driving slow : your views ?

Iceweasel

AdrianC wrote: »

It would be cruel of me to link to a very recent thread.

Oh ma gawd - I've seen the thread you mean. :rotfl:

Like this one it's still running.

Crabman

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

How can you punish someone that's already dead?

Maybe by punishing them before they kill themselves and take innocent lives with them.

Of course, this requires trained traffic police, whose numbers have been cut by an average of 50% across the UK.

AdrianC

messes wrote: »

AdrianC wrote: »

Ah, yes, that was the bit I was waiting for you to mention. So, probably, a minority of NSL roads. Even a minority of _straight_ bits of NSL road.

I don't know where you live but in my area there are loads of NSL roads where you can see sufficiently to maintain the speed limit through the bends. (presuming the car is capable)

You could go even faster on the straight bits.

Yes, there are "loads" round here, on the Herefordshire/Powys borders, too. But "loads" is a long way from "all". If you look at the actual number of miles of NSL road, "loads" is a heck of a long way from anything approaching "majority". Same where I used to live, on the Bucks/Herts borders close to the M25. LOTS of very rural narrow back NSL lanes there, too.

Norman_Castle

sma11person wrote: »

I don't lack patience. I just want to get from A to B in reasonable time. If A to B is going to take 2 hours, but someone in front drives 15mph under the posted limit, that's going to add considerable time to my already long journey. Its highly unlikely that on a two hour journey you will be delayed for the whole journey. Realistically, following a slower driver for a few miles will add a few minuits. Or about as long as it takes to stop for a whizz. I was taught to drive as close to the speed limit as possible, because driving slower is considered to be driving without due consideration for other road users, and would be a failure on test.You were taught to pass a test. I expect you were also taught not to exceed the 30mph speed limit. Do you stick to that.? It's also an offence o drive slower, and drivers can be pulled over for it. Slower than what?. The speed limit?. On a NSL road 15mph below the limit is not an offence The people driving too slowly should be either made to take extra lessons until they can drive properly and appropriately to conditions, or forced to give up driving. Action is taken against slow drivers, but simply driving at below a speed limit doesn't define a driver as too slow.

I can overtake without crashing when it's safe to do so. If other road users are driving to road conditions, no one else should need to overtake.

Very few people need to overtake.

messes

AdrianC wrote: »

messes wrote: »

AdrianC wrote: »

Ah, yes, that was the bit I was waiting for you to mention. So, probably, a minority of NSL roads. Even a minority of _straight_ bits of NSL road.
Yes, there are "loads" round here, on the Herefordshire/Powys borders, too. But "loads" is a long way from "all". If you look at the actual number of miles of NSL road, "loads" is a heck of a long way from anything approaching "majority". Same where I used to live, on the Bucks/Herts borders close to the M25. LOTS of very rural narrow back NSL lanes there, too.

I'm in no way suggesting "all" NSL can be travelled continuously at 60, or that if the view \ conditions dictate a lower speed then that speed should not be reduced. I see no point in arguing the difference between "loads" and "all" with you.

hgotsparkle clarified sufficiently that their speed depended upon conditions.


The point of this thread is regarding drivers who choose not to attain the maximum legal speed when all other conditions are favourable.


My point is that every road should been taken upon it's own merit and speed determined by what can be seen to be a safe and legal speed. That the OP perhaps is not able to make such judgements sufficiently well due to a lack of observation affecting their confidence and some curious ideas about safety due to their own feelings when driving.

matttye

If everybody drove slower, the roads would be a much safer place. Nobody can deny that. Unfortunately that's not going to happen though, and driving slower than the posted speed limit even when it's safe to drive at that posted speed limit, is simply going to make you an obstruction for other drivers who are driving at the posted speed limit.

In other words - you become a hazard even to those people who are doing nothing wrong - i.e. by driving at the speed limit in good conditions!

For everyone saying they're "speed limits not speed targets"; this is true, but this simply means that you shouldn't have to drive at the speed limit in all conditions. E.g. I've driven in some "extreme" rain (rated extreme on the BBC website) and driven at 25 in a 60 because I could hardly see anything even with my wipers on full speed. I have no doubt I'd have had a serious collision if I'd driven at 60.

If conditions are good, there is no good reason not to drive at the speed limit.

matttye

IanMSpencer wrote: »

That would be the same person who is doing 35mph ahead of me in a 40mph and carries on doing 35mph in the 30. Happens every day.

That annoys me so much. :mad:

30mph is the most important speed limit the majority of the time, IMO, because it's usually in built up residential areas - i.e. where you're most likely to hit a pedestrian. I never speed through such areas, but have no issues travelling at 80mph on the motorway.

Almost every day I'll see someone doing 40-45mph through a 60mph zone on my way home from work. It then goes to 40mph and then to 30mph as you come into my village. The person will just stick at the 40-45mph speed through all three speed limits and then zoom through the village.

I saw someone say once that a lot of people think that 40mph is a "global speed limit" and I see that almost every day!

AdrianC

matttye wrote: »

If everybody drove slower, the roads would be a much safer place. Nobody can deny that.

<waves> I will.

I'd FAR rather share the roads with people driving faster, but with greater awareness of their surroundings. That WOULD make the roads safer. Reducing speeds without increasing awareness helps not one bit. Worse than that, people often reduce their awareness as they reduce their speeds. Just look at the driving standards on motorways on weekends and bank holidays versus weekdays for proof of that.

matttye

AdrianC wrote: »

<waves> I will.

I'd FAR rather share the roads with people driving faster, but with greater awareness of their surroundings. That WOULD make the roads safer. Reducing speeds without increasing awareness helps not one bit. Worse than that, people often reduce their awareness as they reduce their speeds. Just look at the driving standards on motorways on weekends and bank holidays versus weekdays for proof of that.

You can deny it all you like, but at slower speeds people have more time to react and the resulting collision will be less severe as well.

Let's pretend that everyone kept their exact driving ability and level of concentration, but reduced their speeds by 20%. HOW could that result in more accidents?

You're attributing accidents to the loss of concentration rather than loss of speed, but you're making a bit of a leap there.

AdrianC

matttye wrote: »

Let's pretend that everyone kept their ... level of concentration

I love such blind optimism.

You're attributing accidents to the loss of concentration rather than loss of speed, but you're making a bit of a leap there.

Perhaps, but it's one borne out by figures which the Police released a few years ago, compiled from on-scene accident investigation reports. They found that somewhere south of 10% of all collisions had speed in excess of the limit as a (not the sole) cause, with excess speed for the conditions a bit higher. The largest single causes, by a huge gap, were inattention and failure to look.

Unfortunately, those figures - rather than being updated regularly, which would've been nice - were promptly "lost" in a redesign of the Gov't website that they were on. Probably because they were so inconvenient to the desired message.