RE: Autocar calls for Speed Limit Review
Tuesday 15th April 2003
Autocar calls for Speed Limit Review
Will the powers that be take any notice though?
Discussion
You might as well just
Good idea, doubt anyone with any sense with take any notice though.
I mean come on if you sign post speed limits clearly and make them visible, people might actually take notice of them and slow down but then they won't make any money! or have i missed the point of "Safety Cameras"??
The French for once have had a good idea and implemented it !
Their 80 mph motorway limit for good conditions is great and the 65mph limit for rain is superb.
Last think I want is a Nova boy slamming into the bad of me..!
It would be great if we adopted something very similar but not MP
or goverment seems to have the gumption to change the max limit !
Their 80 mph motorway limit for good conditions is great and the 65mph limit for rain is superb.
Last think I want is a Nova boy slamming into the bad of me..!
It would be great if we adopted something very similar but not MP
or goverment seems to have the gumption to change the max limit !
Why can't we adopt the autoband idea that the Germans have, but to keep the goverment happy have it on a toll road.
For instance; the journey from London to Manchester is somewhat tedious along the M1. So why not have no speed limit on there what so ever. The only catch to to drive on this strech of motorway though is that you will need to pay a toll of up to £10. Most of todays cars can do excess of 100MPH. Those that don't want to drive at high speeds can use the A1 instead. which is free to use, but you must keep to the 70MPH law. Genius???
For instance; the journey from London to Manchester is somewhat tedious along the M1. So why not have no speed limit on there what so ever. The only catch to to drive on this strech of motorway though is that you will need to pay a toll of up to £10. Most of todays cars can do excess of 100MPH. Those that don't want to drive at high speeds can use the A1 instead. which is free to use, but you must keep to the 70MPH law. Genius???
I think to stay sensible, in the governments view, they should let it be more around the 90mph limit and then you'd get an automatic ban for anything over 100mph. Cos lets face it, as much as i'd love to "tonk" along doing 120/130 etc, i don't feel too sure about the mechanics of those nob-heads in their ruded-up nova's and such like stopping or even causing an accident when the Drum'n'Bass cd needs changing......
That bl**dy AC Cobra has alot to answer for.....
That bl**dy AC Cobra has alot to answer for.....
xsaravtr said: I agree in raising the limit to 80MPH based on the stopping distances of modern cars.
Also how about dropping the "ban" threshold to 90MPH from 100MPH?
Opinions?
Why reduce the ban threshold? As has been suggested have variable limits, lower when the weather conditions are poor. We have all seen idiots still doing 60 or 70 on the motorway in thick fog.
Why doesn't someone actually recreate the stopping distances, with a modern, average car like a Focus or something. Then at least they would be able to accertain a sensible speed to base it on. I do alot of motorway driving and the average speed people tend to drive along at is 90mph regardless. You know when there's a police car, cos when you hit loads of traffic there's usually a Plod on the inside lane doing 55-60mph, and no-one wants to overtake.
DodgeyRog said: Why doesn't someone actually recreate the stopping distances, with a modern, average car like a Focus or something. Then at least they would be able to accertain a sensible speed to base it on. I do alot of motorway driving and the average speed people tend to drive along at is 90mph regardless. You know when there's a police car, cos when you hit loads of traffic there's usually a Plod on the inside lane doing 55-60mph, and no-one wants to overtake.
Why not? Because that would be the logical, common sense thing to do.
d3ano said: Why can't we adopt the autoband idea that the Germans have, but to keep the goverment happy have it on a toll road.
For instance; the journey from London to Manchester is somewhat tedious along the M1. So why not have no speed limit on there what so ever. The only catch to to drive on this strech of motorway though is that you will need to pay a toll of up to £10. Most of todays cars can do excess of 100MPH. Those that don't want to drive at high speeds can use the A1 instead. which is free to use, but you must keep to the 70MPH law. Genius???
Absolutely spot on. It makes me larf when they say "Autocar can reveal(!) that average speeds of 80 mph are commonplace on UK motorways..."
No sh1t, Sherlock! I'd have said 90-110 is more like it in practice much of the time.
My fat barsteward 430 has a natural cruising speed of 120; anything less than this is a waste of time.
Gimme tolls and gimme derestriction!
Eminent sense in an eminently senseless land governed by intellectual aphids.
Autocar tested 190303
70mph-0mph
1960's cortina mk2 73.78m
1970's cortina mk5 71.04m
1980's sierra 72.01m
modern mondeo 51.06m
A mondeo stops 20 meters sooner.
people are less likely to fall asleep or do careless manuvers at speed because they concentrate, the Italians researched this and they are raising thier limits to 93mph to save lives.
You had better hope they raise limits because the government has the car speed limiter programme up its sleeve THE EXTERNAL Vehicle Speed Control Scheme; this will limit all cars to the speed limit. It will of course increase journey times, however the research does not show this adequately because for the purpose of analysing the scheme they are allowed to ignore speeding because its illegal (despite the fact most journeys involve speeding). It will also probably increase accidents as people pay less attention when things are taken out of their control, this has already been show on some roads lowered from NSL to 40mph, also we will see more sleep deaths.
Heres the link to the report
www.network.mag-uk.org/EVSC/exec3.pdf
70mph-0mph
1960's cortina mk2 73.78m
1970's cortina mk5 71.04m
1980's sierra 72.01m
modern mondeo 51.06m
A mondeo stops 20 meters sooner.
people are less likely to fall asleep or do careless manuvers at speed because they concentrate, the Italians researched this and they are raising thier limits to 93mph to save lives.
You had better hope they raise limits because the government has the car speed limiter programme up its sleeve THE EXTERNAL Vehicle Speed Control Scheme; this will limit all cars to the speed limit. It will of course increase journey times, however the research does not show this adequately because for the purpose of analysing the scheme they are allowed to ignore speeding because its illegal (despite the fact most journeys involve speeding). It will also probably increase accidents as people pay less attention when things are taken out of their control, this has already been show on some roads lowered from NSL to 40mph, also we will see more sleep deaths.
Heres the link to the report
www.network.mag-uk.org/EVSC/exec3.pdf
Alan 
My views exactly put the emphasis back on the driver. A clear Mway sports car can be safe well beyond 100mph. T*sser on same Mway ice/thinck fog at 60mph = AIP (Accident In Progress). The answer is not to have limits or to have variable limits. I feel that no limits and advisoray signs makes the law far more sense and gets rid of revenue cameras. Of course this is going to happen 
My views exactly put the emphasis back on the driver. A clear Mway sports car can be safe well beyond 100mph. T*sser on same Mway ice/thinck fog at 60mph = AIP (Accident In Progress). The answer is not to have limits or to have variable limits. I feel that no limits and advisoray signs makes the law far more sense and gets rid of revenue cameras. Of course this is going to happen 
What is wrong with the status quo? (No rock band jokes).
Most of us seem to be able to cruise at 80+mph on motorways anyway, without plod coming down on us. "Safety" cameras aside, there are still plenty of good A roads where we can go for a good blast. Adopt the French system? Have you seen their accident statistics? We are currently (allegedly) the safest country in the world for driving, with the lowest fatalities/100,000 cars. We only recently overtook Sweden, and that's pretty good in my book.
Don't even entertain the idea that the Greens will allow it, and as for Transport 2000, how could they permit any more advantages for car drivers over public transport? It's not in their collective interest.
In a perfect world, I would just love to be able to travel at what ever speed I liked. However, the higher the speed limit, the greater the differential between the fast drivers and the numpties and the "if-it's-Sunday-it-must-be-third gear-day" drivers.
In Germany, drivers have grown up with the system, and have learned to cope with the high Autobahn speeds. Watch the reaction from Mr British "Sensible Speed" Tourist doing 120 kph when Fritz comes by at 300 kph in his Zonda. He'll have a heart attack!
Even so, Germany has a higher accident rate than we do, so something in their system sucks too.
I agree with variable urban limits, but the cost would be prohibitive. We could suggest using the revenue from GATSO's to fund it, but that would be asking too much!
My real fear is that, should the motorway limit be raised, there will be a quid pro quo demanded in reducing rural (national)limits, and that's where all the fun driving is.
Leave well alone.
Most of us seem to be able to cruise at 80+mph on motorways anyway, without plod coming down on us. "Safety" cameras aside, there are still plenty of good A roads where we can go for a good blast. Adopt the French system? Have you seen their accident statistics? We are currently (allegedly) the safest country in the world for driving, with the lowest fatalities/100,000 cars. We only recently overtook Sweden, and that's pretty good in my book.
Don't even entertain the idea that the Greens will allow it, and as for Transport 2000, how could they permit any more advantages for car drivers over public transport? It's not in their collective interest.
In a perfect world, I would just love to be able to travel at what ever speed I liked. However, the higher the speed limit, the greater the differential between the fast drivers and the numpties and the "if-it's-Sunday-it-must-be-third gear-day" drivers.
In Germany, drivers have grown up with the system, and have learned to cope with the high Autobahn speeds. Watch the reaction from Mr British "Sensible Speed" Tourist doing 120 kph when Fritz comes by at 300 kph in his Zonda. He'll have a heart attack!
Even so, Germany has a higher accident rate than we do, so something in their system sucks too.
I agree with variable urban limits, but the cost would be prohibitive. We could suggest using the revenue from GATSO's to fund it, but that would be asking too much!
My real fear is that, should the motorway limit be raised, there will be a quid pro quo demanded in reducing rural (national)limits, and that's where all the fun driving is.
Leave well alone.
jumjum said:
Heres the link to the report
www.network.mag-uk.org/EVSC/exec3.pdf
Have you guys looked at the report? See the criteria for the "Focus Groups" on Page 9... Jeezus Christ...
I can only surmise that the intent was to rig the result of the Focus Group by using such a selective group. If this is "scientific research" then I'm a banana...
mad jock said: Even so, Germany has a higher accident rate than we do, so something in their system sucks too.
Could this not have something to do with the merger of West and East Germany? Whenever we've been on the Autobahn the poorest driving skills have very obviously been displayed by cars on plates from former East German towns - they simply haven't had the cars or the training that the former West Germans had.
I might even go so far as to say that they drive a lot like the average British numpty... ("Mirrors? Wossat den?")
So... why couldn't we have a system whereby more powerful cars are allowed to travel faster, in a separate lane if need be - IF the driver passes some kind of advanced test first, and is retested every five years or so? That way HM Govt. gets its revenue in a fair way from people who want to drive fast and can afford decent machinery to do it in (i.e. Novaboys not allowed!!
), but without criminalising them. And Mr Numpty in his Fiesta or whatever can stay out of those lanes and therefore will have nothing to complain about. Just my 2p's worth.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff