Out of interest how many people have navs that warn them of speed cameras and how many stick to the limit/rely on a keen eye? Personally I use Waze as my nav app and its camera warning feature is a big reason why I like it.
The factory fitted Satnav on mine has it, it came with the last software upgrade. As with all things Satnav, it isn't 100% reliable. But the Czechs by law have to put up signs telling you when you enter and leave a radar controlled zone. I always go by that rather than satnav. The Czechs being still in fear of authority will religiously observe the radar area limit, and then immediately speed up as they pass the zone end sign. Typical Czech absurdity.
Just obey the limit and then there's no fine, no points, no speed awareness course, no increase in insurance and in nearly all cases hardly any difference in journey time.
blah blah ahah blah......I can't wait to read your memoirs. December 24th 1985 - 'it was so exciting, I was 23 years old and I stayed up until nearly 10:30pm'
I was 30 then. Driving shouldn't be exciting though should it? Unless you're on a track.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
I was driving home from my mate's place in Orpington one night, around 1am. I'm the only car in sight (both in front and behind) on the M25. I pass the M20 junction and speed limit drops to 50. Next gantry it drops to 40. Next gantry back to 50. Next gantry 50. Still not seen another car yet. Go to come off at the A2, they're just starting to cone it off and the sign says 20, I do a practical emergency stop on the empty 4 lane road to get down under 20.
And why was all this? Because a lorry and a car has managed to get them self stuck on the slip that leads from M25 to A2 London bound. That's right, I had to drop my speed to 50 and then 40, 2 miles away from an accident on a different road!
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
I don't think it is gung ho to expect to be driving at 70mph on a motorway, especially when you factor for reasonable delays in your journey time so you set off at a reasonable time but you face a pointless 40mph restriction for 40 miles because some pissant in a hi-vis thinks he saw a badger on the road and got scared.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
No, i didn't say it annoyed me? just my opinion that is guesswork really.
Another thing to add, which i didn't realise at the time. Someone from work asked about the log book, i got the car probably April this year or around then. I am not sure i have ever received a logbook and its on lease, so essentially they could have previously issued to the wrong address so could be why it took too long, need to check my paperwork but don't remember ever receiving a logbook which i didn't really think of.
This massively changes it because it states from when it was issued unless it has gone to the wrong address or RK.
Thanks for your input all, i think i should just fill it in accept liability and await the consequences
Be careful with that one, Johnny. I'm sure the law changed recently and the penalty for this will be sitting between KM and Sue Perks at each home game. ;-)
I don't think it is gung ho to expect to be driving at 70mph on a motorway, especially when you factor for reasonable delays in your journey time so you set off at a reasonable time but you face a pointless 40mph restriction for 40 miles because some pissant in a hi-vis thinks he saw a badger on the road and got scared.
What I will add to the speeding debate is you always have to assume stupidity and rarely are you let down unfortunately with a lot of motorists. The guy killed doing his job on the M25 of recovery wasn't killed necessarily because of speed but because people are so ignorant and unaware of what is going on around them. Lorry smashed into him and his recovery vehicle killing him instantly. Very sad, I knew him and his wife and they have 2 kids with no daddy now. Because someone wasn't paying attention.
Motorways are very dangerous places and that sadly is why seemingly daft variable limits appear more and more on smart motorways. Don't get me wrong, I have a HGV licence, I do enormous amounts of motorway driving and I'd class myself as a good driver, I stay on the left, only move over to overtake then move back, keep a good distance from the vehicle in front and whilst in my own car in the past I have played a bit fast and loose with obeying speed limits, I rarely see what is to be gained on busy motorways by breaking them. M25 at 3am is another matter, 80 is safe in my own opinion. The problem is, by me diligently doing all of this I am presented with the absolute worst the British motoring public has to offer.
