Monday 3rd October 2011

Time For Tea? 80mph Motorway Oddness

Why do Guardianistas need to get places faster than Autocar readers?

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Here's one to mull over as you sip a hot cup of lapsang souchong (or similar): Guardian readers are more in favour of an increase of the speed limit to 80mph than are readers of Autocar.

Yes, you read that first sentence correctly. A new survey conducted by Autocar (that would be the world's oldest car magazine, whose readers surely have more than the odd millilitre of petrol flowing through their veins) has revealed that only 41.5 per cent of respondents are in favour of raising the motorway speed limit.

Guardianistas, on the other hand (whom, you would think, would be somewhat less keen on higher motorway speeds) are 68.4 per cent in favour of a move to an 80mph limit.

Weird, huh? (Okay, we know the questions were asked in different ways by the two august organs, but it's still an odd discrepancy).

Somewhat less unexpected is the revelation that that 94.6 per cent of motorists admit to breaking the speed limit on the motorway, though the 1.9 per cent who don't know if they speed or not is more than moderately alarming.

You can read the full survey results below:

How often, if at all do you break the speed limit on the motorway/highway, even if only by a fraction?

Always,  37.3%

Nearly every day,  23.7%

A few times a week, 12.2%

A few times a month,  11.9%

Less than often, 9.5%

Never, 3.5%

Don’t know, 1.9%

How often, if at all do you break the speed limit on the motorway/highway by more than 20mph?

Always, 6.1%

Nearly every day, 8%

A few times a week, 11.8%

A few times a month, 16.1%

Less often than this, 30.5%

Never, 25.5%

Don’t know,  2%

If the speed limit was raised, would you be in favour of a corresponding increase in penalties for speeding?

Yes,  34.7%

No, 59%

Don’t know, 6.3%

In your view, would raising the speed limit damage the government’s environmental credentials?

Yes, a great deal, 7.2%

Yes, a fair amount, 10.1%

No, not very much, 36.9%

No, not at all , 43.8%

Don’t know, 2%

Which of the following motoring initiatives would you most like to see introduced?

A higher speed limit,  41.5%

Less roadworks, 13.8%

More roads, 7.7%

More police on the roads, 16.1%

Fewer speed cameras, 16.4%

None of these, 4.3%

Age of survey respondents

 

Under 24, 14.4%

25-34, 25.9%

35-44, 27.3%

45-54, 17.3%

55-64, 9.3%

65-74, 3.6%

75+,1%

Rather not say, 1.1%

Image: David Medcalf

[thewheelman]

"Why do Guardianistas need to get places faster than Autocar readers? "


Because Guardian readers are "better" than the rest of us....

[ghibbett]

And the Autocar readers are too busy arguing on the Autocar forum!!

[grimsmeister]

>> Less road words, 13.8%

Is that the Grauniad readers voting against Autocar then?

[TC33]

So if they raise it to 80mph does that mean we can go almost 90 given the 10% rule....
Happy days.

[EDLT]

I assume autocar readers have the same "We are all above average" attitude that is on here. Sure, they could cope with driving at 80mph but 'normal' people couldn't possibly manage it without dying all the time.

[AlexiusG55]

The questions are so totally different as to be incomparable. For the Grauniad it's a simple Y/N, whereas Autocar readers would have to be willing to "sacrifice" more police/fewer speed cameras or fewer roadworks for their 80mph limit. I might well rather have a 70 mph limit enforced by police patrols who can exercise discretion and not ticket people driving safely but in excess of the limit than an 80 mph limit rigidly enforced by cameras (including on an empty motorway in perfect driving conditions).

[thewheelman]

TC33 said:

So if they raise it to 80mph does that mean we can go almost 90 given the 10% rule....
Happy days.

From the articles i've read about this, the speed limit will be far more strict.......unless you have a rolled up copy of the Guardian on display on the dashboard of your <insert typical Guardian readers car here>

[johnpeat]

I've never been keen on the idea of a motorway speed increase because I know it will come with a draconian (and unwarranted) increase in enforcement.

