As someone who is very “mechanically sympathetic” and probably a bit anal about how I drive and look after my cars (If you own Alfa’s its not a bad trait!) I hate the state of most roads and drive carefully to avoid rough sections/potholes etc when I can. The times I have been aggressively tailgated by people when doing 20 (in a 20 limit) and driving carefully over speedbumps is staggering. Something really hit home with me the other day. On the way back from the Lakes we had to stop to get some shopping. Monty the Spaniel was in the boot so Mrs Surfer went into the shop and I sat having a conversation and generally being entertained by the dog, we were both sat on the boot of my estate car. Behind us happened to be a speedhump. The number of cars (speeding in a large car park) who hit that sharp hump with absolutely no regard to the possible damage, really surprised me. You always get idiots but without exception over a 20 min period dozens of cars hit this (well marked) hump in a way that I thought could cause damage. May of them were new/newish cars. Does the fact that nobody “owns” cars these days make a difference or are people generally just more stupid?

Just thought I would share.

It always amazes me how many people get upset with me when I dont accelerate and brake between speed bumps.

“having a conversation… …with the dog”. Well, what did Monty think of the drivers?

Rachel

Speed bumps should be filled with custard.

does seem to rile folk that you dont try to launch into orbit over them – even the ones that are set to allow busses to pass over them which most vehicles wheels are now wide enough to ignore i need to pay heed to in the landy with its narrow track.

I do think that due to the average rental period of 2 to 3 years the car puts up with it for them with no ill effects so they just keep  on with it – if they owned the car for 10 years and had to replace the front end every 5 years they might thing differently as it is  , aint got time for speedbumps mate.

as brian regan said about poptarts *if your lifes so busy that you need to be eating and hauling ass in 6 seconds – you need to sort your life out*

Perhaps car manufacturers have beefed up the suspension to cope with speed humps being taken at higher speed?

Which kind of negates the point of speed humps.

Depends what type of speed bump. The ones on the roads by my house are the square raised platforms in the middle of the carriageway type rather than all the way across so anything with a reasonable axle width doesn’t actually hit much of a bump if they position the car properly. I don’t slow down from 30 (the speed limit) as I go over them, it does wind my up from time to time when a car slows down to 5mph and the driver positions it to one wheel is on the road and one goes over the highest point of the speed bump, especially when it’s an SUV. Or some tit in a ridiculously lowered clio etc. almost comes to a halt as they negotiate them.

Normal type speed bumps, especially the evil concrete ones in car supermarkets I slow down quite a bit for though.

In my van I can straddle the lump version of speed bumps, so don’t bother to slow down.  The ones that completely cross the lane I slow enough not to crash over them.

In my car I slow a lot as its low to the ground and worth a lot of money.  Often this ends up with other drivers up my chuff, some realise as the can see the type of car.  Some don’t get it.

I think both of your last points are valid.

Most people, especially those under 35 have probably never looked under the bonnet of a car and certainly never under the car itself. They have absolutely no idea what type of suspension they have or how anything works mechanically on the car. Its the same reason people drive huge cars way too fast in the wet and on icy roads – just no idea of the physics.

And yes, because most people hand back the car after 2 or 3 years they are more concerned with a scuffed alloy as it will be more obvious to the inspector than cracked springs and sloppy droplinks

Well, what did Monty think of the drivers?

Rachel

Unimpressed

<given up trying to embed pics!!!>

My dad makes a point of making sure he doesn’t straddle speed bumps, so one side (invariably the passenger side) hits it full on. When quizzed on why, he says “Honest John (telegraph motoring journo) says you shouldn’t straddle them, as it ruins your tyres’

He does wonder why his tyre pressure warning keeps coming on/he has to keep replacing the sensor. I’m sure its unrelated. As will any suspension damage

Loads really don’t cause much of an issue to the point they’re useless. The odd ones that are big can catch you out.

Cant go too fast over the speed humps in our estate as they are massoove.

Doesnt stop the missus driving over them too fast hence why we had to get the front springs changed on the last service as they had both snapped (Alfa)

It does mean our neighbour a couple of doors down (drives a Mclaren 570) has to creep over the speed humps.

