101 on the M40
Discussion
dazren said:
The road strucure/visibility etc of the autobahn are no different to the UK motorway network (apart from driving on the wrong side of the road of course).
I would disagree. Slip roads take a lot longer to join and are usually a lower angle of turn to make joining and leaving smoother.
mcflurry said:Eh? Loads of German sliproads are extraordinarily tight, especially the exits. If you come into some of the exits too fast, you can get into all manner of trouble.
The road strucure/visibility etc of the autobahn are no different to the UK motorway network (apart from driving on the wrong side of the road of course).
I would disagree. Slip roads take a lot longer to join and are usually a lower angle of turn to make joining and leaving smoother.
seandudding said:
Carzee
Thanks.
I have been told by my Insurance co and a Lawyer that the ban only counts in the UK. If I go to Europe I can drive there with no issues. So I can get the other half to drive to the port, and once across the channel, I am able to drive again. Anyone know if this is the case?
Or, perhaps, you'll do what many of the 30,000+ DRIVERS DISQUALIFIED LAST YEAR did and continue to drive without a licence in order to protect your job, business, home and life style. Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily advocating doing this, I'm just bringing out the facts about what is actually happening.
The majority of those disqualified are the higher than average drivers who drive as part of their job. Now, if faced with the choice, would you go to your boss and say "please sack me, I've been banned for a few minor speeding offences". Not many will do this, and if the court was some distance away they can probably get away with it. Not many courts would bang you up even if you did get caught DWD, especially if you have a wife, kids and a mortgage and the result would be that the state would have to keep them.
If I got banned I would have to seriously consider whether to drive. In all honesty I probably would as I live in a small village almost without public transport and run two businesses. I would buy a 2nd hand medium grade car (Escort, Astra or similar) with current tax and give the seller a false name. I'd insure it through my company policy and just drive it until the ban ended.
Irresponsible? Yes, probably, but no more so that a society which uses this form of tax collection to deprive people of their money and their jobs whilst claiming to do it in the name of better safety when they know that's just a lie.
Purple AK said:
You Guys really are the Comic Crew! NSL on a motorway is 70mph. Bib normally turn a blind eye up to 96mph. After that you deserve all you get! Is life and limb really worth that extra 5mph!! Nobody see the news today? Speeding BMW on the A23 yesterday 8 DEAD!!!!!!!
Is life and limb really worth that extra 5mph
Like 5 mph is going to make an iota of difference if it all goes wrong at those velocities......
Speeding BMW on the A23 yesterday 8 DEAD......
Factory in Glasgow blows up...8 dead....lifes a bich ain't it.
I'd get a good lawyer. I'd eat a load of humble pie and pay the fine.
What I would also do is look at renting a flat in say Gibraltar for a couple of months and get one of their licences. They're not in the EU but you should be able to use a Gibraltar licence on an any driver policy out of the UK if it all goes wrong.
Sadly commonsense and the law do not go hand in hand. Speed limits are arbitrarily imposed based on what the lowest common denominator can be expected to drive to in relative safety (and many don't). Times have moved on, the cars are a lot safer nowadays and 70 isn't necessarily the right speed on an empty well lit motorway in the dry if 70 is still legal in the pouring rain in the winter with poor visibility.
What I would also do is look at renting a flat in say Gibraltar for a couple of months and get one of their licences. They're not in the EU but you should be able to use a Gibraltar licence on an any driver policy out of the UK if it all goes wrong.
Sadly commonsense and the law do not go hand in hand. Speed limits are arbitrarily imposed based on what the lowest common denominator can be expected to drive to in relative safety (and many don't). Times have moved on, the cars are a lot safer nowadays and 70 isn't necessarily the right speed on an empty well lit motorway in the dry if 70 is still legal in the pouring rain in the winter with poor visibility.
walsingham said:walsingham, what are you on? Why is it a risk to life to drive on an empty clear motorway at 101? Perhaps you believe he might swerve out of control into the central reservation due to the extreme forces this speed brings
you therefore risked not only your own life ( and the cost to the other taxpayers here) but potentialy the livelihoods of others you employ. NOt to mention family and friends. All to be at a meeting a few minutes earlier.
IMO with today's cars being so quiet and uninvolving at 70mph, it's more dangerous to spend 2 hours at 70 as it's so easy to relax that you are too easily distracted onto other things. At 101 you concentrate a lot better, plus you SLOW DOWN when approaching other traffic so forget the arguement that there are other road users.
I can't believe some of the comments on here, do you think that past 100mph you can't breath and your likely to pass-out or something.
As said above your more likely to be on the ball if your are actually involved in driving the car. Pootling along at 70 on an empty road is going to end up with you falling a sleep or perhaps just taking one hand off the wheel - Hmmm what if you have a blow out and your not really paying attention.
My advise to the originator of this thread is send a letter of mitigation act all sorry and prey for a short ban or points. Oh and good luck.