Motorways are our safest roads - why change anything??

Right now, 80mph is common on any free-flowing motorway and few people are stopped for it (and, in fact, a bit quicker at times). If they change it to 80 it will be a rock-solid 80 and it will be Policed in a draconian fashion and I'm not sure that's progress of any meaningful sort.

What he have now is a mostly shared belief that 70 is a bit outdated and silly - both sides mostly agree and some common sense is being applied. What we're looking at here is removing that common sense and replacing it with a stupid rule.

I'd remind people of the stupidity which is the "driving using a phone" law. Before it was passed, it was still illegal to use a phone but a bit harder to prosecute and so sense was applied on both sides (people bought headsets, Police used discretion).

Now we have a solid rule which is Policed rigidly - and a massive drop in the sales of headsets/handsfree devices and people seem to have decided, en-masse, to simply flout the law instead of working around it and/or not putting themselves at risk of prosecution.

It's gone from being 'common sense' not to use a phone to people complaining that they are being 'taxed' for using one - it's nonsense.

Stand near any moderately busy road and I'll bet you £10 it takes no more than 5 mins to spot someone on the phone - what, exactly, have we achieved??

[johnaachen]

johnpeat said:

I've never been keen on the idea of a motorway speed increase because I know it will come with a draconian (and unwarranted) increase in enforcement.

Motorways are our safest roads - why change anything??

Right now, 80mph is common on any free-flowing motorway and few people are stopped for it (and, in fact, a bit quicker at times). If they change it to 80 it will be a rock-solid 80 and it will be Policed in a draconian fashion and I'm not sure that's progress of any meaningful sort.

What he have now is a mostly shared belief that 70 is a bit outdated and silly - both sides mostly agree and some common sense is being applied. What we're looking at here is removing that common sense and replacing it with a stupid rule.

I'd remind people of the stupidity which is the "driving using a phone" law. Before it was passed, it was still illegal to use a phone but a bit harder to prosecute and so sense was applied on both sides (people bought headsets, Police used discretion).

Now we have a solid rule which is Policed rigidly - and a massive drop in the sales of headsets/handsfree devices and people seem to have decided, en-masse, to simply flout the law instead of working around it and/or not putting themselves at risk of prosecution.

It's gone from being 'common sense' not to use a phone to people complaining that they are being 'taxed' for using one - it's nonsense.

Stand near any moderately busy road and I'll bet you £10 it takes no more than 5 mins to spot someone on the phone - what, exactly, have we achieved??

Why would 80mph be more heavily policed than 70mph? Surely the limit should be enforced aqs strictly whatever the number?

[scholesy]

johnpeat said:

I've never been keen on the idea of a motorway speed increase because I know it will come with a draconian (and unwarranted) increase in enforcement.

Very much agree on this point, it will just give the government grounds to say that doing a spot over 80 suddenly makes you this uncontrollable spinning, flailing ball of steel and explosive fluids and therefore country wide average speed cameras will be introduced. I like the idea of an 80mph limit, this brings us in line with Europe, but I believe that isn't the reason it is being implemented.

If you want proof, just look at the opposition to the idea, there is a lot of opposition to the 80 limit from brake, and others who shout very loudly, and these people usually get their way, as they are the sort of busy bodies that won't give up until they do, there must be some ulterior motive behind the increase, and as pointed out, the most obvious is some form of revenue source to come from the stricter policing of the new limit.

[uncle tez]

johnpeat said:

I've never been keen on the idea of a motorway speed increase because I know it will come with a draconian (and unwarranted) increase in enforcement.

Motorways are our safest roads - why change anything??

Right now, 80mph is common on any free-flowing motorway and few people are stopped for it (and, in fact, a bit quicker at times). If they change it to 80 it will be a rock-solid 80 and it will be Policed in a draconian fashion and I'm not sure that's progress of any meaningful sort.

