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Speed limits should be abolished (in an ideal world)

Would society be ready to self-regulate if speed limits were abolished from next year?

Many times when I'm behind the wheel or on my motorbike I imagine what it'd be like not to have speed limits on our roads at all.  I imagine that if everyone was like me, there would be no need for them.  You would always know what the right speed on a given road, in those circumstances, in that weather would be.  Why wouldn't you, you're reasonable human being capable of doing amazing things (like putting two and two together), therefore, being considerate to your surroundings wouldn't be a problem.

If there was no speed limit I'd be driving 130-150 mph on motorways, 60-100mph on dual carriageways, 30 in built-up areas, 5-20 past a school.  Well, to be frank, I'd happily drive at 60 mph in a built-up area at 3am when there's no-one around, no parked cars which could hide potential hazards, etc.

It all comes down to the driver, you see.  A tired useless accident-prone driver who fiddles with the radio and manages to shave at the same time while moving will be a danger to the world - whatever his speed.  A skilled and careful driver like me, pays attention every second of his journey and keeps himself and others safe.

Why should I crawl along at 70 mph on an empty motorway at 3am?

If there were no speed limits, people wouldn't need to speed anymore.  They would just make up for the delay where and when it's safe - legitimately.  Why should I crawl along at 70 mph on an empty motorway at 3am when my skills and modern technology (in the form of a fast, reliable and safe car) would allow me to get from London to Cornwall in 3 hours?

30 mph speed limit I know why: because we don't live in an ideal world.  The question, therefore, is: is it 'non-ideal' because of a handful of anti-social individuals or is it more than just a handful?  If the former is true, I suggest that we cage that handful of thugs and let the rest of us get on with our lives without having to observe rules which were made with 'them bad guys' in mind.

Classic story: a 3-lane dual carriageway, lunchtime, dry weather, 1 sleepy driver in the slow lane, 1 unhurried driver in the middle lane, 1 selfish b*****d hogging the fast lane and stuck behind him is Mr.X experiencing another instance of speed limit enforcement(50 mph) by a fellow motorist.  Mr.X is late for a job interview but is in good form, having slept well, and his car is well-maintained.  Exceeding the limit by 20 mph would help him.  He's stuck for 5 miles, after which he comes of the main road and into a residential area.  This is his opportunity to make up for lost time.  He keeps his foot on the pedal and flies past a school at 40 mph when... a child steps out in front of him.

Mr.X should have left earlier. Mr.X should have been allowed to exceed the limit on the cariageway.

Speed limits save lives.  But frustrated drivers take them.

By: Friday

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The amount of noticeable vehicle noise can be influenced by things like wind direction, road surface material, how close the buildings are to the edge of the road, and the volume of traffic and the speed of traffic, as any and all of these things either in combination or even by themselves can set up what is known as harmonic resonance, and NVH, Noise, Vibration and Harshness.
A good example of harmonic resonance is the sound caused on the concrete sections of the M25, especially when driven along by vehicles with radial tyres, you hear that awful drumming scratch sound. Traffic noise can be amplified and exaggerated if it bounces,or echos off near by buildings. Different patterns of tyre tread can cause differing levels of harmonic resonance.

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The continental expert - 15-Feb-11 18:03 

Congo - while your posts are mildly amusing I do wonder what the point of them is.

Where are your other creations - have not seen any of them recently.

-2

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anon - 5-Feb-11 00:22 

'anon' seems unable to distinguish between a Rolls Royce at 70mph and a smelly little French car at 30mph.

One despairs.

-3

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Congo - 4-Feb-11 23:58 

DSG - Have you ever lived on a busy road? I have and the faster the cars go the louder it is at night. That is why I stressed residential road. The people who live there have a right to some peace at night.

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Chump - 4-Feb-11 22:52 

Chump,I'm just saying if,IF there was an empty stretch of road and there are no vehicles/cyclists/humans in the way,then why should you have to keep to the speed limit?

+3

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DSG - 4-Feb-11 22:42 

DSG - it depends on where the road is. You cannot just make a blanket statement like that . There still needs to be speed restrictions on residential roads even if there are few other cars around.

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Chump - 4-Feb-11 20:58 

Big D:it is not insane to drive at 60mph on an empty road at 3am provided there are no other vehicles on the road.Friday is not a "maniac" as you try to make him to be:he is a rational thinking citizen like the rest of us and he is mostly right:why should you stick to a 30mph speed limit on an empty lane at 3am provided there are no vehicles around? Most people drive at a speed they feel comfortable at,but they can't do that because they have to stick to the precious speed limit and keep an eye on their speedometer.You,on the other hand,think that if speed limits were abolished,everyone would start driving erraticaly and the main motorways would look like scenes from an action movie.

-6

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DSG - 4-Feb-11 20:49 

Big D:it is not insane to drive at 60mph on an empty road at 3am provided there are no other vehicles on the road.Friday is not a "maniac" as you try to make him to be:he is a rational thinking citizen like the rest of us and he is mostly right:why should you stick to a 30mph speed limit on an empty lane at 3am provided there are no vehicles around? Most people drive at a speed they feel comfortable at,but they can't do that because they have to stick to the precious speed limit and keep an eye on their speedometer.You,on the other hand,think that if speed limits were abolished,everyone would start driving erraticaly and the main motorways would look like scenes from an action movie.

