Can road speeding in the 'right' place be acceptable?
Can road speeding in the 'right' place be acceptable?
Author
Discussion

BroadsRS6

Original Poster:

785 posts

68 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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I ask this after a very lively debate last night at our local among car owners where polarised views abounded! We had a large number of ''speeding of any type can never ever be condoned'' opinions and a smaller but significant number of ''it depends where and when'' views.
We all know that 99.9 % of super car owners, Lancer Evo owners, Golf R owners, Scooby owners and even Ford Fiesta ST owners have gone above 70 a few times if they are honest They've all gone beyond a 50 or 60 limit, we know that too.
But for you is it okay to cheat a bit when the road is wide and empty? We all know the law says no but i'm looking for some HONEST views, relating to what you actually do out there in your fast car.
I've yet to meet a sports bike rider who's never done 71 mph on his Fireblade or Yamaha R1, for example. Bikers seem more likely to admit it in discussion as well, compared to 4 wheel pilots i have noticed.
Come on, spill! Where do you sit on this? HONESTLY? Is speeding ok within reason on a quiet big road or say across a lonely moor?
I say yes.

RizzoTheRat

28,870 posts

221 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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I've had 2 speeding tickets so far this year paperbag

super7

2,251 posts

237 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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My view is that speed in itself isn’t wrong or dangerous…. Inappropriate speed is though!!

Baldchap

9,624 posts

121 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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Speed doesn't kill. Inappropriate use of speed kills. Even TRL cite speed as a causal factor in under 10% of accidents.

With appreciate training, awareness and courtesy, speeding need not be inherently dangerous or antisocial.

CraigyMc

18,369 posts

265 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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BroadsRS6 said:
I ask this after a very lively debate last night at our local among car owners where polarised views abounded! We had a large number of ''speeding of any type can never ever be condoned'' opinions and a smaller but significant number of ''it depends where and when'' views.
We all know that 99.9 % of super car owners, Lancer Evo owners, Golf R owners, Scooby owners and even Ford Fiesta ST owners have gone above 70 a few times if they are honest They've all gone beyond a 50 or 60 limit, we know that too.
But for you is it okay to cheat a bit when the road is wide and empty? We all know the law says no but i'm looking for some HONEST views, relating to what you actually do out there in your fast car.
I've yet to meet a sports bike rider who's never done 71 mph on his Fireblade or Yamaha R1, for example. Bikers seem more likely to admit it in discussion as well, compared to 4 wheel pilots i have noticed.
Come on, spill! Where do you sit on this? HONESTLY? Is speeding ok within reason on a quiet big road or say across a lonely moor?
I say yes.
Breaking the law isn't right, so no, it's not OK.

Plenty of people know they aren't in the right and still do it anyway.

(The fastest I've driven on a public road is around 150mph, near Frankfurt).

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

290 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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CraigyMc said:
Breaking the law isn't right, so no, it's not OK.

Plenty of people know they aren't in the right and still do it anyway.

(The fastest I've driven on a public road is around 150mph, near Frankfurt).
There's a difference between things that are wrong because they are against the law, and those which are against the law because they are wrong.

un1corn

2,143 posts

166 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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It's fine until it goes wrong.

And when it goes wrong, you're draining the resources of the police, fire, ambulance, air ambulance etc to clean up the mess, when their time could be spent better elsewhere.

Gweeds

7,954 posts

81 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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Baldchap said:
…speeding need not be inherently dangerous or antisocial.
It usually is though.

Matthen

1,451 posts

180 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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I'm of the opinion that we're currently regressing as a society - instead of saying "what can we do to make higher speeds safer" we're saying, "lets make every one go slower." Modern speed limits are increasingly set with that in mind. Local to me, there has recently been "improvement" works on an old inter-town A road.

It used to be NSL the entire way. It is partially dual carriageway, partially well sighted single carriageway.

It is now largely 50, with a random 40 thrown in for no good reason. What has changed? A roundabout has been removed and replaced with traffic lights. The road is still as well sighted as ever. No new housing developments have been added - it passes through woodland and moorland. Why the reduction in the limit? It can only be politics - it's an example of "Because I said so" by people who are incumbent because they're the least-worst of the options.

So in answer to the original question OP, I think speeding is, and will, become more and more acceptable, in line with arbitrary reductions in speed limits imposed by people who have an agenda other than moving people as expediently as possible from A to B.

BroadsRS6

Original Poster:

785 posts

68 months

Monday 31st May 2021
quotequote all
un1corn said:
It's fine until it goes wrong.

And when it goes wrong, you're draining the resources of the police, fire, ambulance, air ambulance etc to clean up the mess, when their time could be spent better elsewhere.
But 80 on a quiet motorway is safer than 29 past a school or 59 mph on a road we frequent, often full of livestock
Legal isn't always safer than illegal.

BroadsRS6

Original Poster:

785 posts

68 months

Monday 31st May 2021
quotequote all
Matthen said:
I'm of the opinion that we're currently regressing as a society - instead of saying "what can we do to make higher speeds safer" we're saying, "lets make every one go slower." Modern speed limits are increasingly set with that in mind. Local to me, there has recently been "improvement" works on an old inter-town A road.

It used to be NSL the entire way. It is partially dual carriageway, partially well sighted single carriageway.

