[Closed] Speeding motorists - why?

I used to enjoy driving fast on the roads for fun, then I started doing track days and immediately lost all interest in driving fast on public highways, I just didn't see the point any more.

Is there any other part of the law that is so regularly and publicly flouted?

Is there any other part of the law that is so regularly and publicly flouted?

Drug taking, under-age drinking, under-age sex, benefit fraud, tax fraud.

They ALL have a fairly profound effect on the individual / society though, driving home at 65 in a 60 wont make sweet f-all difference to anyone 99.999999% of the time.

Cool! All we need now is for the government to start, on receipt of your first 3 points, sending us al on a track day instead of a speed awareness course

Personally I thought they'd done a similar kind of thing when they built the M6 Toll. You pay a nominal fee, then you get to bounce your car off the rev limiter in top 😀

Personally I thought they'd done a similar kind of thing when they built the M6 Toll. You pay a nominal fee, then you get to bounce your car off the rev limiter in top

haha - only been on there once and that was exactly the impression i got too, speed limits need not apply!

What if you have a puncture whilst driving your amazing car in your spirited manner?

Drug taking: nowhere near.
Under-age drinking: probably. Impact on others?
Under-age sex: nowhere near.
Benefit fraud: miniscule
Tax fraud: not much more than the above

And [i]publicly[/i] flouted?

What if you have a puncture whilst driving your amazing car in your spirited manner?

It is not an 'amazing' car - it is a performance car well maintained, unlike most of the general public who consider an mot and service every 2 years good enough (I know the owner of an mot / repair garage - the cars he sees on a daily basis would make you cringe)

I also said 'spirited' driving and NOT over the speed limit - so not speeding at all...

Do you have a driving licence hammy? I have had a puncture once on the m6 and once on a country lane, you can feel something with the car is wrong, so you pull over, you don't explode!!

scotroutes
Is there any other part of the law that is so regularly and publicly flouted?

Is there any other part of the law that makes the common man a "criminal" due to its obsolescence?

The speed limit is an entirely arbitary, and historical number, that has not been modified to keep pace with modern life and technology.

I would suggest it is the law that is out-of-date when you have a system where probably 85% of people break it on a daily basis without consequence!

(no, i don't think we should have no speed limits, but i think we need to put the responsibility back on the driver to decide what is an appropriate speed)

Drug taking: nowhere near.
Under-age drinking: probably. Impact on others?
Under-age sex: nowhere near.
Benefit fraud: miniscule
Tax fraud: not much more than the above

You didn't answer the question about the impact on others though - how has someone going slightly over the speed limit impacted on your life - the above law-breakers all impact on your life, including under age drinking - NHS / Police bills?

hammy7272
What if you have a puncture whilst driving your amazing car in your spirited manner?

What if you do? (and many modern cars now have a tyre pressure warning system as std and/or run with run-flat tyres anyway). Only in the movies do cars tumble and somersault down the road instantly when a tyre blows. In reality, assuming the driver does not make excessive control inputs, a modern car responds to a tyre failure in a very benign manner even at extremely high speed.

And publicly flouted?

Illegal downloads

What if you do? (and many modern cars now have a tyre pressure warning system as std and/or run with run-flat tyres anyway). Only in the movies do cars tumble and somersault down the road instantly when a tyre blows. In reality, assuming the driver does not make excessive control inputs, a modern car responds to a tyre failure in a very benign manner even at extremely high speed

Not only that - how many of you check you tyre pressure / tread depth weekly? When I walk past cars at the super-market so many of them are low / bald.

Illegal downloads

Put simply because the speed limits are there to generate revenue and have nothing to do with road safety. Near me a road that has been national speed limit for the last 30 years with no problems suddenly became a 40. There were no accidents, no changes to the road or on the land either side of it. What did happen was the so called 'safety partnership' tuned up and no doubt made a killing out of drivers for a few weeks and then pushed off never to be seen again.

When this happens repeatedly, which is has in my part of the world, then all respect for the point of speed limits goes out of the window.

There should be a law against making up statistics when posting on Internet forums.

What if you do? (and many modern cars now have a tyre pressure warning system as std and/or run with run-flat tyres anyway). Only in the movies do cars tumble and somersault down the road instantly when a tyre blows. In reality, assuming the driver does not make excessive control inputs, a modern car responds to a tyre failure in a very benign manner even at extremely high speed.