-2

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DSG - 4-Feb-11 20:44 

Stavanger9 - excessive speed also causes excessive noise for people who live on busy roads. Before anyone says they shouldn't have moved there then, they often have limited choice where they live. A lot of social housing, cheaper private rentals and lower priced property to buy are often located on main roads.

+1

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anon - 22-Jan-11 21:01 

I live in a built up area and the road outside my house is a 30mph limit. Some idiots absolutely fly down my road, some must be doing 60mph+. At 3am I might be out there for whatever reason - late home from a long drive, holiday, etc. If I try to cross my road when one of these idiots is coming at 'numpty' speed, there is a huge risk to me, but not him. I think for this reason, and the residual road noise, that vehicles should be restricted to limits. Can you imagine the risky overtaking likely to go on in built up areas because of impatient twits? And usually these twits are youngsters in little cars with huge noisy exhausts, windows wide open, stereo blasting full volume in a residential area, late at night. They just don't give a damn and it's about time the law was changed to stop it.

+10

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Stavanger9 - 22-Jan-11 18:47 

Anyway why do we need to travel at "300 kph"? What's the point? Travelling at 120 kph - 130 kph is fine.

+1

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Big D - 9-Jan-11 10:11 

"Friday", total rubbish I'm afraid. Driving through a built up area at 60mph is mad whether at 3AM or during the middle of the day; maniacs like you should be banned for life.

+6

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Big D - 9-Jan-11 00:16 

You want to see what fast on the autobahn looks like, watch yamaha r1 not to slow, 300kph, on You Tube. Its amazingly, breath takingly quick.

-10

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the crash expert - 2-Nov-10 23:49 

I have seen yellow signs with black writing text on them stating number of deaths in one year, I think it was somewhere on the way to Aylesbury I saw it, earlier this year. The message basically being that people had died due to speed, I forget the exact figure for KIA.
The french have a much better and more graphic way of doing deterrence, they put up a black wooden or cardboard silhouette of a human figure, at the road side, with a red painted mark to look like blood, to show the relevant injury or death. They don't leave any worded signs with it either. They leave the requisite number of these human figures at the roadside signalling the number injured or ki11ed.

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nick "petrolhead" fe - 28-Oct-10 17:36 

Actually, G. Lad, sometimes raising the speed limit can reduce accidents. If drivers know the limit is a sensible one which they are unlikely to break by driving normally they can concentrate properly on driving instead of having half an eye on their speedo all the time and worrying about cameras. Speed limits which are too low also foster complacency among pedestrians as they think the road has been made safe for them to wander about in.

In Suffolk in 1995 450 new 30mph limits were introduced on roads which had previously been at the National limit (60mph). Up until 1995 total casualties in accidents had been going down steadily every year. From 1996 they increased steadily at least until 2001 when they hit the same number as they had been in 1991. (ABD).

In any case, why not concentrate on the other 95% of accidents which are caused by inattention and poor judgement?

As to the signs saying "X people were ki11ed or injured on this road last year" or whatever; personally I think they are nonsense, but not for the reason you think! When they say "this road" how much of it do they mean? Put a sign like that on the A38, which is 292 miles long, and it could mean the whole of it! On the other hand do they mean a particular stretch of a road?
Without stating the length of road in question the sign is meaningless!

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grumpyoldwoman - 28-Oct-10 15:26 

Well said, the crash expert. Speed limit enforcement by speed cameras is held up as the be all and end all of road safety; yet cameras do not detect dangerous drivers who are keeping to the limit.

There are times when it is perfectly safe to break speed limits; particularly as they are constantly being lowered due to reasons other than road safety, such as over zealous speed camera partnerships out to make some money. Speed limits have also been lowered after accidents even after it has been shown that those involved were not breaking the limit in the first place.

On the other hand, there are times when the speed limit is too fast; in icy or very wet conditions, when there is a group of children messing about on the pavement, animals around, etc..

The vast majority of accidents are actually caused by inattention to road conditions and other road users.

+1

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grumpyoldwoman - 28-Oct-10 07:16 

whether a crash is survivable depends on many variable factors, such as what speed the vehicle and the other object come together at, and at what angle they come together at, and whether there is an air bag fitted and whether all concerned were wearing seatbelts or not. It also depends how the vehicle body shell deforms/folds up or crumples in an impact, and how the vehicle stands up to the impact. And whether or not the vehicle is fitted with anti burst door locks.
You cannot judge safety in mph/or by an arbitrary number on a road sign. Driving and safety is all about time/place and conditions/and the weather. Use of mirrors and hazard perception.

+3

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the crash expert - 27-Oct-10 22:06 

In a book called Crash, the limits of car safety, by Nicholas Faith, there is a statement by a car crash investigator who says that in an accident there are actually three crashes, the first is when the vehicle hits an object either moving or stationary, the second one is when the vehicle occupants hit the interior parts of the vehicle, and the third one is when your internal organs hit the interior walls of your body. But yes the majority of road accidents do actually occur at or below the speed limit, even the ABD mentions this fact on one of the pages of their website.

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the crash expert - 27-Oct-10 21:34 

95% of road accidents occur at or below the speed limit (Dft) so it does make you wonder...

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grumpyoldwoman - 27-Oct-10 12:07 

Well said the crash expert and congo, let"s get rid of speed limits and get rid of them now. Congo is spot on when he says "speed limits do not save lives".

+4

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selfish road user - 27-Oct-10 00:54 

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