Chris Type R

I got bollocked by health & safety this morning for not travelling at the new 10mph car park speed limit. Ever tried maintaining a constant 10mph without constantly watching the speedo (instead of watching for cars reversing, pedestrians, the empty carpark).

Durzel

My policy on speeding is:

I normally do 80-95 on the motorway, and more in short bursts when a) I feel like it, b) the conditions are appropriate for doing it and c) I am pretty confident there aren't any Police about.

A friend of mine did 110+ solidly all the way (literally all the way, 3-4 hours driving) back from Leeds to Southampton last weekend, only slowing down for cars that pulled in front of him. Quite aside from the fact he's probably the luckiest man alive not to get pulled (he was driving on roads that were unfamiliar to both of us), it was a beautiful sunny day, the car was more than capable of sustaining this speed continously even though it was just a 1.2 Fiesta. It didn't feel dangerous at all.

Anyway, thats by the by..

I do 30mph in all residential 30s, although this very occasionally wavers to 35, but always back down to 30 again.

40s, 50s (dual carriageways) and NSL I tend to keep roughly to the speed limit but sometimes speed depending on the conditions (usually with the same 3 criteria as motorway driving).

gaddafi

Well, I almost feel like an outsider amongst all these saints and expert drivers............

I'll exceed the speed limit by whatever margin I deem safe on dc and motorway that I know intimately.

With very few exceptions, I will not drive above the speed limit on any lower rated roads. I could stay awake worrying about hitting a walker or horserider.

I will not drive above 20mph in urban streets with cars parked either side. On other urban roads I will not exceed the limit by more than 10%.

I like discretion. I 've had a few 15 year olds in my time and could never understand what all the fuss was about (especially from the dads). I'm sure all the parents on here would sympathise with my position on this. An arbitrary 16yo age of consent is just a joke.

Use discretion by all means, but accept that you are breaking the law and don't bleat when you have to face the consequences.

robs_silver_s2k

Certainly a number of contentious issues raised about speeding and speed cameras.

The last thing that you want to do is be driving through a accident blackspot area and be spending more time looking at your speedo.

The IAM would however disagree as it is all about observation and forward planning (looking at your speedo is just one of the obs that you have to do). You should prepare yourself for the hazard (speed camera, pedestrians etc,etc) and adjust your position and speed if required and plan for it. Whilst taking in all the information that you can.


I am currently doing the IAM course and it will not help if you do not pay attention. It will help you with your forward obs. position , speed, gears and hazard perception as they are all key.

I would reccommend that those that fancy doing it - do. I have learnt alot.

One question that I am always interested in is whether people think that if they had to take the test tomorrow would they pass it (just the practical bit). if they say yes straight away they are the best people for the course. Many would fail before they had even pulled away or at least by the end of the road and in most cases are disillusioned if they think otherwise.

I am frustrated by othersblatant disregard for speed limits. I saw a BM driver doing 60 on the M32 thought it was strange as he was going very slowly for a 3 series driver. As I drove past mobile on his right shoulder and a palm pilot in left hand stylus in the right!!! - BUT he wasn't speeding so thats ok!!

ade73

Personally i stick to the built up area 30mph limit (have lost friends to drunk driving and speeding) and try limit my speeding to open country roads, dc's and motor ways conditions depending tho.

Mans Best

Speeding is the easy thing to blame, so rather than tackle the more difficult problems (driver education, etc) that's the way it's going to be. Pathetic really The motor car has made villains out of all of us methinks.

Robs - is a speeding camera really classed as a hazard these days? I wouldn't have thought the IAM would condone any speeding at all - the camera becomes a side issue if you're observing the limits after all?

On the Island (where we've had 7 'civilians' killed on motorbikes in the last few weeks) certainly travelling at speed contributed greatly to the deaths, but frankly it's a miracle there aren't 100 times more killed. The recklessness and disregard for the safety of themselves and others has to be seen to be believed and though I like driving fast the human toll does start to weigh on the old conscience a little bit. Though you might consider this place a 'special case', it's a perfect example of what happens when you don't police well enough and when people think they are more skillful than they are (which is most of us!).

Example, very near to my home is a very fast derestricted road that for the duration of the TT races has had a 60 speed limit imposed for about a mile of its length and a 40 limit moved further 'up the hill' than it normally is. If you didn't know any better, you would swear these were minimum speeds as mostly motor cyclists come screaming through at full tilt oblivious of the limits or other road users.

But then, this is a place of contrasts - doddering old Sunday drivers who don't know what day it is doing the old 20mph everywhere touch, no MOTs and no NSL

Makes me wonder often why I bother to maintain my car and do my best to improve my driving (but I admit I speed regularly) when the police announce they're going to have a clampdown on 'illegal' number plates Bald tyres and knackered steering and suspension are OK it seems, but have the wrong colour plates and you're in deep doo doo

Bigtone

Interesting and very subjective thread.
The whole camera story has been badly managed by Brunstrom and his cohorts, which is why there is significant negative attitude to them by the public now.
In a civilised society, which this one used to be, it is necessary to have rules for most elements that carry the potential for danger when individual choice is included. Vehicles driven at speed are dangerous in certain situations, as mentioned by Rahula and several of you.
A vehicle at speed is likely to kill humans and animals with comparative ease, because of the mass impacting upon the unfortunate body being struck.
Do not forget that Kinetic Weight is what actually does the damage. An S2000 travelling at 60mph has the Kinetic Weight of about 5100 tonnes, meaning that is the effective weight impacting on a static object in it's way. A fully-laden 44 tonnes artic and trailer, also at 60 mph has the KW of 178200 tonnes.
That's worth thinking about, regardless for attitudes about rights and wrongs. It is also the reason for the incredible damage you sometimes see after a bad RTA, particularly if a vehicle coming the other way, was also travelling at the same speed because then you double the figures again.
As I said, stop and think about that.

Nick Graves

Which begs the question,

If children regularly trespass on railway lines and trains are heavy, why are the trains allowed to do such "reckless" speeds?

I hope we all recognise the dangers of a very high speed accident, (it's part of the thrill FFS!) and as Gad says, grow up and calculate the risk/reward ratio.

It's this obsession with absolutes that is a pure distraction from the real causes of the vast majority of accidents. German roads are in better condition, there are still no speed limits on some Autobahnen, which of those factors mean that there are still living Germans?

Personally, I am a greater risk to others (or their bumpers) in traffic situations.

robs_silver_s2k

Man's best indeed you are right they strictly enforce a limit as a limit. Please ignore the words speed camera as a hazard for yourself (as you will be doing <= the enforced speed) but not others. You have to be prepared that a speed camera is a hazard as most drivers approach at >30 mph and slam on their brakes as they go through it. As an advanced driver must be aware that others will do this.