I think it should be mandatory for dipped lights whenever the car is moving like Sweden.

That's what DRL's are for!

That's what DRL's are for!

True but few cars have them fitted! It should be mandatory for all vehicles!

That's what DRL's are for!

Wouldn't have needed the chavtastic things if we just used dipped all the time!

I think for the most part the price of fuel will keep speeds pretty much as they are for the majority.

My only concern is that those people who struggle to cope at the current nsl are going to become more of a danger to themselves and others if they feel pressured to speed up. People like the old biffer I saw yesterday reverse into a large van that had stopped behind her, who shouldn't really be driving full stop.

In conjunction with this, I'd like to see Pass Plus being made a compulsory part of the driving test, after passing the basic test. The skills taught there are basically essential for all drivers. Night driving, motorways etc.

It seems ludicrous to me that on the day of passing your test you can go and use a road system that's completely alien to the newly qualified driver, that they've never been able to use before!

I currently don't feel guily being in the outside lane whilst overtaking slower vehicles when travelling at a calibrated 73mph, (about 80 on the speedo), even when idiots come hammering up behind you at highly illegal speeds. I pull in whenever reasonable to do so, but only if I will not get stuck behind the next vehicle in the middle lane almost straight away.

If the speed limit rises to 80, that will no longer be possible unless I start running at a true 83 to compensate.

That means a significant increase in fuel consumption. I know my Yeti drops off about 2 miles pre gallon for every 5mph faster I drive over a true 70. So instead of a computer indicated 50mpg it willdrop to 46 or worse, and I would prefer to cruise at the same speed as I do now and save money.

Yet if you pull over for every car that comes up behind the ones following will not let you out again, and you soon end up stuck behind a truck at 56mph.

I wonder if the statement about everyone already driving at 80, actually means an indicated 80 due to speedo optimism. If speedos were accurate, which they could be as my trip recorder always agrees with the sat nav trip distances even on long trips, then drivers may be happy to stick to the current limits which is much faster than an indicated 70mph. Indeed when you come across cars sticking to an indicated 70 in average speed areas and know they are really doing about 64mph it gets very frustrating. Met one of these near Nottingham on the M1 on Wednesday stuck in the third lane at 65, with cars having to pass it on the inside and 4th lane as it would not move over for traffic travelling at the true speed limit

In conjunction with this, I'd like to see Pass Plus being made a compulsory part of the driving test, after passing the basic test. The skills taught there are basically essential for all drivers. Night driving, motorways etc.

It seems ludicrous to me that on the day of passing your test you can go and use a road system that's completely alien to the newly qualified driver, that they've never been able to use before!

I took my driving test at the Whalley Range test centre in Manchester. I spent most of my time driving round residential roads at 30mph. For about half a mile, I reached the heady heights of 40mph along the Princess Parkway. On the return to the test centre, I was told I had passed. No NSL type A/B roads, no proper dual carriage way with slip roads let alone anything even remotely similar to simulating a motorway yet I was free to drive wherever I wished.

Bit of a logic fail going on in there somewhere.

OK, for all you tree huggers out there - if you want to save money on fuel either continue to drive as slowly as you do now, or why not take the bus, train or walk, and let the rest of us get on with our Motorway journeys at 80 mph. For all the health and safety brigade - get your facts right - speed is not the problem, it is people doing stupid things and not paying attention that causes most accidents. For myself, I believe it is a long overdue change considering the advances in vehicle technology that have been made in the half Century since this 'temporary' limit was imposed. most people do 80mph on motorways anyway, and this is simply an acknowledgement by the Government that there is mass disregard for the current limit and the Police should have more important things to do than set traps to catch people doing 80mph! Sounds like a sensible suggestion from a politician for once, so I say - good show and about time

Makes no odds, if the public have access by payment or otherwise it is a public road/place.

IIRC:-

The definition of what is (and is not) a highway for the purposes of the Road Traffic Act specifically mentions that all it requires is the presence of the general public, irrespective of whether payment was made to obtain access.

So most Porsche drivers will only be 40-50mph over the limit instead of 50-60

Baring in mind that lorries will still be limited to 56mph and minibuses will still be limited to 62mph, I'll stay with them in the driving lane (no.1) and continue to do about 60mph while getting over 70mpg.

The only problem I can see with people going faster is bigger speed differences between vehicles on the same road.

But lots of people do 80mph already... so unless they now decide 90mph is non-policable as it's only 10mph over the limit we should be OK.

Hardly anyone has gone over the increased number of 20 limits, which actually are a damn good idea, especially in towns and villages, and especially housing estates.

We do need to have 'variable' speed limits according to weather conditions. I regularly have seen morons doing at a rough guess around the ton in heavy rain on motorways. Prats like these do need removing from the road, and one thing that is dangerous on motorways, and many of you will have observed this.. Lorries with barely a fag paper between them, sat on cruise control at 56. These guys are supposed to be professionals!

True FM, I like the system in Europe where you have greater speed limits than the UK, but lower ones if it's raining.

