Proposed speed limit change

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by oOTomOo

Erm, Wrong. Myth Busted.

Head on crash, two cars doing 50 towards eachother, same energy dissapation as one car hitting a tree at 50.

Try saying that to my OH, bike on car 50 vs 50mph head on. Combined impact speed of 100mph.....guess who lost

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by oOTomOo

Erm, Wrong. Myth Busted.

Head on crash, two cars doing 50 towards eachother, same energy dissapation as one car hitting a tree at 50.

I find that one hard to believe, mini vs. jeep surely there's going to be more energy passed to one than the other?

[andrewsmith]

Originally Posted by Bluepete

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...p-economy.html

Ok, I know it's the Daily Mail, but a quick Google brings up many other reputable news outlets!

So as the .org, what do we think?

The Gov't are thinking of upping the limit to 80mph.

Especially as Ed's just been potted for 85mph on the motorway.

My opinion?

Unfortunately, I think it should be left alone. The motorways are so rammed with motorists who blatantly can't drive a nail into wood, let alone a car. Then there's the speed differential between cars and slower vehicles.

Lane discipline is none existant and everyone just ends up in lane three or four in a queue passing the twonk in the middle lane.

I was chatting with a guy who owns several Ferraris the other day. He's all for it (obviously) but his idea was that only certain people should be allowed the higher limit. He believed he would be in this elite group just because he had a fast car. Yet he is a middle aged, overweight bloke with no driver training since he passed his test decades ago.

I'd rather see the drink drive limit lowered to a European level (as Ireland are proposing) Currently is't 80mg per 100ml in bood, the European level is around 50mg.

What ideas do you have to improve the roads?

Pete

Pete you've already answered the question lower drink drive limits, one bit of EU harmonisation I would support!

Improved training as middlelaners at 50 is more dangerous (in clear free flowing conditions) than 80mph. I have lost count of the times I've had to undertake doing 70 approaching a crawling car in the middle lane.

Originally Posted by Bluepete

Lane discipline is none existant and everyone just ends up in lane three or four in a queue passing the twonk in the middle lane.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

More Police on the roads with the power to do something about the retarded individuals who drive poorly.

Wheyhey! +10,000 Fizzwheel. Get heavy handed on twonks hogging the middle lane or tailgaiting in lane 3, and start dishing out some points and fines instead of having an 'educational chat' and we might get towards being able to have a speed limit fitting of the 20th century and it would also then be fair enough to strictly enforce it.

France has it bob on IMO. 69mph in the wet, 81mph in the dry, and if you stray much over 85 your very likely to get caught, and lane discipline is good. Tailgaiting can still be pretty bad though.

Originally Posted by oOTomOo

Erm, Wrong. Myth Busted.

Head on crash, two cars doing 50 towards eachother, same energy dissapation as one car hitting a tree at 50.

Bolox. Two identical cars hitting each other absolutely head on doesn't prove a thing about energy dissipation in a real crash. It just makes good TV.

Cars have different heights, weights, sizes, stiffness, etc, etc, and they very rarely hit each other completely head on.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Dave20046

I find that one hard to believe, mini vs. jeep surely there's going to be more energy passed to one than the other?

Precisely, not that you'd like to tempt fate with such a scenario, envisage the carnage of our poofwaggon hitting a Ford Ka at such speed......flippin little ka would be as flat at as pancake under the bash plate between the front wheels!

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Bolox. Two identical cars hitting each other absolutely head on doesn't prove a thing about energy dissipation in a real crash. It just makes good TV.

Cars have different heights, weights, sizes, stiffness, etc, etc, and they very rarely hit each other completely head on.

I agree, but the wasn't the point of the myth. Many people think energy is created from nothing when two cars hit head on, They think it will be worse for both parties.

Lots of good points (too many to quote) so just my two pennies worth:

80mph limit would probably be a good thing, IF brought in alongside a 60mph limit in wet weather and better driver training.
Lower drink limit? Probably good idea
Motorway driving should be part of the driving test
Bibio's topless women is fine but the sight of my mother-in-law WILL make you crash, vomiting (Wifey is first to agree with this by the way)
4 fails and you get no licence. As others have said at various points in this, the general state of the nation's driving ability is shocking. The biggest problem is that people see being able to drive as a right and the test merely as an annoying stage they have to go through. Why do we allow this to continue? I'm **** at football so it wouldn't occur to me that I have a right, as an English citizen, to play for England. I learned to drive and can. I tried to learn the piano and failed so I'll probably never play at the Proms. If people fail the test more than a couple of times, they should just accept that it isn't a skill they are going to successfully learn and give up. Not keep going, taking 10, 15, 20 tests and eventually fluking through. Same goes for bikes of course.

Rant over, back to the beer now

Hmm tricky. Much as how it's kind of become "accepted" to be doing 80mph on the motorway, if the speed limit were to increase then surely it would become "accepted" to do 90mph...fast is as fast can be handled, and although driving in a straight line at a seemingly constant speed appears to be easy to most folk, awareness and reaction times can differ a hell of a lot even in that 10mph. It's a matter of what people get accustomed to, pootling along at 70 might become second nature...then they think ooo yes I can go quicker than that...ooo yes this is fun....oooo bugger, bye bye motorcycle...

An SV is supposedly happier sipping fuel at 65 rather than guzzling at 80...fair enough tis a personal thing as to how you economise fuelwise but how is increasing speed limit going to shorten trip times and hence boost economy, people will just know they can spend longer in bed as they can get to work quicker


I don't think making the test harder is going to solve much. Motorway riding as people often say is not hard, you just need common sense, oh yeah and an awareness of your surroundings Experience counts for far more really.

I don't think it will make much difference to traffic.

People who want to do 80 plus already do, and the people who don't, won't.

Of all the pros and cons I think they mostly rise and fall in tandem, with the net effect being hardly noticeable.

[tigersaw]

I've rarely had the chance to go even 70 on the M27, M3 or M25 so doubt it would make a difference