Speeding, ok not in itself the biggest problem in my eyes Lane hogging. This is outright ignorant and dangerous, this is a genuinely life threatening bad habit of say 65% of motorway users are guilty of Tailgating, once someone has seen or been in an accident by ending up in the back of someone and seen the carnage that causes they won't appreciate why a 2 second stopping ago is needed Daydreaming, drifting, ignorance of own surroundings. How someone can be that vapid they lose concentration whilst driving anywhere at 60mph plus is beyond me but it happens and is probably the most contributory factor to any traffic accident. and is also a precursor to land hogging. Mobile phone usage at the wheel, this needs to be made as socially unacceptable as drink driving
It's an insult to the intelligence to insist that speed cameras are there for safety reasons. The authorities don't give a toss about safety. It's all about the dosh.
If safety is genuinely the driver (pun intended) then why are street lights, originally placed on motorways to improve visibility and thus safety, now invariably switched off at night?!
Another cynical scam is to cone off large sections of motorway down to just one or two lanes with no workman in sight to create jams. Motorists then try to compenate for the needless delay and get caught by the scameras!
This is always the question I've had, are we expected to being going the speed on the sigh when we pass the sign, or do we start slowing down safely from the moment we pass the sign?
Obviously the answer is the first, but then that doesn't explain why they often start lowering the speed limit in the mile before road works. Either we need time to slow down or we don't, right?
This brings me back to my gripe about the camera van that sits at the bottom of Blue Bell hill. Before it used to regularly sit there you'd happily travel down the hills at 70 (even that would require regular usage of the breaks to prevent speeding) and then at the bottom it levels out and you could cost the 2 miles to the first round about in Maidstone, slowly down safely and gently whilst saving loads of fuel. Now the camera focuses on the patch next to the first 50 sign, so everybody slams their brakes on at the bottom of the hill and then has to use a load of fuel to drive into Maidstone.
It's an insult to the intelligence to insist that speed cameras are there for safety reasons. The authorities don't give a toss about safety. It's all about the dosh.
If safety is genuinely the driver (pun intended) then why are street lights, originally placed on motorways to improve visibility and thus safety, now invariably switched off at night?!
Another cynical scam is to cone off large sections of motorway down to just one or two lanes with no workman in sight to create jams. Motorists then try to compenate for the needless delay and get caught by the scameras!
Thieving bastards!
I think speed cameras are two fold. one is that they generate loads of open/shut detections for the local constabulary and they generate an enormous amount of cash for the treasury. If safety was a genuine concern there would be a lot more police pulling a lot more people over and giving them some harsh truths and lectures in what is and what isn't acceptable. In times I remember this was the case and whatever age you are, a solid bollocking off a direct copper works 90% of the time and will educate most people.
Something else to be aware of, you now have to declare speed awareness courses with a lot of insurers, does anyone think that that doesn't affect your premium?
It's an insult to the intelligence to insist that speed cameras are there for safety reasons. The authorities don't give a toss about safety. It's all about the dosh.
If safety is genuinely the driver (pun intended) then why are street lights, originally placed on motorways to improve visibility and thus safety, now invariably switched off at night?!
Another cynical scam is to cone off large sections of motorway down to just one or two lanes with no workman in sight to create jams. Motorists then try to compenate for the needless delay and get caught by the scameras!
Thieving bastards!
I understand that they like getting money in but I think this is a little harsh.
It's an insult to the intelligence to insist that speed cameras are there for safety reasons. The authorities don't give a toss about safety. It's all about the dosh.
If safety is genuinely the driver (pun intended) then why are street lights, originally placed on motorways to improve visibility and thus safety, now invariably switched off at night?!
Another cynical scam is to cone off large sections of motorway down to just one or two lanes with no workman in sight to create jams. Motorists then try to compenate for the needless delay and get caught by the scameras!
Thieving bastards!
I think speed cameras are two fold. one is that they generate loads of open/shut detections for the local constabulary and they generate an enormous amount of cash for the treasury. If safety was a genuine concern there would be a lot more police pulling a lot more people over and giving them some harsh truths and lectures in what is and what isn't acceptable. In times I remember this was the case and whatever age you are, a solid bollocking off a direct copper works 90% of the time and will educate most people.