Related question – why do people drive hell for leather in residential areas with parked cars, kids outside etc.? Why do they need speed bumps to be reminded that they are dickheads?

“why do people drive hell for leather in residential areas with parked cars, kids outside etc.? Why do they need speed bumps to be reminded that they are dickheads?”

They are more important than the children innit……

ive had a few runnings with stressed parents taking their kids to the horsy club down the road doing 60 + on a singletrack road with blind corners/high hedges They dont half get their nickers in a twist when i dont throw my car in the ditch for  them .

Its the same reason people drive huge cars way too fast in the wet and on icy roads

Does physics make little cars stick to icy roads better than huge cars?

I don’t ignore them – I sprint at them and try to get a little air 😉  Its best if you can overtake the car that has just overtaken you while doing so of course

Aye I’ve noticed this as well. The newer style “lump” ones that don’t go all the way across seem to be wider and more aggressive round our way (Newcastle/Gateshead). One has just been installed before a 20 zone near our house and it’s a beast… I crawl over it but I’ve seen loads of people caught out trying to straddle it.

I think generally people just don’t give a shit and like you say with the prevalence of leasing/PCP cars are becoming more and more like disposable items. As was said on another thread people just don’t take driving seriously – you shouldn’t need bumps to slow people in built up 20 zones.. I do think they work though. I’d happily see a few installed outside my house (main road 20 zone but often see cars doing 40-50).

The number of cars (speeding in a large car park) who hit that sharp hump with absolutely no regard to the possible damage, really surprised me.

People in cars doing stupid things. It is, like, really surprising. Every time.

That said, there’s a very long road near my work – goes past a school and a couple of rows of local shops for local people and it has speed bumps all the way along. Now these humps might catch your wheels if you’re driving a Smart car or a Daewoo Matiz – but they can be straddled by almost every other vehicle – I saw a van driving down there the other day – going 55 at least. But it didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

I drive over the middle of them per Tom’s dad – but I slow right down so as to avoid suspension damage – if somebody behind me doesn’t like it that’s their tough s**t 😂

Perhaps car manufacturers have beefed up the suspension to cope with speed humps being taken at higher speed?

Which kind of negates the point of speed humps.

Nope, plenty of chocolate suspension springs still being fitted to cars.

Those humps that are the small pyramid type in the center of the lane are designed to allow Service Vehicles (Ambulances) over them without killing the occupants… and now most cars are larger in width it makes the speed hump useless..

There are councils removing humps in favour of speed cameras.

They were always a hammer to crack an egg anyway.

Dont let the dickheads get you down, drive curtiously and carry on.

And yes to the “no one owns a car these days, so WGAS about them” comments

why do people drive hell for leather in residential areas with parked cars, kids outside etc.?

Because they are complete dicks.

We have a speed table outside our house.

I have seen the following:-

Some people don’t slow down at all, almost treating the speed table like I would a table top – clear the top and land on the down slope

Some people slow down for the ramp and then floor it the other side, leaving the road outside my house in a sooty diesel fog

And finally – the jewel in the crown – people driving with two wheels on the footpath, using the dropped kerbs so that only one side of the car is affected by the speed ramp. This one is particularly stupid as there are a lot of small kids on our road.

The question should really be “Do the people who speedbumps are aimed at really take any notice of them?” – and the answer is no. The rest of us, who would be happy to drive within the speed limit anyway, have to slow down to much slower speeds for the vicious ones. Our Smart, for example, has relatively stiff suspension because it’s narrow – which also means it won’t straddle the ambulance permitting humps, and I have to slow to 10mph which, in 30mph limit, isn’t ecologically good. There ought to be a better way to ensure speed control without introducing deliberate hazards. I also find the hedges on the approach to roundabouts to be frustrating; they prevent me judging my approach as taught on advanced driving.

“I also find the hedges on the approach to roundabouts to be frustrating; they prevent me judging my approach as taught on advanced driving.”

but were placed there to do exactly that because those sorts of approaches cars can be hidden in your A piller when your speed matched and lots of crashes happened…..

Always take care. It’s the school run mums that usually get air in the 20mph zone outside schools, clearly not doing 20 mph.

