RoADAR Northeast

Bones

OK so who sets speed limits any way?....local councils & highways agency?

The police have to enforce them but I don’t think they define them...

Personally, I refuse to believe that the maximum safe limit is that which is in force....

1. They all ‘happen’ to be in an imperial radix and also ‘happen to be’ a perfect round number (hmmm very scientific indeed <NOT>)

2. Modern vehicles are indescribably more capable than older vehicles that existed back in the days of ...."What speed limit should this area be then boss".....so are road surfaces, ………so are attitudes, ……….so is the climate & conditions etc etc

3.If the officials lifted all speed limits and left it to licensed discretion....what speed would you do------> probably all sorts of different speeds according to the circumstances, conditions skill etc....and I bet some of these speeds would be well under the former limit and some would be well over the former limit
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Associate In Training

Davey B · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

Its worth noting too that the National Speed Limit when first introduced was a temporary speed limit and it is still classed as that today! Cool

John Steele · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:37 am Post subject: infinitely variable speed limits?

I wouldn't for one moment disagree with (what I think is) the main point here:

for any driver, skill level A in car (or on bike) B on bend of severity C with camber D degrees and degree of wetness E and road surface quality F (I give up at this point), there will be an individually prescribable speed limit (beyond which the limit of adhesion is exceeded). We could define the limit as slightly less in order to accommodate passenger comfort and vehicle empathy but these are recklessly subjective measures!

But where does that get us?

[I don't have the answer by the way!!]

I recently visited two friends who I would love to persuade to do an advanced driving course (then I could relax a bit when being driven by them!): a year ago the guy was "done" twice in 10 days for breaking a 30 limit, and last month the woman was "done" for the same offence. I would describe both as intelligent and yet neither shows any sign of being able to internalise the reasons for the offences, i.e. both are happy to talk (rant) about external factors: , everybody else driving at that speed, speed cameras as revenue gatherers, approaching a 50mph sign, leaving built-up area, etc., etc........

Hands up, I was "done" in a 30 limit - it was before I took my first advanced driving course (IAM) and it was one reason for doing it. But I honestly clearly remember thinking "OK it's a fair cop, I broke the law, I missed the sign.......mea culpa". Isn't it a bit like running into the back of someone: and thinking "oops, what can I say apart from "I've been rather stupid"? I don't say this in order to appear virtuous beyond belief - there are many who would accurately dispute that! but it is certainly interesting to find so many otherwise reasonable (and law-abiding) people who seem incapable of accepting that they have a responsibility for obeying the law.

Stupid laws should certainly be repealed. But is that what we are talking about here?

allym316 · Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 118 Location: gateshead

I agree about conditions John, I was on some lanes yesterday on the moors and I felt like I was going sooo fast... I dared to glance down and saw it was less than 30 and at times less than 20 but they were covered in loose gravel, single track lanes - often with grass in the middle with hardly any forward view and downhill bends (not my strong point to start with!)

Theres no way I could do the NSL along there

Davey B · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject:

Confushious Say " Ahh John Steele You Bright Man" Wink