Enforced Speed Limits...thoughts?

[DaBeeeenster]

The stats are showing up, DB, but I'd suggest that Monbiot's never been in the position of having a bad driver nearly t-bone him by failing to give way to the right on a roundabout and had to apply a hefty burst of acceleration to esacpe. Of course, Monbiot's magic box wouldn't have prevented the idiot in question killing me or my wife, but would have prevented our escaping. His supercilious and patronising remark concerning some alleged confusion over pedals evinces nothing more than the view of someone who doesn't drive and doesn't have to drive (because he lives in London, within a bike ride of his "job"), is utterly ignorant of motoring, and hates anyone who does drive. I firmly support heavily enforced speed limits in populated areas, and living close to a couple of schools am glad that there are cameras there to enforce those (I believe that in fact limits outside schools should be further dropped from 30 to 20). I applaud the use of cameras at accident blackspots (although the coincidence of the two seems tenuous at times). I don't think that removing control of the vehicle from the driver is a good, or for that matter safe, idea.

Like I said, I disagree with his points on braking and accelerating.

[DaBeeeenster]

But ask the people in here if they agree with my statement...why mince about when a simple sentence will give you an idea of my thoughts of the scheme...

Because it's the "mincing about" that is interesting.

[DaBeeeenster]

I think we should approach this idea with an understanding that our driving habbits will have to change if it is ever introduced and that some of our concerns will no longer be valid. For example situations where you'd want to accelerate out of danger are not going to come up nearly as often as they may be doing now.

I think that it may be more difficult to concentrate if all thats required of you is steering and occasional braking. Obviously too many tasks for the driver will distract him from concentrating on the road but turning them into a mindless drone (i know this is an exxageration, no need to say that people are not actually going to turn to mindless drones) will make concentrating more of a problem. Think of the train drivers who have problems with falling asleep. All they do is stare into the distance and adjust the throttle/brake occasionally.

There are issues with the proposed system, but it may come to it yet. I just hope we will still have an option to do track days and there will still be cars worth taking to those days.

I agree with your points.

People dont think that cruise control systems are dangerous tho, do they?

[nichomach]

Like I said, I disagree with his points on braking and accelerating.

Well, given that without enforced control of braking and acceleration, he doesn't actually have proposal at all, case closed, I'd have said.

[dkmech]

The stats are showing up, DB, but I'd suggest that Monbiot's never been in the position of having a bad driver nearly t-bone him by failing to give way to the right on a roundabout and had to apply a hefty burst of acceleration to esacpe. Of course, Monbiot's magic box wouldn't have prevented the idiot in question killing me or my wife, but would have prevented our escaping.

Assuming you weren't already going through a roundabout at maximum allowed speed there you should have some reserve before you hit speed limit to move out of the way.

I'd see more problems with accelerating past the limit when you are trying to quickly overtake a slow vehicle and find out that the gap is smaller than expected. However you will at least find that whoever is going the other way isn't bombing at 80 mph in a 60 zone.

[jon bda]

People dont think that cruise control systems are dangerous tho, do they?

With cruise control you at least have a choice to use it or not...

[DaBeeeenster]

Well, given that without enforced control of braking and acceleration, he doesn't actually have proposal at all, case closed, I'd have said.

I already explained this. Engine power can be decreased in order to effect deceleration. Personally I would not attach the management system to the brakes. I think that's a bad idea. Braking is not the only way of slowing a car down, however.

[Zathras]

Of course, everyone on here is a marvellous driver and their car control is far superior to your average joe, so why shouldn't they be allowed to speed. After all, no accidents are ever caused by random uncontrollable events beyond the driver's control such as a kid running out into the road chasing a football are they? If speed wasn't the primary cause of the accident it seems some people think it doesn't matter what speed someone was doing or whether speed has an effect on the outcome of the accident. I don't think anyone is claiming cutting speed is the only solution to road safety, and that driving attentively and correctly will also prevent accidents, but I don't know anyone who would rather be hit at 40mph than 30mph. I think rather than make sure everyone does the stated speed limit and no more, it's probably far more important to address the arrogant belief that many people seem to have that they are in complete control of everything happening on the road around them and so they can do what speed they think 'appropriate' given their technical driving skills. 30mph past a school at closing time is completely inappropriate, even if it may be technically legal, and 80mph on a completely empty M6 appropriate but illegal.