Something else to be aware of, you now have to declare speed awareness courses with a lot of insurers, does anyone think that that doesn't affect your premium?
Yes very good point.
Convictions via scamera enable self-satisfied Chief Constables to sit in TV studios boasting about how they have improved crime detection rates.
I don't think it is gung ho to expect to be driving at 70mph on a motorway, especially when you factor for reasonable delays in your journey time so you set off at a reasonable time but you face a pointless 40mph restriction for 40 miles because some pissant in a hi-vis thinks he saw a badger on the road and got scared.
What I will add to the speeding debate is you always have to assume stupidity and rarely are you let down unfortunately with a lot of motorists. The guy killed doing his job on the M25 of recovery wasn't killed necessarily because of speed but because people are so ignorant and unaware of what is going on around them. Lorry smashed into him and his recovery vehicle killing him instantly. Very sad, I knew him and his wife and they have 2 kids with no daddy now. Because someone wasn't paying attention.
Motorways are very dangerous places and that sadly is why seemingly daft variable limits appear more and more on smart motorways. Don't get me wrong, I have a HGV licence, I do enormous amounts of motorway driving and I'd class myself as a good driver, I stay on the left, only move over to overtake then move back, keep a good distance from the vehicle in front and whilst in my own car in the past I have played a bit fast and loose with obeying speed limits, I rarely see what is to be gained on busy motorways by breaking them. M25 at 3am is another matter, 80 is safe in my own opinion. The problem is, by me diligently doing all of this I am presented with the absolute worst the British motoring public has to offer.
Speeding, ok not in itself the biggest problem in my eyes Lane hogging. This is outright ignorant and dangerous, this is a genuinely life threatening bad habit of say 65% of motorway users are guilty of Tailgating, once someone has seen or been in an accident by ending up in the back of someone and seen the carnage that causes they won't appreciate why a 2 second stopping ago is needed Daydreaming, drifting, ignorance of own surroundings. How someone can be that vapid they lose concentration whilst driving anywhere at 60mph plus is beyond me but it happens and is probably the most contributory factor to any traffic accident. and is also a precursor to land hogging. Mobile phone usage at the wheel, this needs to be made as socially unacceptable as drink driving
I'm assuming that this is on the basis that 3am is not in the middle of the driver's normal sleeping pattern. I would normally drive more slowly at 3am because, by then, it's several hours past my bed time. Even if it isn't it's logical to assume that it might be for other drivers on the road.
Just obey the limit and then there's no fine, no points, no speed awareness course, no increase in insurance and in nearly all cases hardly any difference in journey time.
My Maths GCSE has proven to me that this is false.
If I travel 100 miles at 30 mph it'd take me 3hrs 20 minutes If I travel 100 miles at 50 mph it'd take me 2 hrs.
Just obey the limit and then there's no fine, no points, no speed awareness course, no increase in insurance and in nearly all cases hardly any difference in journey time.
My Maths GCSE has proven to me that this is false.
If I travel 100 miles at 30 mph it'd take me 3hrs 20 minutes If I travel 100 miles at 50 mph it'd take me 2 hrs.
As correct as those numbers are it is likely that the opportunity to drive at 50 in a 30 limit, for example, will be restricted by other cars on the road and other restrictions like traffic lights or junctions.
If one decided to drive at 30 in a 50 limit (which is considered bad driving) along one stretch of road that is 100 miles long where there are no other cars then it will, indeed take an hour and twenty minutes longer. Driving at 35 in a 30 limit where there is constant slowing down and speeding up will probably make minimal difference to arrival times because the average speed is never the top speed.
Just obey the limit and then there's no fine, no points, no speed awareness course, no increase in insurance and in nearly all cases hardly any difference in journey time.
My Maths GCSE has proven to me that this is false.
If I travel 100 miles at 30 mph it'd take me 3hrs 20 minutes If I travel 100 miles at 50 mph it'd take me 2 hrs.
As correct as those numbers are it is likely that the opportunity to drive at 50 in a 30 limit, for example, will be restricted by other cars on the road and other restrictions like traffic lights or junctions.
If one decided to drive at 30 in a 50 limit (which is considered bad driving) along one stretch of road that is 100 miles long where there are no other cars then it will, indeed take an hour and twenty minutes longer. Driving at 35 in a 30 limit where there is constant slowing down and speeding up will probably make minimal difference to arrival times because the average speed is never the top speed.
Just being an arse here, but traveling at 35mph might mean that you just get through the lights which means you dont get a 2 mins delay.
It could also mean you hit the next lights at the right colour etc.
Alternatively, it could also mean you have to jam on your brakes and wait longer at those lights.
I didn't realise maths depended on your opinions on speed limits. Can't wait for that to be a GCSE question:
"Donny and Jane leave home at the same time to drive 100 miles. Donny has an average speed of 50mph and Jane an average speed of 30mph. Who arrives first and by how much?"
Answer: "They both arrive at the same time because even if you're going faster you'll go much slower through junctions and hit more traffic lights...for some reason."
(This question is sponsored by the National Association of Unconfident Drivers)
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
Motorway Cops programme about 2 weeks ago. Police stopped a block in his 70's as he had joined a dual carriageway at around 40mph & didn't speed up. They stopped him & told him they he needed to be doing a more realistic speed & commensurate with the conditions (dry, bright & not a lot of traffic) & that his s peed could cause an accident. He said that he didn't like to go "fast" and was comfortable with that speed - they advised that he may want to stick to single carriageway or A roads in future.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
Motorway Cops programme about 2 weeks ago. Police stopped a block in his 70's as he had joined a dual carriageway at around 40mph & didn't speed up. They stopped him & told him they he needed to be doing a more realistic speed & commensurate with the conditions (dry, bright & not a lot of traffic) & that his s peed could cause an accident. He said that he didn't like to go "fast" and was comfortable with that speed - they advised that he may want to stick to single carriageway or A roads in future.
Police pulling over 'a block' made me laugh. Can we say 'a block' anymore or is that shapeist?
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
Motorway Cops programme about 2 weeks ago. Police stopped a block in his 70's as he had joined a dual carriageway at around 40mph & didn't speed up. They stopped him & told him they he needed to be doing a more realistic speed & commensurate with the conditions (dry, bright & not a lot of traffic) & that his s peed could cause an accident. He said that he didn't like to go "fast" and was comfortable with that speed - they advised that he may want to stick to single carriageway or A roads in future.
You don't need to be going at the speed limit and in bad conditions it is not recommended to. However if you are not confident enough to drive at the speed limit, regardless of how busy it is, then you should not be driving at all.
Driving slowly just means people will overtake you and that just increases hazards.
Was driving towards Swanley this morning, with signs indicating 50. Thought about this thread, so drove at 50 whilst everbody else went flying past doing 60 plus because there was no queues! I just drove in the inside lane and waited for a HGV to go past staring at me! Fortunately this never happened:)
I was on the M26 on Monday, early afternoon. About a 10 mile stretch from Wrotham to the M25 junction at Sevenoaks and every 2 miles or so the speed indicators were flashing 50. I was expecting a traffic jam or an accident but there was nothing. It was a little murky / foggy but visibility was very good & you could see as far as you could. The speed restriction ended as soon as I joined the M25 - no idea why the reduce speed & there was no sign of an accident, congestion or anything - its this thing that makes a lot of drivers ignore the warning signs as in the end you don't believe them.
This is true. There is, it seems, a reason for it - just not a very good one! The HATOs - those guys with mock police cars - or, more likely, the Highways England camera operators, can switch on the lower limit signs whenever they spot an incident whether that's debris on the road, an accident or whatever. However, once the obstruction is cleared, they have no authority to return the limits to normal. The stretch of road first has to be checked by an actual police officer and this might mean them travelling a section of motorway, slowly in both directions (once they've finished their doughnut break, of course) in order to give the all clear.