Well I'm all for it.

And a 60/65 limit in the rain.

Well, what is that supposed to achieve? I've driven on soaking wet roads in bright, sunny weather, and on bone dry ones when it was raining hard enough to need slow wipers.

Slow down when your visual range is impared, not because of some arbitrary decision that $weather_condition requires it.

Hardly anyone has gone over the increased number of 20 limits, which actually are a damn good idea, especially in towns and villages, and especially housing estates.

<cite needed> Note that absense of evidence (increased numbers of prosecutions) is not evidence of absense (drivers exceeding 20mph limits where doing so does not risk damaging their vehicle).

I think the proposed limit is fine, but if we want to drive a bit slower from time to time, it will be necessary to tighten up on lane discipline, otherwise the speed differential between cars pulling out to overtake the middle lane hugger at "50", and cars already doing 80 might be a bit of a problem.

Continental motorways have drivers with much better manners, they overtake and pull back in pretty much straight away.

We could learn from them.

Hardly anyone has gone over the increased number of 20 limits, which actually are a damn good idea, especially in towns and villages, and especially housing estates.

Errrrrrr......I invite you to watch the "20mph" limit on the road outside my shop!! Was a 30mph and we had lots of problems with speeding......now a 20mph limit with big signs and big 20 on the tarmac itself.......1 year on and still major problems with people speeding up it at over 30mph!! (road is main High Street which is "uphill facing" with one way only traffic turning onto it from a 30mph "A" road). And they still don't indicate when turning onto the road (as least 60% don't)!

Complain to the police and they turn up in bright yellow coats to do speed checks and every one slows down as they can spot them a mile away...so the police say there is no problem as they didn't see anything when they did speed checks.....AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH.....

I'd be happy to bring the UK in line with the continent ,like France - 130kph on the motorway dropping to 110kph in bad weather. As mentioned above, their lane discipline is much better than ours, as most people seem to think there is a fast lane, a slow lane and the lorry lane in the UK......

And as for the number of people who don't know what the speed limit is for the area they are driving in, or even what the national speed limit sign means, is beyond belief (I used to teach qualified drivers to ride 500cc motorbikes and would to test their knowledge before I would take them out)

I quite often sit back and watch the general public as I drive with the lorries. Much more relaxing, and when you spend so much time behind the wheel, I can't be bothered with 'fighting' with the stupid *********ers in the right hand lane who think they own it....(maybe they do - quite often they have to pay heavily for the privilege - £400+ per year vehicle excise duty, whilst they sprint from petrol station to petrol station....)

Well, what is that supposed to achieve? I've driven on soaking wet roads in bright, sunny weather, and on bone dry ones when it was raining hard enough to need slow wipers.

Slow down when your visual range is impared, not because of some arbitrary decision that $weather_condition requires it.

Plenty. The only thing worse than the stupidity exercised by some drivers on dry roads with good visibility is the same people driving the same way on wet roads/in the rain/otherwise poor conditions.

I quite often sit just back from a lorry doing 55-60mph on the motorway. Obviously everyone has mad days but I can't justify thrashing down the motorway at 80-90 everyday. At around 60mph I easily achieve over 60-65mpg on a journey! Most the time you catch up with them in hold ups anyway!!!

Call me cynical, but I think it's a feel good factor publicity stunt. Let's face it, all they given us so far is bad news and u turns - had to get that one in on a motoring thread

i dont think it matters what the speed limit is tbh, there will still be some cretin in the middle lane doing 50mph

True FM, I like the system in Europe where you have greater speed limits than the UK, but lower ones if it's raining.

I quite like Germany's system (not had the pleasure of driving in France).

No lorry over taking on some stretches of roads in peak hours (lifted around junctions), unlimited speeds although mostly now only between 2300 & 6am on most of the Autobahn network, coupled with enforced speed and tailgaiting cameras, fining poor lane discipline and reduced speeds in hazardous conditions.

per 1,000 people their accident rate is similar to ours. Speaks volumes to me.

And as one of the audience on BBC TV Question-Time pointed out higher fuel consumption will raise more fuel duty revenue for HMG.

If they raise it to 80, most modern cars (At least 1.4s and above) are easily capable of reaching this speed.That will mean everybody will barrel along as if 85/90 is 80. Whilst the cars are new that's OK, but what happens when they start getting a bit older, will they still be mechanically safe at this speed ? Especially when the same department is considering loosening the MOT regulations and extending the period before the first MOT is required.

Just imagine most traffic rolling past slip roads at 85 - you'll need launch control just to get on the motorway. And our motorway road surfaces are not the smoothest or best maintained.

Nick

Edited 30 September, 201114 yr by Clunkclick

Just imagine most traffic rolling past slip roads at 85 - you'll need launch control just to get on the motorway. And our motorway road surfaces are not the smoothest or best maintained.

Nick

It won't be any different - you will still get the lorries tailgating each other at 56mph not letting you on the motorway :no: