tonyh29 Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimJim Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 In my opinion, if the speed limit increase happens it will lead to more stress/accidents on the motorways when busy, as the speedsters do 10 mph more than they did before whilst the slower drivers do not and there will be more tailgating and aggression and stubborness from both parties but at faster speeds. Not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Again, safely. I actually find driving at a higher pace to be safer, from my own perspective, as I'm "on the ball". When I get stuck behind a dodderer, I'm far less safe, as I'm half asleep with tedium ... Mr. Green see my post above ..guess i may not be alone in my "flawed" logic then :-) I have found that also. I drove for 7 year approx 250 - 300 miles a day in up to 5 different cars per day, could be anything from a Panda to a Aston Martin. I went all over the place for Stoke to Luton / Bristol to Peterborough etc. I never kept to the speed limit, never ever as I just did not have the time to do so and I used to go up and down the M6 a lot. In all the above time the only crashes I had were 2 at under 5 mph at junctions. Speed has NOTHING to do with accidents, it's driver ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted September 30, 2011 Moderator Share Posted September 30, 2011 I lived in Germany, famous for it's autobahn system, for 6 years. I travelled on the autobahn every day to and from work. It was largely two lanes, occasionally three in busy areas, and was controlled by "Tempolimits" - variable speeds depending on time of day, visibility and volume of traffic. It was brilliant, and safe. As we all know, there are sections of autobahn that are speed limit free but the main speed limit is 80mph. That's the standard. So why is it that the Germans - with a larger population, harsher winters and mostly only two lanes - deem it safe to drive faster than we do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 if i crash at high speed i'll be in deep shit ... Nice bit of selective quoting but this says it all imo. Even if there is not more risk of crashing, there is more chance of dying. Seeing some of the lunatic drivers here means I will never support excessive speed now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 30, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. maybe to a 20 year old but personally I don't drive fast just so I can go down the pub to tell people about it , nor do i feel I have to race Mr. teen in his mums car at the lights either ... I drive fast mainly because my car and myself happen to be able to do so safely .. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a TV car advert based around speed , predominantly car adverts focus nowadays on safety ,how green they are and how fit a supermodel you will pull if you drive their car , don't they ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I don't think this changes a thing, to be honest. The Guvmint must be scheming and want us looking the other way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggyrichard Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. maybe to a 20 year old but personally I don't drive fast just so I can go down the pub to tell people about it , nor do i feel I have to race Mr. teen in his mums car at the lights either ... I drive fast mainly because my car and myself happen to be able to do so safely .. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a TV car advert based around speed , predominantly car adverts focus nowadays on safety ,how green they are and how fit a supermodel you will pull if you drive their car , don't they ? There is not only you on the roads Tony, its as if your trying to say that driving fast is 'ok' because 'i know what im doing'? Breaking distances are decreased, what about little Johnny who runs into the road, you've more chance of stopping if your doing 30mph than if your doing 40mph. You mindset about speeding is frightening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. maybe to a 20 year old but personally I don't drive fast just so I can go down the pub to tell people about it , nor do i feel I have to race Mr. teen in his mums car at the lights either ... I drive fast mainly because my car and myself happen to be able to do so safely .. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a TV car advert based around speed , predominantly car adverts focus nowadays on safety ,how green they are and how fit a supermodel you will pull if you drive their car , don't they ? There is not only you on the roads Tony, its as if your trying to say that driving fast is 'ok' because 'i know what im doing'? Breaking distances are decreased, what about little Johnny who runs into the road, you've more chance of stopping if your doing 30mph than if your doing 40mph. You mindset about speeding is frightening! What about the massive vast majority that drive around with a "it's OK, I have no clue what I am doing " attitude ? If Tony drives like I do then "little Jonny boy" is in no danger as driving style and speed is dictated to the current driving conditions and surroundings + driver ability and experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I'd like to see motorway speed limits reduced, not increased, I wouldn't mind betting it would improve traffic flow and actually shorten average journey times (I believe there is some evidence for this). Isn't the evidence to do with reducing maximum speeds when there is heavy traffic in order to increase traffic flow? Like the flexible speed limit on areas of the M25 (at least there used to be between the M4 and M1 junctions - at least I think that was one of the areas. I don't particularyly have a problem with increasing the general speed limit on motorways to 80mph but I would like to see more flexible speed limits. We could, perhaps, put the ever increasing network of comeras and 'watchers' to some good use, then. Your other point about increasing the norm to closer to 90mph is probably likely to come about if the limit were increased across the board to 80mph. This is supposed to be a consultation exercise, isn't it? If so then perhaps there might be some sensible discussions going on about all sorts of things to do with driving (including speed limits on motorways and in built up areas; ludicrous amounts of 'street furniture' and road marking; possible extra requirements post test for motorway driving, and so on). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Middle lane drivers I'd have them shot on the side of the road like stray dogs. It's difficult enough to get the **** to pull over to the inside lane, let alone the hard shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Philip Hammond appears to be going for this years 'Fox hunting award' for the biggest single issue waste of time spent by a government. Better to declassify motorways, with temporary restrictions by way of electronic displays, and a zero tolerance policy on anyone driving over 100 mph, with an instant 3 month ban imposed. Zero tolerance should also be applied to speeding in urban areas, with mandatory downgrading of licence to provisional status for persistent offenders. I have been known to drive a over 100mph on motorways, on the rare occasions that it is possible, but the possibility of a significant ban would ensure that I never did it again. In residential areas I always drive below the speed limit in cases where 30 mph appears too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 30, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. maybe to a 20 year old but personally I don't drive fast just so I can go down the pub to tell people about it , nor do i feel I have to race Mr. teen in his mums car at the lights either ... I drive fast mainly because my car and myself happen to be able to do so safely .. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a TV car advert based around speed , predominantly car adverts focus nowadays on safety ,how green they are and how fit a supermodel you will pull if you drive their car , don't they ? There is not only you on the roads Tony, its as if your trying to say that driving fast is 'ok' because 'i know what im doing'? Breaking distances are decreased, what about little Johnny who runs into the road, you've more chance of stopping if your doing 30mph than if your doing 40mph. You mindset about speeding is frightening!Thank you. Precisely what I was getting at. The car ads don't have to emphasise speed, they just have to engender a car culture. Drivers' misplaced overconfidence does the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I'm pretty sure it is illegal to advertise a car based on the idea that it goes fast. Or perhaps I'm getting confused with Australian law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggyrichard Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 There are some very worrying (but sadly, not surprising) delusional mindsets on show in this thread. hold on there .. so far you are in the minority ... not that mob rules or anything but that would suggest the delusion is either contagious or not so delusional after all !!It's one of the most contagious things in the world. Bolstered by TV programs, films, car advertising and bar room boasting. There must be better uses for testosterone. maybe to a 20 year old but personally I don't drive fast just so I can go down the pub to tell people about it , nor do i feel I have to race Mr. teen in his mums car at the lights either ... I drive fast mainly because my car and myself happen to be able to do so safely .. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a TV car advert based around speed , predominantly car adverts focus nowadays on safety ,how green they are and how fit a supermodel you will pull if you drive their car , don't they ? There is not only you on the roads Tony, its as if your trying to say that driving fast is 'ok' because 'i know what im doing'? Breaking distances are decreased, what about little Johnny who runs into the road, you've more chance of stopping if your doing 30mph than if your doing 40mph. You mindset about speeding is frightening! What about the massive vast majority that drive around with a "it's OK, I have no clue what I am doing " attitude ? If Tony drives like I do then "little Jonny boy" is in no danger as driving style and speed is dictated to the current driving conditions and surroundings + driver ability and experience. So do people driving at 30mph or at 40mph pose more of a threat to little Johnny? Driving condition? Hot sunny day like today, you still have more chance of stopping at 30 than you do at 40. 30mph you have say 10m to react, 40mph you have say 5m to react. It simple physics that little Johnny is in more danger with you driving at 40mph than his is when you are driving at 30mph. Ability and experience dont effect little Johnny deciding to run into the road. The fact that people are even arguing this point is beyond words!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 Breaking distances are decreased, what about little Johnny who runs into the road, you've more chance of stopping if your doing 30mph than if your doing 40mph. You mindset about speeding is frightening! I'm talking Motorways here not doing 80 through a 30 zone little johnny is perfectly safe from me so he can sleep easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Generally I see no issue in one sense as I agree that competent driving standards and awareness are more valuable to reducing crashes than speed itself, and frankly when I used to drive on some motorways just going with traffic had you cruising at 80-85mph without realising it, but without feeling unsafe either. But hell, anecdotal evidence alone is not a convincing argument. There are a stupefying amount of idiot drivers around as well, and it's never so much the "i trust myself" line, but the "do you trust most other drivers" question that always makes me wary. But I don't drive anymore - though i did with my brother drive to france in the summer and boy they really must police their speed limits tighter there. They're petrified of going even 1 or 2 kmph faster than the limit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Bit of a pointless distraction. Indeed, if they really wanted to get the motorways moving they'd improve and re-expand the rail network, treating it as infrastructure and not something to exploit for revenue. They could then justifiably "incentivise" (I think thats a euphemism for tax to the hilt) the road haulage industry, to push the trucks off the road and onto the rail network They are doing that. The two biggest freight routes in the country (Southampton to London/Birmingham and Felixtowe to Nuneaton) have been upgraded within the last year, with literally hundreds of bridges over the railway line being raised to allow freight trains to carry the new 9"6' tall intermodal container which significantly increases the volume of freight a train can pull. There is a new £30m line being built at Nuneaton which will see the Felixstowe - Nuneaton route be connected to the West Coast Mainline without having to pass through Nuneaton station which will significantly increase capacity on that route allowing more trains through and taking more freight off the road. WCML upgrades have also allowed for these larger containers to go to Crewe and Manchester. You are always going to have lorries taking freight on the roads too. I think the role of rail is best suited to taking directly from ports into the major cities where it then gets distributed onto the roads and taken more specifically where it is needed. There is definitely serious money being spent on upgrading the rail network though, especially between Felixstowe (our biggest/busiest port) and Nuneaton (the gateway to the rest of the country) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villadude Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I drive fast because the voices in my head tell me to.. I just spat my tea out reading that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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