increased speed limit to 80mph, is it enough.

[Tom Allen]

So on my many trips to various parts of the uk by road, i've noticed that the average speed on the motorways is well in excess of 70mph. I have a fairly quick car and don't hold back but try to drive within the limits of the road and within my limits. So i pondered over the news of the proposed 80mph speed limit on the motorways and thought is it enough.

 

[Canon Fodder]

80 is plenty, definately with the price of petrol now. Mind you I might be biased, my 1 litre arosa will touch the ton (on a track obviously!!) but it sounds like it's going to explode and is doing about 5.5k revs at that. My unfaired motorbike is just plain uncomfortable at anything over 80 for any length of time.

 

[x RENAGADE x 91]

People vary rarely do 70mph on the motorway as it is.. i tend to stick around 80 mph myself and have ALOT of cars overtaking.. some quite clearly doing in excess of 100mph which is just stupid.. I think the speed limit should be a variable say between 70-90mph and then anyone caught doing above 90 gets fined..

the motorway has to be the safest road to drive on as everyone is going roughly the same speed in the same direction.. and for christ sakes can they do away with those average speed cameras!!

 

[NitroBall]

When driving long distance journeys on motorways, i am more alert and focused at speeds around 90-100.

 

[BaconDude]

I sit on 80 anyway. So it's fine for me.

Not because I don't want to go faster, but because one return trip to Bricket Wood = 1/4 tank at 90mph. One trip to Bricket wood, return and then back again = 1/4 tank at 80mph.

Basically if I go above 4k revs my car guzzles fuel. '07 Astra.

@ Renegade, average speed cameras on motorways with variable speed limit, such as clockwise on the M25 between junction 15 and 21a (I think it's 15 at least) are only active when the variable speed limit is.

 

[john251282]

Canon Fodder the speed limit is the highest you are legally allowed to go, if you are concerned about the wind or money then go slower, simple.

Renagade going over 100mph is perfectly safe in some cars with some drivers in certain road and weather conditions. Also not sure why you care about getting rid of the average speed cameras, they are by far the best way to guarantee a given speed over a given stretch of road.

Germany have numerous roads with no speed limit (about half the motorways in Germany are restricted to 81mph/130kph). However I also believe that in general, based on the driving I have done there, the average quality of car there is higher than ours not just more high end cars BMW, Mercs, Porsche, etc but much less old bangers. Which could also influence their safety record.

The problem with 80 for us is that using the standard police rules is that if the limit is 80 then most police forces have a 10% or 10% + 2 rule. So 88 or 90 would be within tolerance of the actual limit. I think modern cars and road surfaces are perfectly safe doing more than this however the problem comes with complacency e.g. we could safely do 80mph in all conditions. Obviously doing that sort of speed in heavy rain with low visibility at night is a bad idea. I would be happy with a similar system to the Germans of unlimited but monitored so that if conditions were not within a certain range a speed limit was applied. Then speed cameras on most signs to force drivers to comply when a speed limit is needed.

 

[Tom Allen]

they have the same thing in France.

On a different note, there's a group called "Brake" who want the urban speed limit reduced to 20mph. They say it will reduce the accident rate by some percentage that's probably meaningless. But then bored middle class housevives don't have to actually go anywhere, and when they do it's only to the local school 300 yards away to drop off their only child in their 4x4 mercedes range rover super size tank that can't get over 20mph because it's only 300 yards, whether they go to the shops, school or the exclusive women only gym.

 

[BaconDude]

they have the same thing in France.

On a different note, there's a group called "Brake" who want the urban speed limit reduced to 20mph.

Do-Gooders. Bloody do-gooders.

 

[cowface]

i travel at 88 MPH just incase .........

 

[Canon Fodder]

Fair point John, I do, very occasionally go on a miserly economy drive and can get almost 300 miles out of a tank rather than the normal 200 in the car, nice bike by the way. NitroBall if you think 90 - 100 on the motorway makes you concentrate harder try 56 mph in a tiny car when you spend as much time concentrating on what's behind you as is ahead (obviously I make sure I get in no ones way apart from the trucks that are supposedly limited to 56 when I'm doing this).

I really don't mind speed camera's, average or not, if you get caught by either you're clearly driving without due care and attention because you've not spotted them and they are, after all, there to try and stop people breaking the law (if you agree with the law or not is a separate issue).