Question of the week: are UK speed limits out of date?

[s_kinton]

I think 90 or 100mph is too much really. 80mph is the way to go, because you have to take into account people in dinky 1.0ltr cars.

If you raise it too high then they simply cant keep up and have difficulty overtaking, not to mention their fuel economy going through the roof as the engine screams to reach 80mph. Driving too slowly on motorways is more dangerous than speeding....then there;s those people who just sit in the middle lane

[directhex]

If you raise it too high then they simply cant keep up and have difficulty overtaking, not to mention their fuel economy going through the roof as the engine screams to reach 80mph. Driving too slowly on motorways is more dangerous than speeding....then there;s those people who just sit in the middle lane

MORE dangerous? really? how'd you figure less speed as more dangerous than more speed?

as for "sitting" in the middle lane, define "sitting". if there's a line in the left lane doing 65, is it "sitting" to ge in the middle at 70?

[Shameless]

I think motorway speeds should be raised, to be honest i dont think you would see a dramatic rise in fatalities/accidents from raising the speed to 80. My justification for this is that 90% of 3rd lane drivers are doing 80 most of the time now anyway. Im not sure id be in favour of raising dual carrageway speeds as it asking for trouble.

[kalniel]

As far as I can tell there have been no advances in the ability for us to oberserve any further, react any quicker or be more sensible behind the wheel, so no, it shouldn't be raised.

In fact I'd argue that the increased volume of traffic combined with the environmental concerns should actually be a factor in decreasing the national speed limits - perhaps mitigated only by the increased technology and efficiency of modern cars.

[GoNz0]

i drive between 80-90mph in my works van on the motorway, so i want to see the limit raised.

if im in my car and the roads clear im often past 100mph b4 i even get to 5th gear (dont bother flaming me thats not the point of the topic)


but the thing that piss's me off the most is the fact a lorry is restricted to 40mph on a single lane carrigeway ! doubling the time of my journeys to the east coast riding there bumbers trying to find a way past so i can get my day done.

[TheBloodyNine]

I dont see the problem with the current speed limits, the argument that brakes are better and cars are safer so why not, dosnt really ring true. Mainly because not everyone has newer safer cars, but also because increasing speed negates any additional safety afforded by new features.

Also Im a biker so any increase in speeds just increases the chance seem idiot will not see me and change lane with out indicating, and as motorbikes really havnt changed much in the last 100 years, other than better brakes, my chances of survival would be significatly reduced.

[dangel]

as for "sitting" in the middle lane, define "sitting". if there's a line in the left lane doing 65, is it "sitting" to ge in the middle at 70?

Easy - not overtaking = sitting. It is an overtaking lane after all. Every day I see a three lane motorway reduced to two lanes (in effect) by such people.

Low speed - can easily be very dangerous when you factor in napping lorries and the consequences of one jackknifing at the last minute.

[directhex]

Easy - not overtaking = sitting. It is an overtaking lane after all. Every day I see a three lane motorway reduced to two lanes (in effect) by such people.

but who's defining an overtake? ALL the lanes, under current law, have a limit of 70mph. including if you're overtaking. if you want to overtake a days-long queue of 65mph traffic, is it wrong to do it in the middle lane at 70? how about a 66mph queue? 67? 69?

[GoNz0]

i think he is refering to the retards who shouldnt be on the road, the amount of times i flash some rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish out the way as he is sat in the middle of the motorway with no cars to his inside, for him to pull over, let me past then pull back into the middle like its his god given right !

ban em.

[Ciber]

Yes I tend the think the speed limits should be raised. Particularly the 50mph limit for light good vehicles on single track roads.

[TheBloodyNine]

i think he is refering to the retards who shouldnt be on the road, the amount of times i flash some rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish out the way as he is sat in the middle of the motorway with no cars to his inside, for him to pull over, let me past then pull back into the middle like its his god given right !

ban em.

But surely you shouldnt be in the middle lane unless you are over taking yourself? and if, like you say there is no one on his inside then there is no one for you to over take?

Also flashing at the driver is dangerous in itself what happens if the driver distracted by your flashing misses some one pulling out infront of them and so cant brake in time thus causing an accident?

The reason for the third lane is to allow you to over take such people if necesary, use it as such.

Im more of the opinion people consistantly speeding and tailgating should be banned

[dangel]

but who's defining an overtake? ALL the lanes, under current law, have a limit of 70mph. including if you're overtaking. if you want to overtake a days-long queue of 65mph traffic, is it wrong to do it in the middle lane at 70? how about a 66mph queue? 67? 69?

I don't see what you're arguing - the concept of 'overtaking' is fairly simple to understand, it's just that people sit in the middle lane with the left hand lane perfectly clear because their lazy. It's against the law to do so - period. I've no problem with people doing 70mph in lane 2 or 3 (or 1).

[GaryRW]

Low speed - can easily be very dangerous when you factor in napping lorries and the consequences of one jackknifing at the last minute.

I'm sure I remember some school safety talk about trains -it was something about our eyes/brains not being able to work out the speed of something coming directly towards us very well i.e. a train or somebody sat in the slow lane in front of you doing 40.

I definitely remember being on the M1 on a xmas morning, virtually empty, most people on it going very fast, and suddenly I was on top of a couple of OAP's going much slower, but I just hadn't realised how much slower. Good job the other lanes were empty...

and as for the question - better cars, brains no different, busier roads = 70 is fine. I guess there's an argument for variable limits, with 80 if the road is empty, dropping down the busier it gets.

I used to drive to sheffield every weekend, and with the number of cars on the M1 at 7pm, 70 was not safe. if you left a decent stopping gap, somebody filled it.

[mightymouse]

i think that the minimum speed should be raise. although i have a knack of going over 70 simply cuz i dont realise it. its really hard to slow down when you are traveling in the middle of the night with no cars around you (usually around 3am). i always tend to be careful tho and i agree with variability of speeds depending on location and time. the amount of time i have had to go through a 50 zone in an empty motorway at night is quite absurd in my opinion.

still i agree with a lot of people that there are plenty of cars out there not capable of going higher than 70. i had a 2L 1996 Peugeot 406 and i am not sure why but it would rattle when it went pass 60 so i had to camp in the "slow" lane most of the time. thankfully that car is history now. why not introduce a sticker like those for lorries on older cars during MOT?

by the way statistics have shown that most road collisions are due to extreme difference in speeds. it is rarely due to extreme speeds. also when you are running around 3 to 4,000 rpm the fuel burn is the most efficient therefore less environmental impact and the less you need to brake the better for the environment since dust/metal (from the brakes, from tyres, etc.) particles are released into the air.

[kalniel]

also when you are running around 3 to 4,000 rpm the fuel burn is the most efficient therefore less environmental impact

70mph is always more efficient than 80.

[pands@scan]

I tend to try and keep my car at 4,000 rpm on the motorway which for me is bang on 80