my good deed for the day!

[CB-Dave]

I work for halfords, and as such I get to access the (ooo secret) forum that staff get access to, anyways - someone posts up that cars should have GPS speed limiting etc and that they shouldn't be built to exceed the 70mph limit anyway etc... this is my reply:

cb-dave said:

halfords bloke said: Maybe technology will come in one day where a car won't start unless it's tax and insurance is valid. GPS should restrict a cars speed as well. Why are cars built to go beyond 70 mph in the first place? If that was addressed, resources could be moved into the streets and off motorways, or GPS would reduce the problem further. sorry but... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *breathe* aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha!!! you seriously don't belive what you're saying do you?? fictional scenario 1: GPS limiter fitted to car a - car b, however - made before the GPS limiters were installed - isn't... car a is nailing it at the 60mph limit on a single track country lane, car b however is enjoying a blast along the same road, a bit quicker than 60mph and thus catches up car a. A 30mph zone comes up, car a's limiter realises this and throws on the brakes - car b ends up in car a's boot... fictional scenario 2: car a's driver is so used to nailing it and having the limiter decide his speedm that he gets desensitised and lacks the attention that driving at higher speeds or actually thinking for yourself necessitates... car a goes through a 30 zone... on the limiter - as per... child steps out, the driver isn't concentrating and is nailing it on his 30mph limiter and pop - one dead kid... As for cars built to exceed 70mph, look at it this way - I own a pug 205 GTi, it's not the fastest thing on the planet by a long shot but it's quick enough to get me into trouble - the clock on my car shows about 150mph max speed but the calculated maximum on my car is 133mph (hitting the limiter in 5th gear, going by the ratio per 1000rpm/mph). I've achieved a speed of 130mph in my car, gps proven - which is not far off the maximum speed of the gearing, but I'm a fair way off 150mph - now why is that... because the BRAKES can stop me from that speed if it is so required... lets say I buy an AMG merc, it has a top speed of 155mph limited (but can do more) - however the speedo shows 190mph - and the brakes are the size of dustbin lids - thus the car will be able to stop QUICKER and SAFER than my car... look at a econobox shopping cart corsa or whatever, front brakes of around about 200mm if that, single piston calipers etc - it can still exceed 70mph but I'd not like to have to stop from that speed in an emergency situation... cars are made that can exceed an arbitary limit because technology allows it. the 70mph limit was only brought in as a temporary limit in the 1960's iirc and unfortunately it is still with us, whilst technology has marched on and given us safer vehicles that can travel way in excess of that limit. are you really so much of a technophobe tree hugging hippy that you can't see the uselessness of speed limiters and big brother nannying by the state? SPEED DOES NOT KILL - IMPACT DOES... repeat after me... SPEED DOES NOT KILL SPEED DOES NOT KILL GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE - WAPPERS DO SPEED DOES NOT KILL SPEED DOES NOT KILL *and breathe*

>>> Edited by CB-Dave on Monday 16th August 23:49