It is now largely 50, with a random 40 thrown in for no good reason. What has changed? A roundabout has been removed and replaced with traffic lights. The road is still as well sighted as ever. No new housing developments have been added - it passes through woodland and moorland. Why the reduction in the limit? It can only be politics - it's an example of "Because I said so" by people who are incumbent because they're the least-worst of the options.

So in answer to the original question OP, I think speeding is, and will, become more and more acceptable, in line with arbitrary reductions in speed limits imposed by people who have an agenda other than moving people as expediently as possible from A to B.
Well put.

un1corn

2,143 posts

166 months

Monday 31st May 2021
quotequote all
BroadsRS6 said:
But 80 on a quiet motorway is safer than 29 past a school or 59 mph on a road we frequent, often full of livestock
Legal isn't always safer than illegal.
Surely we're not talking about 80mph on a motorway, which everyone agrees is totally safe.

OP is talking about taking your Impreza on the country lanes at 95mph on a Sunday afternoon.

Kawasicki

14,363 posts

264 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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My logic. I use the limits as a rough guide. If I have good visibility I go above, if I have poor visibilty I am often far under. I`ve been driving and riding like this for decades now, and scares/frights/close-ones are so rare they are as good as non-existent. I drive a hell of a lot, and in many different countries.

Is my logic acceptable? Acceptable to who? I`ve "sped" in full view of the police and not been pulled over. I`ve been pulled for speeding. I`ve had people tail-gating me though villages, they were clearly unhappy that I was driving too slowly. Doesn`t bother me much.

Edited by Kawasicki on Monday 31st May 13:23

Toltec

7,179 posts

252 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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Statistically speaking those drivers around the 90th percentile speeds are the safest, so all those that say they never speed are not very good drivers and their opinions about what is safe are unlikely to be valid.


kiethton

14,642 posts

209 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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I have no issue with speeding, at the appropriate times, in the appropriate conditions and in the appropriate place. This is generally quiet, rural NSL's (or ex. NSL's) where I drive to the conditions irrespective of what number I hit.

I generally keep to urban 30's (but still do 30 in the new, pointless, borough-wide 20's in the boroughs near where I live - Lewisham/Croydon)

As such I do get caught occasionally but am prepared to take the fine, or summons if caught while minimising the outcome using any legal loophole possible.

Stick Legs

8,924 posts

194 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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In towns and villages, past schools, busy shops, horses, cyclists, people walking, etc etc etc.. the official posted limit is often too high!

But given an empty road I know well, then as fast as I can stop in the distance I can see.

I have V-Maxed every car I have ever owned and see no issue with it whatsoever if you pick your moment. (on the Autobahn on mu frequent holidays to Germany obviously)

160mph on a deserted motorway is far more acceptable than 28 past the village shops just after school kick-out.
One is legal, one isn't.

I'll probably get shot down in flames by the 'dad's-net' brigade but so what. I enjoy driving fast cars fast and have the luxury to pick my moments when I can do it in safety. The people rushing to get to work etc etc and travelling marginally over the limit whilst distracted on a crowded motorway are far more dangerous than a planned excursion into the upper reaches of the speedo.

DodgyGeezer

48,995 posts

219 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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Stick Legs said:
160mph on a deserted motorway is far more acceptable than 28 past the village shops just after school kick-out.
One is legal, one isn't.
Can't see too much of an issue here. The only point t being Mavis in her Vauxhall Meriva bumbling along at 65mph in the outside lane (because "it's a limit, not a target") could easily cause an accident. frown

ddom

6,657 posts

77 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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There does seem to be a major increase in people very upset about speeding. Yesterday our little local group went out for a coffee and on occasion where it was safe and clear had a bit of a play. On two separate occasions cyclists showed their frustrations by giving us the coffee beans. I have cycled at a decent level and can’t remember ever having acted like this? Then, we were behind a large club ride, they were all of the road, no discipline or backstop. There were plenty of places they could have waved traffic through, but no. When we did go through apparently one of the shouted at the cars. As we all ended up at the same coffee stop I was sure they would explain their frustrations, of course they didn’t.
I think the lockdown has changed a lot of people and also brought out the worst in the sensitive types. So for me, yes, in the right places, with good visibility I would.

Kawasicki

14,363 posts

264 months

Monday 31st May 2021
quotequote all
DodgyGeezer said:
Stick Legs said:
160mph on a deserted motorway is far more acceptable than 28 past the village shops just after school kick-out.
One is legal, one isn't.
Can't see too much of an issue here. The only point t being Mavis in her Vauxhall Meriva bumbling along at 65mph in the outside lane (because "it's a limit, not a target") could easily cause an accident. frown
It`s not a deserted motorway if someone else is driving on it?

Countdown

49,352 posts

225 months

Monday 31st May 2021
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BroadsRS6 said:
Come on, spill! Where do you sit on this? HONESTLY? Is speeding ok within reason on a quiet big road or say across a lonely moor?
I say yes.
Dos anybody in the history of PH ever exceeded the limit when they didn’t think it was “within reason”? Only a moron/psychopath would speed when they considered it unreasonable.

The question is “Who decides what is within reason”? What “I” might think is fine “You” may consider sheer lunacy (and vice versa)