Bad Drivers

stephen77

frugal_mike wrote: »

Yes, these signs are so generally ignored that they are often impossible to obey. If I drove at 10mph on a clear motorway where everyone else is doing 70mph then I would be recklessly endangering my life and everyone else's. I've never seen one as low as 10mph before though, normally about 40mph.

You just have to look well ahead and make sure there is a big gap between you and the car in front.

It was a section of road where they do have speed camera on some of the overhead gantries, the people going past me obviously new the one with 10mph did not have the speed camera on.
It was not the flashing orange ones at the side. It was the speed limits in the red circle.
I have drove along the stretch of the road in the day and everyone does follow them. The people who do not get flashed.

It was the only time I have ever seen 10mph and only on one gantry as well. Rest were 40mph and 50mph. It caught me by surprise. It did feel dangerous, I was going faster before this sign so its only when I slowed down did I realise a few cars were ignoring that sign.

Fishingtime

Ilona wrote: »

What do you class as a goods vehicle? Van, pickup? I class a lorry as a goods vehicle, and that is 40mph.
Ilona

I drive a 7.5 ton lorry that is 33 feet long and 12 feet high should I travel at 40mph ? Even though the law states I can travel at 50 mph

Altarf

frugal_mike wrote: »

The quote from the highway code said especially slow moving vehicles, so clearly applies to all vehicles that have a queue forming behind them.

Don't be ridiculous.

If your daft definition was correct, then the police could charge every lorry driver with careless driving, if they drove within the speed limit, yet didn't pull over every mile or so to let traffic past.

Are you really suggesting that?

Jamie_Carter

stephen77 wrote: »

how long do they take to update?
But they should update more update more quickly when the obstacle is long gone and the limit is so slow. Would have not been bad as being a 50mph. But 10mph.

They have to receive confirmation from the police/highways agency that the obstacle has been cleared. Or it could be a case that the limit is imposed ready for changes in the road works.

Jamie_Carter

Fishingtime wrote: »

I drive a 7.5 ton lorry that is 33 feet long and 12 feet high should I travel at 40mph ? Even though the law states I can travel at 50 mph

You should know the speed limits for the vehicle you drive before setting off: https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

Jamie_Carter

Altarf wrote: »

Don't be ridiculous.

If your daft definition was correct, then the police could charge every lorry driver with careless driving, if they drove within the speed limit, yet didn't pull over every mile or so to let traffic past.

Are you really suggesting that?

And they can do if the LGV driver doesn't drive with due care and attention for other road users.

Do you hold an LGV license?

Norman_Castle

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishingtime
I drive a 7.5 ton lorry that is 33 feet long and 12 feet high should I travel at 40mph ? Even though the law states I can travel at 50 mph

You should know the speed limits for the vehicle you drive before setting off: https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

You can call me Miss Marple if you want, but I expect he knows the answer:)

frugal_mike

Altarf wrote: »

Don't be ridiculous.

If your daft definition was correct, then the police could charge every lorry driver with careless driving, if they drove within the speed limit, yet didn't pull over every mile or so to let traffic past.

Are you really suggesting that?

Perhaps you have not read or do not understand the purpose of The Highway Code. It's not a list of laws which you can be arrested for breaking. It's a collection of guidelines, only some of which are derived from prosecutable legislation.

From this link:

Many of the rules in The Highway Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. See an explanation of the abbreviations.

Although failure to comply with the other rules of The Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see The road user and the law) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.

And guideline 169 reads:

Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

So no, I definitely did not suggest that truck drivers should (or even could) be prosecuted for driving lower than the speed limit. It clearly could be a factor in finding them liable if there was an accident because they were holding up a long queue of traffic

My 'daft' definition can be interpreted directly from guideline 169, which clearly does not limit itself to 'slow moving' vehicles. It's not a 'law', but a rule designed to increase safety and promote consideration of other road users. It also becomes more important the slower the lead vehicle is travelling, hence why it 'especially' applies to slow moving vehicles.

Perhaps you don't agree with the highway code, or maybe you were just using hyperbole to try and make me look 'daft'?

martinthebandit

The bottom line is, if you are not driving the same way as you drove when you passed your test you are a bad driver. No ifs, no buts.

That's it really, how much nicer would driving be if everyone drove properly?

Fishingtime

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

You should know the speed limits for the vehicle you drive before setting off: https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

I do know the speed limit for the vehicle I drive.