Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Humm, to be honest I just do not share the same respect for speed limits that were set 40 years ago or more and not taking into account the general improvements in car braking and handling that have since become standard and you often find the wrong limit for the wrong road all over the shop. (digressing into town planning for a moment, I knew a town planner who I was at college with, he was an utter moron and he didn't drive I couldn't think of anybody less suited to the job. Surprise surprise the town he works in is a mish mash of bad design with millions of signs and bollards all over)
Bottom line is, I deal in reality and if I think the road conditions will allow me to do 80 or 90 on a motorway, then I might well do 80 or 90 people who rigidly stick to the speed limit during over taking mauvers are imo just as dangerous as drivers who drive faster. I really hope you don't get hit on the motorway by somebody caning down the outside lane but if your going to do 70 while over taking instead of being quick about it and getting round the obstacle at worst your increasing your risk of being hit and at best your annoying everybody else by causing congestion. Its exactly the same situation that you get with lorry's overtaking each other (should be banned tbh).
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Lane hogging is another issue, but if everyone's travelling at 70 then it's far safer than a mix of 70 and 90.
If you don't agree with the speed limit then campaign to get it changed. Ignoring the law and setting your own rules isn't a civilised way of doing things.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
I tend to do about 80 (by the clock, in reality it's somewhat lower) but it depends on the conditions on the road. Judgement is useful that way.
Why the focus on speed? Isn't distance far more important? Or is it ok to do 60mph on the motorway a yard off the bumper of the car/lorry/victim in front? How about undertaking? Lack of indication? Cutting people up?
The inconvenient truth is that speed is the LEAST of our worries on Britain's roads, but about the easiest to clamp down on (as you can automate the process). Young drivers are vulnerable though lack of experience, not just cos they tool around at 180mph in a ford fiesta mk 1.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
directhex
which is what i do. but you have no legal right to go at >70 on the motorway, full stop. if i'm overtaking someone at 70, then you can get ****ed.
One other thing while I am on my soapbox, its exactly that kind of attitude that I take when faced with somebody like you who insists on doing 70 in the outside lane (and you must do it more than just overtaking, otherwise how would you ever be undertaken?). I will simply undertake you, 'you can get ****ed', if you don't want to be in that situation then you should be in the inside lane regardless of what the law says the speed limit is.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
This is getting interesting lol.
I agree with Hex in doing 30 in a 30 etc.. you are almost certainly in built up area and regardless of the time of day/night anything could happen.
Of course also when in national speed limit you could go round a corner at 60 and find yourself parked up a horses chuff, who knows? That said if you drive reasonably and postion the car correctly on the road you make it a lot easier to avoid situations such as this even if you are at the speed limit.
The motorway bit is where i'm more inclined to agree with G4Z. I actually find it very difficult to maintain any constant speed on motorway as i'm sure we all do. Often attempting to drive 70 everywhere will get you stuck behind a lorry (unless you lane hog and if thats the case have a fun time in hell!!!) with no chance to pull out unless someone feels charitable enough to let you. Then insisting on only going 70 having made it out will annoy the other drivers around you normally leading to some form of road rage in my experience.
By varying your speed between 70, 80.. possibly 90 you have a much easier time on the motorway that is of course based on my opinion but I do a few hundred miles on the motorway a week so I think I have a good idea of how it works :)
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
staffsMike
Of course also when in national speed limit you could go round a corner at 60 and find yourself parked up a horses chuff, who knows? That said if you drive reasonably and postion the car correctly on the road you make it a lot easier to avoid situations such as this even if you are at the speed limit.
You should never find yourself in this situation though - doing 60 around a blind corner is reckless.
I hate lane hogging, yet I've still managed to be undertaken on the motorway by idiots who disagree with me NOT cutting up the guy I'm overtaking. So you can very easily still be overtaken without lane hogging.
Speed on country roads is almost entirely limited by observation distance. On motorways it's instead reaction and braking time for nearby cars. Which means that, yes, I agree it can be safe in the right conditions (empty, straight motorway in daylight) to be going faster than the speed limit, but I don't therefore think you are right to do so, because there is a law about it.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kalniel
Lane hogging is another issue, but if everyone's travelling at 70 then it's far safer than a mix of 70 and 90.
If you don't agree with the speed limit then campaign to get it changed. Ignoring the law and setting your own rules isn't a civilised way of doing things.
speed limits only apply to people in slow cars, who coincidentally are also going to hell!
the 90mph master race set their own rules
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
G4Z
One other thing while I am on my soapbox, its exactly that kind of attitude that I take when faced with somebody like you who insists on doing 70 in the outside lane (and you must do it more than just overtaking, otherwise how would you ever be undertaken?). I will simply undertake you, 'you can get ****ed', if you don't want to be in that situation then you should be in the inside lane regardless of what the law says the speed limit is.
would you have done as above on a dual carriageway during your test? if not, why not?
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
I really does all depend on circumstances. The government can't proscribe a speed limit for ever meter of road in every condition so it must be reliant on road users making good judgements.
Yes, never do more than 30 in a 30 zone, you'd have a hard time doing more than 20 down our road most mornings. On A-roads feel free to do 60 but you must be aware that there could be a large deer over the next blind rise (as happened to someone I know last week, wrecked car, bad back, dead deer). And on motorways most police do realise that 80ish is a reasonable speed and they'll turn a blind eye, though if you are doing 65-70 in the left lane and blocking traffic don't be supprised if the rest of the traffic hates you even if you are 'technically' correct (being a danger to other road users depends on circumstances not laws).
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
directhex
speed limits only apply to people in slow cars, who coincidentally are also going to hell!
the 90mph master race set their own rules
justification of speed in a perfect world (define that how you will) would be impossible of course.
In the world we live in it becomes easier. I am very happy to sit at 70mph on a motorway which flows nicely and everyone is respectful of proper road usage (M6 Toll as there is no one on it) but it's a totally different story when you add in the usual incompetance you come across day to day.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
directhex
would you have done as above on a dual carriageway during your test? if not, why not?
Just because someone adheres to the letter of the law doesn't stop them being a danger to others in the wrong circumstances.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Salazaar
I really does all depend on circumstances. The government can't proscribe a speed limit for ever meter of road in every condition so it must be reliant on road users making good judgements.
If it was, then why not write that into the law?
Instead of saying the national speed limit is a flat rate of 70 for cars, it would say something like you must not drive faster than an appropriate speed for the conditions and the equipment at your disposal. Would be simple enough to have as a law if they wanted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Salazaar
Just because someone adheres to the letter of the law doesn't stop them being a danger to others in the wrong circumstances.
Of course not. But from that you can't then imply that someone who breaks the law is always safer..
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quite glad you asked that in fact, I passed my test 9 years ago in May and in fact I did break the speed limit on a dual carriage way to get round a truck. The reason was because my instructor had said to me 'if you get the opportunity to overtake, do it because is shows you can'.
So I saw my chance, a truck as we were going up hill, so I indicated checked mirror pulled out and executed a perfect over taking manuver.. however it seems that the lorry wasn't exactly limited and as we headed downhill he quickly hit 70mph. I did what I thought was best and accelerated to 80+mph got round him and pulled in, and then back to 70. Passed on that test, so I think your idea that its a rigid limit and you must not travel 1mph more or your a maniac speeder is just wrong.
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Salazaar
Just because someone adheres to the letter of the law doesn't stop them being a danger to others in the wrong circumstances.
oh, absolutely. but it's a good start.
look at it this way - if you disagree with following the laws of the land wrt how to behave on the road, why take your test in the first place? why not just drive without a license? because really your license is worthless if you undertook it to prove you were capable of meeting certain requirements - which you then actively refuse to follow
why not just drive unlicensed?
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
G4Z
So I saw my chance, a truck as we were going up hill, so I indicated checked mirror pulled out and executed a perfect over taking manuver.. however it seems that the lorry wasn't exactly limited and as we headed downhill he quickly hit 70mph. I did what I thought was best and accelerated to 80+mph got round him and pulled in, and then back to 70.
I actually thought there was existing provision for this within the law anyway :embarrassed:
Re: Young Drivers are idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kalniel
If it was, then why not write that into the law?
Instead of saying the national speed limit is a flat rate of 70 for cars, it would say something like you must not drive faster than an appropriate speed for the conditions and the equipment at your disposal. Would be simple enough to have as a law if they wanted.
Ha!
Simple, you can't fine people based on a fuzzy generalisation like that, if you had that law every speeder would simply ask for his day in court and argue it was appropriate. What they want is for people to just pay it and take the points without clogging up the courts.