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
So it's to ensure safety then. It might be a clumsy system but I'd rather have that than give in to the gung ho speedsters. Who are only concerned with themselves and what they see as personal affronts to their need for speed.
I think you are going a bit OTT here 'gung ho speedsters', i am pretty sure most people who speed don't do it unless they think they can control their speed and the majority like myself will auto go around 80 on a motorway, doesn't make us gung ho or above the law just whats practical.
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Do you have any evidence for this other than it annoys you?
Motorway Cops programme about 2 weeks ago. Police stopped a block in his 70's as he had joined a dual carriageway at around 40mph & didn't speed up. They stopped him & told him they he needed to be doing a more realistic speed & commensurate with the conditions (dry, bright & not a lot of traffic) & that his s peed could cause an accident. He said that he didn't like to go "fast" and was comfortable with that speed - they advised that he may want to stick to single carriageway or A roads in future.
You don't need to be going at the speed limit and in bad conditions it is not recommended to. However if you are not confident enough to drive at the speed limit, regardless of how busy it is, then you should not be driving at all.
Driving slowly just means people will overtake you and that just increases hazards.
But the slugs on the road refuse to accept this fact.
Talking to a fella who was over 60 at one of our gigs last winter, he was telling me that he really struggles with his night vision, to the point whereby he struggles to see properly if a car is coming the other way with its headlights on, I pointed out that maybe he shouldn't be driving, his answer, 'well I've get to get to the gigs haven't I'
But lets go heavy on drivers who go 80 on a motorway when its not busy.
I didn't realise maths depended on your opinions on speed limits. Can't wait for that to be a GCSE question:
"Donny and Jane leave home at the same time to drive 100 miles. Donny has an average speed of 50mph and Jane an average speed of 30mph. Who arrives first and by how much?"
Answer: "They both arrive at the same time because even if you're going faster you'll go much slower through junctions and hit more traffic lights...for some reason."
(This question is sponsored by the National Association of Unconfident Drivers)
I tell you what, if you can find any journey of 100 miles that has a speed limit of 30mph where you can confidently suggest (not even prove) that it is the drivers discretion to drive at 50mph for the whole 100 miles then I'll withdraw my comment. Slipping in the word 'average' changes the whole statement. I even pointed out that average speed is not the same as top speed.
The point was that exceeding the speed limit will not make many journeys much quicker. Sure if you drive at 140 on the motorway, which might be possible, then you will get there in half the time of sticking to the speed limit - although obviously only if you are driving from one junction to another one.
Once you mention average speed you already remove any implications of junctions and traffic lights so you are not even talking about Dazzler's post any more. But you knew that right? Your normal posts suggest that you are sufficiently intelligent to not have been stupid enough to forget that and obstacles would have been included in the average speed. Thus I can only assume that you are just being an arse.
Let's hope that you don't lose a family member by a driver that was exceeding the speed limit otherwise some of your comments here might haunt you.
Comments
I suspect, too, that works sometimes scheduled, particularly at night, never take place because an emergency barrier replacement elsewhere takes priority but no one bothers to tell the sign operators.
And why was all this? Because a lorry and a car has managed to get them self stuck on the slip that leads from M25 to A2 London bound. That's right, I had to drop my speed to 50 and then 40, 2 miles away from an accident on a different road!
Slow drivers cause more problems both on normal roads and motorways, cause traffic jams and potential accidents too.
Motorways are very dangerous places and that sadly is why seemingly daft variable limits appear more and more on smart motorways. Don't get me wrong, I have a HGV licence, I do enormous amounts of motorway driving and I'd class myself as a good driver, I stay on the left, only move over to overtake then move back, keep a good distance from the vehicle in front and whilst in my own car in the past I have played a bit fast and loose with obeying speed limits, I rarely see what is to be gained on busy motorways by breaking them. M25 at 3am is another matter, 80 is safe in my own opinion. The problem is, by me diligently doing all of this I am presented with the absolute worst the British motoring public has to offer.