Point is, driving in a so called "spirited" manner whilst feeling protected in a "good" car will increase risk of an accident.

Point is, driving in a so called "spirited" manner whilst feeling protected in a "good" car will increase risk of an accident.

I don't think it will...it's safer. The yoofs thrashing their tarted up shopping trolleys are far more dangerous because they're not designed to be driven in spirited fashion. Add in poor tyres etc and that's a real recipe for disaster

I wonder how many of the saints in here regularly check tyres etc beyond the week before an MOT.

They were going to make it illegal to publish illegal statistics Bravisimo, but only in 38% of cases

So does driving a well maintained and well built quality car in a spirited manor in a NSL country lane reduce or increase the chance of there being either.-
A group of yoots doing a D of E adventure
B group of roadies out for a bimble
C A large cow
D A deep section of flood water

round the next corner that you enter at 10 -15mph too fast to stop in time ?

Modern well built cars with good NVH dynamics make it very easy to waft along at 60 in a warm quiet cabin. Drive down the same road in a 1981 Mini 1275gt and it will feel like you are going much faster.

Still too many above average drivers living the dream of the open road.
Do agree about trackdays though , learn to drive really at the limits and speeding on public roads seems tame by comparison.

So does driving a well maintained and well built quality car in a spirited manor in a NSL country lane reduce or increase the chance of there being either.-
A group of yoots doing a D of E adventure
B group of roadies out for a bimble
C A large cow
D A deep section of flood water

round the next corner that you enter at 10 -15mph too fast to stop in time ?

Again, you are making the assumption that car A will stop as well as car B etc - It takes much longer to stop in a poorly maintained car with bad tyres than a well maintained car with good ones. So yes, it will make a difference.

Yet again I will drive this idea home - what if you are NOT speeding, so you are under the 60mph limit?

I am not a dangerous driver, I do not drive in an aggressive way, I don't race other people, I just sometimes like to drive at a speed some may consider too fast.

There are many many people that drive much faster than me in places I would not dream of: My OH's parents village for instance, I followed her sister through the village and she left me for dead doing 45 in a 30 (oap's galore here crossing the road etc in a trance) - she has had 2 accidents yet will scream murder if my OH goes over 75 on the motorway or dares to overtake a lorry or slow driver on a nsl dual carriageway even when perfectly safe to do so.

Are you lot the people that do 45 on an A road with good visibility then stick the high beam on or put your foot down if someone decides to overtake - that's not dangerous at all, is it?

All of this boils down to the reality - Speed does not kill in itself, the situation is what kills. If you are a pleb doing 20mph daydreaming and you knock somebody down then 20mph was too much in that situation.

crankrider - Member
...Answer me this - if i am going at 55mph on a nsl road and i have an accident that is my fault, is it because i am an 'idiot speeding driver with a small penis' or would this only apply if i was going over 60mph?...

You can enjoy driving and not be a total d@ck - and that includes occasionally going over the speed limit.

I think you have answered it yourself perfectly adequately.

I think you have answered it yourself perfectly adequately.

How so? The police would assess the situation, come to the conclusion that I was driving within the speed limit of the road and that my car was in roadworthy condtion.. I am not speeding then.

Have you all seriously deluded yourselves into thinking you don't ever speed? - I cant remember the last car I went in where the driver didn't break the limit at least once (however small the margin)

Are you lot the people that do 45 on an A road with good visibility then stick the high beam on or put your foot down if someone decides to overtake - that's not dangerous at all, is it?

I guess if the A road is a 30mph past a school then its bad form. You arguement should be .- Are you lot the people who do 45 in a NSL road with good visability etc.

And again you have missed the point that too fast is too fast no matter what you are driving if you enter a corner at too high a speed to be able to stop if you unexpectedly come across a hazard. even if that is 45mph on a NSL road.

crankrider - Member
...Have you all seriously deluded yourselves into thinking you don't ever speed? - I cant remember the last car I went in where the driver didn't break the limit at least once (however small the margin)

Everyone makes mistakes.

Some people make the mistake of going too fast through monentary inattention.

Others make the deluded mistake of thinking they are entitled to go fast because of their superior car or superior skills or because they cannot see any hazard.

Its just a number on a pole. What happens when they change the number? The day before the limit was higher was it safe or were baby robins being killed in their hundreds? What if the number goes up?