As said above your more likely to be on the ball if your are actually involved in driving the car. Pootling along at 70 on an empty road is going to end up with you falling a sleep or perhaps just taking one hand off the wheel - Hmmm what if you have a blow out and your not really paying attention.
My advise to the originator of this thread is send a letter of mitigation act all sorry and prey for a short ban or points. Oh and good luck.
Swines!
Sorry to hear this.
101 doesnt neccesarily mean instant ban at all. I had a number of drivers who kept their licenses at up to 104.
As for those who have commented on the speed in question. Let me ask you this.
If the motorway speed limit was dropped to 40mph would you see it as ludicrous to travel at 71mph?
No, because it would annoy you I'd wager.
Speeding isnt an absolute offence. A safe speed for one may not be a safe speed for another. The speed limits were set in the 50's for christs sake, braking, safety and all sorts have rather improved since then.
Sorry to hear this.
101 doesnt neccesarily mean instant ban at all. I had a number of drivers who kept their licenses at up to 104.
As for those who have commented on the speed in question. Let me ask you this.
If the motorway speed limit was dropped to 40mph would you see it as ludicrous to travel at 71mph?
No, because it would annoy you I'd wager.
Speeding isnt an absolute offence. A safe speed for one may not be a safe speed for another. The speed limits were set in the 50's for christs sake, braking, safety and all sorts have rather improved since then.
Actually they have, the test has become progressively more rigourous over the years.
The problem is that people forget what they have learnt since passing their test and there is no requirement or impotus to update those skills in the populous at large.
The speed limits should be raised SPECIFICALLY to scare some people away from a skill they evidently have trouble grasping.
If you cant keep up with the flow of traffic (thats very frequently way over 100mph on the M40) then dont drive at all...
The problem is that people forget what they have learnt since passing their test and there is no requirement or impotus to update those skills in the populous at large.
The speed limits should be raised SPECIFICALLY to scare some people away from a skill they evidently have trouble grasping.
If you cant keep up with the flow of traffic (thats very frequently way over 100mph on the M40) then dont drive at all...
Plotloss said:
If the motorway speed limit was dropped to 40mph would you see it as ludicrous to travel at 71mph?
That's an excellent point! I don't know where 70MPH limit came from but it seems to be an arbitrary figure.
(Separately):
I drove my wife's car on a m'way the other day and stuck at 70ish. I became aware that main risk in driving at (say) 100 is that other drivers are not expecting it (as they might be in Germany). I noticed how quickly some other cars where travelling relative to my speed - they seemed to appear from nowhere - but in reality were probably travelling at high 90's.
Driving at 70 you do get a sense that some other (where that ALL BMW's?) drivers are trying to force their way through the traffic.
Plotloss said:
Actually they have, the test has become progressively more rigourous over the years.
The problem is that people forget what they have learnt since passing their test and there is no requirement or impotus to update those skills in the populous at large.
All the more reason to have those assessments I keep droning on about every 5 years or so. ADIs could be employed to do this with a bit of training. You could grade the assessement so that higher grade = lower insurance premium as carrot. Road sense COAST should be taught pre-driving age - from before lesson one anyway!
Certainly, there should at least be a routine and regular Highway Code theory test for all as rules of the road develop and change!
Plotless said:
The speed limits should be raised SPECIFICALLY to scare some people away from a skill they evidently have trouble grasping.
If you cant keep up with the flow of traffic (thats very frequently way over 100mph on the M40) then dont drive at all...
But what about the numpty who has to travel on M40? The lad or lass who has just passed the L-test - who needs to use this road to get from A to B?
However, most are capable with correct training.
Again - include drive on fast road (ie dual carriageway equivalent to m/way and/or motorway drive as in Germany. Ensure lessons include night drive as well!
But we should remember that although we are all super duper motorists in Germany, Switzerland and Austria - we still get accidents caused by weak anticipation of steep gradients in the Alps, the Turbo Rolfs, poor control at the tight slip roads - though this is usually Johnny Foreigner or some USA twazak - and of course there are the Ossies who trained in Trabis under the Stasis and where licence depended upon how good a party member you were!
That is the German excuse for its KSIs - which incidentally are reducing and they look like overtaking UK! (And they still have scams just the same - but not quite as bad as here ----- YET! )Bobbins said:
That's an excellent point! I don't know where 70MPH limit came from but it seems to be an arbitrary figure.
It was introduced[1] in the 60s (at the time a blanket limit on all roads, including non motorways) as a 'panic' measure after a couple of spectacular motorway pile-ups in fog, when the government of the day (Labour[2], surprise surprise) had to be seen to be 'doing something'.
[1] It was initially introduced as a puportedly 'temporary' measure. There were no more large motorway pile-ups, so it must have worked. (the fact that there was very little fog subsequently had nothing to do with it, of course).
[2] The minister at the time, Barbara Castle, did not have a driving licence.
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