Speeding, ok not in itself the biggest problem in my eyes
Lane hogging. This is outright ignorant and dangerous, this is a genuinely life threatening bad habit of say 65% of motorway users are guilty of
Tailgating, once someone has seen or been in an accident by ending up in the back of someone and seen the carnage that causes they won't appreciate why a 2 second stopping ago is needed
Daydreaming, drifting, ignorance of own surroundings. How someone can be that vapid they lose concentration whilst driving anywhere at 60mph plus is beyond me but it happens and is probably the most contributory factor to any traffic accident. and is also a precursor to land hogging.
Mobile phone usage at the wheel, this needs to be made as socially unacceptable as drink driving
If safety is genuinely the driver (pun intended) then why are street lights, originally placed on motorways to improve visibility and thus safety, now invariably switched off at night?!
Another cynical scam is to cone off large sections of motorway down to just one or two lanes with no workman in sight to create jams. Motorists then try to compenate for the needless delay and get caught by the scameras!
Thieving bastards!
Obviously the answer is the first, but then that doesn't explain why they often start lowering the speed limit in the mile before road works. Either we need time to slow down or we don't, right?
This brings me back to my gripe about the camera van that sits at the bottom of Blue Bell hill. Before it used to regularly sit there you'd happily travel down the hills at 70 (even that would require regular usage of the breaks to prevent speeding) and then at the bottom it levels out and you could cost the 2 miles to the first round about in Maidstone, slowly down safely and gently whilst saving loads of fuel. Now the camera focuses on the patch next to the first 50 sign, so everybody slams their brakes on at the bottom of the hill and then has to use a load of fuel to drive into Maidstone.
Something else to be aware of, you now have to declare speed awareness courses with a lot of insurers, does anyone think that that doesn't affect your premium?
Convictions via scamera enable self-satisfied Chief Constables to sit in TV studios boasting about how they have improved crime detection rates.
To be fair, I don't often speed.
If I travel 100 miles at 30 mph it'd take me 3hrs 20 minutes
If I travel 100 miles at 50 mph it'd take me 2 hrs.
If one decided to drive at 30 in a 50 limit (which is considered bad driving) along one stretch of road that is 100 miles long where there are no other cars then it will, indeed take an hour and twenty minutes longer. Driving at 35 in a 30 limit where there is constant slowing down and speeding up will probably make minimal difference to arrival times because the average speed is never the top speed.
It could also mean you hit the next lights at the right colour etc.
Alternatively, it could also mean you have to jam on your brakes and wait longer at those lights.
"Donny and Jane leave home at the same time to drive 100 miles. Donny has an average speed of 50mph and Jane an average speed of 30mph. Who arrives first and by how much?"
Answer: "They both arrive at the same time because even if you're going faster you'll go much slower through junctions and hit more traffic lights...for some reason."
(This question is sponsored by the National Association of Unconfident Drivers)
Driving slowly just means people will overtake you and that just increases hazards.
Talking to a fella who was over 60 at one of our gigs last winter, he was telling me that he really struggles with his night vision, to the point whereby he struggles to see properly if a car is coming the other way with its headlights on, I pointed out that maybe he shouldn't be driving, his answer, 'well I've get to get to the gigs haven't I'
But lets go heavy on drivers who go 80 on a motorway when its not busy.
The point was that exceeding the speed limit will not make many journeys much quicker. Sure if you drive at 140 on the motorway, which might be possible, then you will get there in half the time of sticking to the speed limit - although obviously only if you are driving from one junction to another one.
Once you mention average speed you already remove any implications of junctions and traffic lights so you are not even talking about Dazzler's post any more. But you knew that right? Your normal posts suggest that you are sufficiently intelligent to not have been stupid enough to forget that and obstacles would have been included in the average speed. Thus I can only assume that you are just being an arse.
Let's hope that you don't lose a family member by a driver that was exceeding the speed limit otherwise some of your comments here might haunt you.