What he have now is a mostly shared belief that 70 is a bit outdated and silly - both sides mostly agree and some common sense is being applied. What we're looking at here is removing that common sense and replacing it with a stupid rule.

I'd remind people of the stupidity which is the "driving using a phone" law. Before it was passed, it was still illegal to use a phone but a bit harder to prosecute and so sense was applied on both sides (people bought headsets, Police used discretion).

Now we have a solid rule which is Policed rigidly - and a massive drop in the sales of headsets/handsfree devices and people seem to have decided, en-masse, to simply flout the law instead of working around it and/or not putting themselves at risk of prosecution.

It's gone from being 'common sense' not to use a phone to people complaining that they are being 'taxed' for using one - it's nonsense.

Stand near any moderately busy road and I'll bet you £10 it takes no more than 5 mins to spot someone on the phone - what, exactly, have we achieved??

I have a 10 minute walk to work daily and i see at least 3 people using phones each way. I also have to stop in the middle of the road on a pedestrian crossing at least once a week due to someone driving through the red light. I think most motoring laws are flaunted. the police cant be everywhere at once. I totally agree with you on this one

[Riggers]

grimsmeister said:

>> Less road words, 13.8%

Is that the Grauniad readers voting against Autocar then?

That'll teach me to cut and paste straight from a press release! Everybody knows it should be fewer road words...

[Podie]

It's the respondents who don't know if they break the limit that worries me...

[mrmr96]

johnaachen said:

Why would 80mph be more heavily policed than 70mph? Surely the limit should be enforced aqs strictly whatever the number?

Because it's been publicesd as such by our lawmakers.

Basically they want eveyone to drive at abou the same speed as we currently do, but they want to officially decrimialise the people doing 80mph. Which is fair enough.

BUT if you scan up this thread a bit further you'll see an example of at least 1 person whom the Gov is concerned about: "Does this mean I can do 90mph now?!!!111!"

The answer is 'no'. And BECAUSE of people like this, the police will need to (at least initally) enforece the 80mph limit so that "90 doesn't become the new 80" if that makes sense. Remember, this is about decrimialising people who do 80mph already, it is not about letting everyone increase their cruise speed by 10mph, if you see what I mean.

[Fast Eddie]

I recently drove in the USA from Denver in Colorado to Cheyenne in Wyoming (about 95 miles) and both states have top speed limits of 75mph. Most traffic including HGV's seem to travel at this speed and I was advised not to exceed it because the penalties are harsh. I agree with an earlier comment on here - I would rather have a 70 limit and er occasionally stray over shall we say, rather than 80 which might be a guillotine.
Not a guillotine offence I hope

[goron59]

The guardian poll spiked massively after it was publicised in places like this, and you don't have to be a guardian reader to follow the link and vote for it!

[Dogwatch]

I thought the quid pro quo was that we were to be saddled with more '20 is plenty' zones so that little kiddies and fluffy kittens can saunter safely across the road without looking.

As usual the anti-car brigade want it both ways.

[Celt]

Statistics are like mini skirts, nice to look at but often hide the most important bits.

[jazzyjeff]

goron59 said:

The guardian poll spiked massively after it was publicised in places like this, and you don't have to be a guardian reader to follow the link and vote for it!

[sharpfocus]

PH said:

A new survey conducted by Autocar (that would be the world's oldest car magazine, whose readers surely have more than the odd millilitre of petrol flowing through their veins) has revealed that only 41.5 per cent of respondents are in favour of raising the motorway speed limit.

Erm, no?

Autocar said:

Which of the following motoring initiatives would you most like to see introduced?
A higher speed limit,  41.5%
Less roadworks, 13.8%
More roads, 7.7%
More police on the roads, 16.1%
Fewer speed cameras, 16.4%
None of these, 4.3%

It's just some people would prefer to have the cameras removed so they can do 90mph? (Or one of the other possible options)... isn't it?