Speed kills - or does it?

[lowdrag]

I honestly don't think I have seen a better-reasoned argument than this video:-

http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-best-takedown-of-t...

[saaby93]

as if we didnt already know this
good its in one place

[kiethton]

Good watch and very true

[Synchromesh]

Great video, can we have it on the PH homepage please Garlick et al.

[D_G]

http://youtu.be/_FQB0L2AO0U

[fjord]

What TV show are those cops from? The guys with the moustaches? I cant remember it.

[vonhosen]

fjord said:

What TV show are those cops from? The guys with the moustaches? I cant remember it.

Super Troopers

[fjord]

vonhosen said:

Super Troopers

Cheers

[Willy Nilly]

Excellent

[HaloGen8]

US and Canadian based but true enough.

[backwoodsman]

Good video, nice find.

Hope the mods don't kick this to the You tube thread.

[Toltec]

I have a theory that many crashes are directly preceded by heavy braking. If we accept that this is the case then it is obvious that that the brakes on motor vehicles must be reduced in efficiency.

Remember, braking kills.

[0000]

Good video, most of it's obvious but I'm glad someone's taken the time to collate some of the arguments. Sadly though I think what we're missing is a direct financial reward for raising traffic speeds.

[ModernAndy]

Good video. Not sure you could really use it as an argument to raise the highest speed limits we have (which I think there is going to be a lot of once other PH'ers get a whiff of this thread) but on some of our UK roads I think there's an argument that the limits are too low.

[DrDeAtH]

Speed doesn't kill.... The rapidly coming to a halt does.....

[lowdrag]

ModernAndy said:

Good video. Not sure you could really use it as an argument to raise the highest speed limits we have (which I think there is going to be a lot of once other PH'ers get a whiff of this thread) but on some of our UK roads I think there's an argument that the limits are too low.

I disagree. The first speed limit in 1861 was 10mph, but more up to date in 1965 the 70mph limit was introduced. At the time the "Mr Average" cars were the Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Victor and the Morris Oxford, all with a maximum speed of about 85mph, drum brakes, no servo, no power steering, no ABS etc. etc. Braking distances were probably double what they are today, not even taking into account the narrow cross ply tyres and quality of the rubber. If the police ticketed everyone exceeding 70mph on the motorway today there would not be many of us left with a licence, I am sure, which is why the police (amongst whom there has from time to time thoughts on increasing the limit) enforce their own limit of about 80/85 mph. It is clear that speeding is just another way of increasing taxation. Here in France I have a number of friends who are gendarmes, and they dislike being put in the position of not actually doing police work but being tax revenue conduits. It is a world-wide malaise, yet despite falling road deaths the screw is tightened more and more. In 1980 5,953 people were killed on British roads, in 2000 just over half at 3,409. This again halved to 1,754 in 2012. Yet in 1980 there were 19 million cars on the road compared to over 34 million in 2012, so not far off double the number of potential accidents. In effect, since the introduction of the 70mph speed limit the number of vehicles has trebled and the number of deaths reduced to 22% of 1965. One can argue that one death is too many, but in Germany, where many autobahns are derestricted (I was there last month) the fatality rate is less than the UK.

There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics. Durham never introduced speed cameras, yet their death rate is lower than elsewhere. It is all about money, not the death rate. As a final comment, while it sadly no longer exists, France had a superb system called the "white licence". In effect, once over the 12 points, if you could prove the need of a car for your job you got one of these; it enabled you to drive between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, with severe penalties if caught outside of those times.

[DonkeyApple]

I do suspect that if there were no speed limits in the UK then the vast majority of people would still drive at around 80 mph as they currently do. It seems to be a very comfortable speed with most cars built to sit at or near that point.

The real issue though is the tiny minority who wouldn't be able to self regulate and control themselves. The same people who I do suspect village Gatsos prevent from driving through at 70 or pile down very narrow residential roads at 50 etc.

Does the knowledge that they are breaking limits and risking punishment regulate some of this silly behaviour?

[57Ford]

Great vid, but unfortunately one of the opening points is the crux of the problem IMHO - 'the government and insurance companies make a lot of money from speeding'.
So, we're unlikely to get realistic limits any time soon.

[nottyash]

Spot on, shame us that understand this are a minority, and the people that make the rules are idiots.

[gareth_r]

lowdrag said:

... At the time the "Mr Average" cars were the Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Victor and the Morris Oxford, all with a maximum speed of about 85mph, drum brakes, no servo, no power steering, no ABS etc. etc. Braking distances were probably double what they are today, not even taking into account the narrow cross ply tyres and quality of the rubber...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTvJFSRYJr8

I once owned an Anglia... it was just like that.

Coincidentally, I now drive a 1997 GS300, which is also just like that.