!!! I simply carrrnt driive in the rain!!!

Completely relevant point, last time it snowed we had 4 people in the hedge/ditch. They all didn't seem to grasp the fact that 25mph was still too quick when you have 1% of the grip you usualy have "But I was only going slowly, I'm going to write to VW its got traction control you know"

Matt

[jolley]

Don said:

IIRC it was back in the sixties that the 70mph motorway and 60mph single carriageway speed limits were introduced. And they were set, at that time, at that level, because that was about as fast as a regular car could go. The reason for the new limits? The Jaguar E-type could do 120... Anyone remember back with more accuracy? I'm a little too young...

I was fairly sure that the whole e-type Jag story was a bit of an urban legend, so I did some digging and found the following:

"A series of multiple accidents in fog in 1965 led the Government into the all too familiar position, where it felt that it had to be seen to be 'doing something'. The result was a four-month 'experiment', starting on 22nd December 1965, of a mandatory maximum speed limit of 70 mph on all roads previously unrestricted. At the same time, an advisory speed limit of 30 mph was to apply on motorways in poor visibility, when indicated by flashing amber warning lights, controlled by the Police.

The other question that has never been answered is how the introduction of an overall speed limit in good weather conditions was expected to address the problem of accidents in fog. It is totally illogical and an example of the sort of muddled thinking that frequently prevents real improvements in road safety being achieved. One suspects that the dangerous image of motorways that had developed from the early days, referred to above, coupled with a much publicised incident in which a car manufacturer tested a sports-racing car on the M1 at 190 mph, led the Government to look for an excuse to impose a maximum limit. Whatever the real reason, it was clear that there was never any intention to conduct a serious 'experiment' and the 70 mph limit would be made permanent." (taken from here: www.abd.org.uk/motorwayspeedlimit.htm#background ).
I seem to recall that the car being tested was an AC Cobra... though I may be wrong.

[mybrainhurts]

Streetcop said:

There might have been a reason for it...? I've just searched for Hathersage Road on the net and found this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4235503.stm

Eh? don't get your point there.

Know the spot well, just round the corner from home. There's a Truvelo there now. Can give you a history of the road for the last forty years. Some very odd crashes there, but all those injuries are from silly, low speed shunts at a cross roads. A councillor is trying to get herself some exposure by milking it.

[8Pack]

From my "simple" memory, I seem to recall that there were MANY cars on the road at that time that were just "incapable" of sustaining more than 70 mph, some even less than that, for long distances. The whole concept of long distance "non stop" motoring was new, and cars were not built for it.

Drum brakes (no servo assist) Crossply tyres (usually well worn) Cars not serviced (wots that then?) Lead to many breakdowns and accidents.

To hold us now, in 2005, in this same "timewarp" is in my view, just plain silly. Wake up there! You in the "Ministry of silly walks"! The world has moved on without you!

[mybrainhurts]

Don said:

There is also the point that some people of the older generations learned to drive when there was no upper speed limit... IIRC it was back in the sixties that the 70mph motorway and 60mph single carriageway speed limits were introduced. And they were set, at that time, at that level, because that was about as fast as a regular car could go. The reason for the new limits? The Jaguar E-type could do 120... Anyone remember back with more accuracy? I'm a little too young...

Waddya mean older generations?

Grrrrr.....

Yes, I used to travel the M1 at 100 - 120 all the way...passing plod cars too.

The 70 limit was imposed because Barbara Castle, non driving Transport Minister, under Harold bloody Wilson, had a panic fit or three when multiple pile ups started to occur on motorways in fog.

So she slapped on a 70, despite a petition signed by hundreds of thousands of drivers.

Worked well, didn't it?

There was also the little problem of factory Cobras being tested on the M1 at interesting speeds, and subsequent press shockhorror stories flooding out.

You've just reminded me of Barbara Castle now....constant rabbiting through a patronising bloody smile.....

"you know it makes sense"......Aaaaaargh

Thanks for spoiling my day......

[8Pack]

100-120 mph MBH? You musta been "Posh" then! What were you drivin'?

[mybrainhurts]

3.8 MkII Jag.....

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Don said:

Dwight VanDriver said: 1977 Don. DVD There you go! Who'd have thought it was as late as '77!

As already reported, it was loads earlier than that. They did temporarily reduce single track to 50 & dual carriageway to 60 mph during fuel crisis.

[Big_M]

Both my Mum and Dad have been done for speeding. I followed my Mum in her Passat a few months ago. She was doing 55 through the 30 mph zones and 75 in the 60. Surprised she has not been caught more often - the old dear is 73!

[Streetcop]

Big_M said:

Both my Mum and Dad have been done for speeding. I followed my Mum in her Passat a few months ago. She was doing 55 through the 30 mph zones and 75 in the 60. Surprised she has not been caught more often - the old dear is 73!

Bet her reactions are like lightning, aren't they?

[mybrainhurts]

2 Smokin Barrels said:

Don said: Dwight VanDriver said: 1977 Don. DVD There you go! Who'd have thought it was as late as '77! As already reported, it was loads earlier than that. They did temporarily reduce single track to 50 & dual carriageway to 60 mph during fuel crisis.

Yup...Motoring News printed a sticker, late 60's......

Backwards With Labour into the 70's