I’d rather not smash up my suspension.

I drive a lowered hatch hatch. I hate speed bumps, but they work as I go at a snails pace over them. I generally treat my car and drive carefully anyway though, espically in built up areas.

I hate big SUV’s coming up the back of me over bumps at speed.

there is a speed bump about 8 yards away from my front door.

I deduce by the regular crunch sounds of front bumper on concrete on the way up, the way back down, or both, that most people completely ignore speed bumps.

I had to laugh cycling through Norwich, there is a long straight road which has a succession of about 8 or 9 speed humps in a row, i could hear an all mighty howl as a lovely shiny Ferrari 599 accelerated hard and came around me on the bike, then stopped dead as it came to first speed hump, i simply cycled down the gap between the hump and the kerb, whilst he crawled over it.

He then accelerated like mad, hit about 60 mph before coming to next hump only about 80m away and again stopped dead and crawled over as i again cycled past him, and this continued all the way down the road, with me making a point of pedalling quite sedately, you could tell this was really getting on his nerves and was amusing a group of lads stood outside a Premier Inn there, i finally got to the end of the half mile road before him, gave him a wave and pedalled off.

My dad makes a point of making sure he doesn’t straddle speed bumps, so one side (invariably the passenger side) hits it full on. When quizzed on why, he says “Honest John (telegraph motoring journo) says you shouldn’t straddle them, as it ruins your tyres’

I think Honest John’s point is, when straddling the edges of the hump can scrub the inner walls of the tyres. This isn’t good and could lead to premature tyre wear or failure.

May of them were new/newish cars. Does the fact that nobody “owns” cars these days make a difference

Lots of full-width speed bumps and lots of new-ish vans/cars where I work. Most people drive over the bumps at full speed so I can only guess it’s not their car. HGVs always slow down though.

It does do exactly that, but most people don’t seem to care.

(this in reply to dmorts)!

Yes, If you get it right, they are a giggle.

🚀 pic.twitter.com/aUPkbosLpu

— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) August 27, 2017

My car-commute goes through a village with a 20 limit and half a dozen pillow speedhumps to help enforce it.

I’m sure it is just coincidence that the tracking on my car is constantly knackered and the tyres wear out at the sides.

(I drive within the limit and straddle them. There isn’t room to go around them)

And finally – the jewel in the crown – people driving with two wheels on the footpath, using the dropped kerbs so that only one side of the car is affected by the speed ramp. This one is particularly stupid as there are a lot of small kids on our road.

Not for long though.

My Civic has pretty harsh suspension (when it’s not knackered from all the pot holes), so I’m always slowing right down. Already one on my fronts is making slight noises hinting that the suspension is going to go again (4th in the last 3 years if it does), so the ones with a big kick I’m cautious about.

Yet as observed, yeah I get people right up my backside suddenly braking because I have slowed down and looking a bit irate about it. In particular one place with a 20mph area past a school!

I’m careful on a few of the narrow width ones you just straddle and some round my way have big pot holes either side from the way vehicles have smashed it to pieces without slowing.

Funny one though is a road where there are speed humps painted on the road but no speed humps. Most plough on without a care, but a few believe they really are speed humps and slow down for them, and still slow down for the next ones though they must have realised they were fake. They still speed up between them though, instead of just going the fixed 30 all the way.

They are known to increase pollution and be relatively in effective

Go over most speed bumps at say 35mph and you don’t notice them. Slow to 10mph and they play havoc with your latte.

“I also find the hedges on the approach to roundabouts to be frustrating; they prevent me judging my approach as taught on advanced driving.”

but were placed there to do exactly that because those sorts of approaches cars can be hidden in your A piller when your speed matched and lots of crashes happened…..

When I’m approaching 50m away down the straight road, my A pillar is pretty much on the same bit of roundabout and any moving vehicle isn’t hidden. That’s when I want to make my decision on approach speed – but if the hedge forces me to wait until I’m on the last 10m where it curves, THEN there could be a vehicle behind my A pillar, so I have to stop to be safe. If they want people to stop, they should just put up a STOP sign, not a hedge.