Use your eyes and look at the road, look as far down it as you can. Now use your brain and work out what an appropriate speed is. It's not that hard but it does take a little practice and concentration. But if you can do this you will be safer than just following the number on the pole

It's not that hard but it does take a little practice and concentration.

So how do you work it out if you passed your test yesterday?

richmtb - Member
Its just a number on a pole...

It's not.

Other people use the road, and they will be making decisions based on the expected speed of vehicles.

Out of interest. Sometimes they decide to alter the speed limits on roads. So on Monday you drive safely at 60mph, appropriately for the conditions at the time. Are you then driving dangerously the next day when the limit reduces to 50 & you travel at 60?

Anyway, back to the Nazis.

c6 Million killed over 6 years by the Nazi's. WHO figures are for 1.275m per annum killed on the world's roads (and 4 times that number with lifelong disabilities).

UK Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain, 2012. Killed 1,754, Seriously Injured 23,039

I don't think those numbers are in any way acceptable. Over my lifetime the number of cars on the UK's roads has increased from c15m to c25m. They handle better, stop better and accelerate more quickly. Because of this they are driven faster which makes the environment around them massively more unpleasant for those that aren't in them. More traffic, travelling more quickly makes the public realm a nasty place to be whether country or city. That's why you see so few kids out on the street now.

Cars are now much safer for the people driving them but almost no different at all for pedestrians or cyclists who are hit by them.

I've met almost no-one who doesn't think they're a good driver yet statistically they can't all be. Speed limits might be a blunt instrument but they're the only one we really have.

Out of interest, for those people who think they can we can make our own decision about laws and arbitrarily chosen numbers are flexible. I assume this applies to everything - so if their daughters look more than old enough at 14 - they're fair game for the likes of Gary Glitter?

Only in the movies do cars tumble and somersault down the road instantly when a tyre blows.

Not entirely true, I had a rear blow out on an Audi Quattro which put me on my roof in the outside lane on an Austrian motorway.

That wasn't much fun.

imnotverygood - Member
Out of interest. Sometimes they decide to alter the speed limits on roads. So on Monday you drive safely at 60mph, appropriately for the conditions at the time. Are you then driving dangerously the next day when the limit reduces to 50 & you travel at 60?

There's other road users making decisions on their road use based on what they expect the traffic speed to be. The limit would not be reduced arbitrarily. The road is not a playground.

Anyhow, I have found the solution. There's no need to speed any more folks.

All you need is a set of [url= http://www.yournutz.com ]these for your car[/url] and everyone can see how awesome you are. 😆

What if you have a puncture whilst driving your amazing car in your spirited manner?

It's the same as having one at any speed. I had a virtual blow out at 85mph on the M3 many years ago, in a works Escort van. It went down in a few seconds rather than instantly. The vehicle went a bit wobbly, which got worse as I slowed and pulled over. It wasn't nice but nor was it particularly dangerous.

Driving to work this morning, i broke the speed limit several times.

Why? - I was in a procession of commuters who were all doing the same thing, that means everybody, a line of 100's of cars; men, women, old, young, vans, cars, lorries etc etc.... If i had dropped to bang on the speed limit i would have caused frustration and possible potential overtake attempts. It would not have been safer and other road users would continue at this pace once i had gone.

Are people here seriously saying they dont EVER speed?

I think you need to think about the difference between those tools on the road who drive aggressively at full pace everywhere they can and mature drivers who occasionally put their foot down - of which there are plenty.

crankrider - Member
Driving to work this morning, i broke the speed limit several times.

...Are people here seriously saying they dont EVER speed?

I think you need to think about the difference between those tools on the road who drive aggressively at full pace everywhere they can and mature drivers who occasionally put their foot down - of which there are plenty.

You don't have to be subject to peer group pressure. Why not leave those speeding people to their habits and you won't have to participate in their multicar pileup?

A mature driver is someone who realises that other people have rights to use the roads too.

The country roads in the UK rarely have large clear empty spaces to the sides, there's usually a wall, hedge, tree, or some other visual obstruction. Maybe even a cyclist avoiding a pothole around that obscured bend.

Unless you have x-ray vision, how do you know there's nothing there? Just because most times there is nothing there, doesn't make speeding right.

More importantly, why should someone else have to pay the consequences when you get it wrong?