[DaBeeeenster]

With cruise control you at least have a choice to use it or not...

But my question is, is it dangerous to use?

[dkmech]

People dont think that cruise control systems are dangerous tho, do they?

I thought about cruise control too, but you can always disengage it. Get a bit freshenned up by driving a stretch without it. When I used CC i found that people were doing different speeds around me and i had to still be on guard adjusting my speed, even if sometimes i did it by pressing a "-" or "+" button on the cruise. With the speed control system everyone will be going at the same speed, which sounds like a good idea but may end up being very monotone and sleep inducing. Keeping an eye on other traffic, which is doing its own thing, can go some way to help you stay alert.

[DaBeeeenster]

I thought about cruise control too, but you can always disengage it. Get a bit freshenned up by driving a stretch without it. When I used CC i found that people were doing different speeds around me and i had to still be on guard adjusting my speed, even if sometimes i did it by pressing a "-" or "+" button on the cruise. With the speed control system everyone will be going at the same speed, which sounds like a good idea but may end up being very monotone and sleep inducing. Keeping an eye on other traffic, which is doing its own thing, can go some way to help you stay alert.

Everyone's speedo will read out slightly different tho, so there will be some variation in everyone's "40 mph"...

[Zathras]

I applaud the use of cameras at accident blackspots (although the coincidence of the two seems tenuous at times). I don't think that removing control of the vehicle from the driver is a good, or for that matter safe, idea.

The problem is many cameras and speed limits apply to roads that the average car nut could consider perfectly safe but actually have had a high incident of accidents in the past. Nicho, living in Preston you must have driven the road to Blackpool a few times. Now this road has dual carriageways in places and appears quite wide and open, yet there's a 50mph limit and frequent speed cameras. This prompted some idiot to write in to the local rag about how appalling that speed cameras were being put on this road which was perfectly safe to drive at speed and how it was only a cash cow and the cameras should be used for outside schools and 30mph limits only. However anyone who has known the area for long will understand that the Blackpool road had one of the highest incidents of motor accident fatalities in Lancashire and that cameras have brought not just the number of accidents but the number of serious injuries caused by the accidents that do occur tumbling.

[nichomach]

The problem is many cameras and speed limits apply to roads t...

First things first; I rarely do the trip to Blackpool at all, but vaguely know what you're on about. Actually, I'd have thought this was well covered by the "accident blackspot" criterion. Consequently, I wouldn't agree with the person who wrote into the paper anyway, and I certainly wouldn't agree with the "only in 30mph limits" stuff.

dkmech, I certainly was NOT doing the absolute maximum at the roundabout in question (I was a few mph off it, and it was a nice wide open roundabout, and I always slow a fair bit on approach to roundabouts) but I was sure as hell over the limit by the time I'd got away from the berk about to hit me.

[Zathras]

First things first...

Wasn't a go at you! I was just stating that some people seem to have a preconceived idea of what a dangerous road and what a safe road is which may not correlate with actual numbers of accidents there, hence some people thinking it is perfectly safe to exceed the speed limit on stretches of road where it is anything but.

[nichomach]

I didn't assume that you were, Zathras; I just wanted to make it clear that I DON'T agree with the aforementioned newspaper correspondent

[dkmech]

Everyone's speedo will read out slightly different tho, so there will be some variation in everyone's "40 mph"...

Well, if you are using gps to control the speed you might as well use it to measure it or at least check calibration of the speedo with the satellite.