[quote=crankrider ]Driving to work this morning, i broke the speed limit several times.
Why? - I was in a procession of commuters who were all doing the same thing, that means everybody, a line of 100's of cars; men, women, old, young, vans, cars, lorries etc etc.... If i had dropped to bang on the speed limit i would have caused frustration and possible potential overtake attempts. It would not have been safer and other road users would continue at this pace once i had gone.
Have you considered the possibility that you weren't the only one feeling pressurised to exceed the speed limit?

"...just keeping up with traffic officer..."

I imagine he or she will give you a big fat 😆

Are people here seriously saying they dont EVER speed?

never intentionally.

look at the speedo every now and then, look outside occasionally to see what the limit is.

it's not tricky.

(except sometimes it is, a bit. some of the 20 zones around here are long steep hills - it's quite easy to quickly exceed the limit just by not braking heavily all the way down)

You lot are hilarious! - you never intentionally go above the speed limit... ever? Not even 33 in a 30?

A multi-car pileup on a 40mph single carriageway road (that used to be nsl) with good visibility full of people going to work? I cant think i have ever seen an accident there...

'just keeping up with traffic officer' - as i was only around 10% above the limit not a police officer in the world would stop me, and would they have stopped every driver on their commute to work in that case?

Scotroutes - i was not feeling pressured at all, i think that speed is perfectly acceptable in those circumstances.

You do know speed cameras do not go off until 10% above the limit - the speedo is not accurate in your car.

I have to be honest though, i rarely come across people who drive like most of the dawdling biddies in this thread, most people are just 'normal' drivers.

crankrider - Member

You lot are hilarious! - you never intentionally go above the speed limit... ever? Not even 33 in a 30?

never intentionally. Is that really so weird?

It's almost always 20/30/40/50/60/70 for a reason.

more 20 zones, and more average-speed cameras please.

[quote=crankrider ]You lot are hilarious! - you never intentionally go above the speed limit... ever? Not even 33 in a 30?

You do know speed cameras do not go off until 10% above the limit - the speedo is not accurate in your car.
I'm not sure what you are saying here. That you drive at "speedo +10%" and are therefore likely to be within the speed limit or you drive at "speedo +20%"?

To take an example, driving a car at the NSL would be 60mph. On a clear road I could be doing an [i]indicated[/i] 60-65, giving some scope for variation in speed due to perception and road contours.

I have to be honest though, i rarely come across people who drive like most of the dawdling biddies in this thread, most people are just 'normal' drivers.

I am sure i am being trolled here by members of BRAKE or something? Surely?!

BTW - 20mph speed limits are a great idea in areas with schools / playgrounds / busy high streets. You would be an IDIOT to go quickly though these areas.

The funny thing is, i am often the one with people 2 inches from my bumper as i trundle past the local schools.

There is a time and a place that allows a little discretion regarding the speed limit, i think most normal people would agree.... unless you are the ant-car brigade on STW that is (probably also people with cars in a state of poor repair)

You don't have to be subject to peer group pressure. Why not leave those speeding people to their habits and you won't have to participate in their multicar pileup?

go with the flow

people who deviate from the general flow of the traffic, too fast or too slow, are the ones that generally trigger accidents, imo

The country roads in the UK rarely have large clear empty spaces to the sides, there's usually a wall, hedge, tree, or some other visual obstruction. Maybe even a cyclist avoiding a pothole around that obscured bend.

Unless you have x-ray vision, how do you know there's nothing there? Just because most times there is nothing there, doesn't make speeding right.

Use your eyes and look at the road, look as far down it as you can. Now use your brain and work out what an appropriate speed is. It's not that hard but it does take a little practice and concentration. But if you can do this you will be safer than just following the number on the pole.

Appropriate speed means taking into account blind corners and junctions and other factors like the width of the road.

This is why the number on the pole is almost always arbitrary. A single track road where you are potentially driving towards oncoming traffic has the same number on the pole as a wide straight A-road.

My average speed along a single track road is closer to 30 than 60 but I'll speed up for sections where I have a clear view

[quote=crankrider ]BTW - 20mph speed limits are a great idea in areas with schools / playgrounds / busy high streets. You would be an IDIOT to go quickly though these areas.
The funny thing is, i am often the one with people 2 inches from my bumper as i trundle past the local schools.
So it's only [i]your[/i] perception of what is a safe and valid speed that is correct? Anyone slower than you = dawdler, anyone faster than you = idiot? I think you might actually have hit the nail on the head. Can you see any problem with this?