Govt announce increased speed limits.

SailorSam

There has been an annoncement today that the speed limits for HGVs on some roads is to be increased.
I know we've had threads about the need to increase speed limits and many will see this as a good thing.
But i still believe speed kills, if you are in an accident you've got more chance coming out unhurt if you're going slower.

http://www.fta.co.uk/media_and_campaigns/press_releases/2014/20140724_fta_backs_hgv_speed_limit_increase_on_single_carriageway_roads.html

BeenThroughItAll

Good idea in theory to reduce the differential between cars and HGVs, but bearing in mind so many drivers seem to think the national speed limit on a single carriageway road is 40MPH anyway, this wont' help. We'll still end up with frustrated drivers who would like to travel at the actual speed limit performing dangerous overtakes on doddery-Doris trundling along in her Micra at 37MPH.

peter_the_piper

I've rarely followed an hgv on the A21 doing less than 50 when going North, towards Hastings they do go slower as loaded.

sh0597

I've never known an HGV stick to the 40 limit anyway.

photome

peter_the_piper wrote: »

I've rarely followed an hgv on the A21 doing less than 50 when going North, towards Hastings they do go slower as loaded.

sh0597 wrote: »

I've never known an HGV stick to the 40 limit anyway.

Guessing neither of you have followed a Tesco wagon who religously stick to 40 all the way along the A47 which is a right pain

Horseunderwater

They do that because their tacho's are checked by tesco's & if over, will lose their job. Besides which it is the current speed limit on all single carriageways for them.
What used to annoy me as a PCV driver is that I would be behind one or more with cars in front but also behind lorry, when a numpty speed freaking car driver would try & over take me not realising it was not me holding them up at all & I would need to brake so they could get in. Always on the A11 last non dualled bit.

Gloomendoom

SailorSam wrote: »

But i still believe speed kills, if you are in an accident you've got more chance coming out unhurt if you're going slower.

Why not start a petition reinstate the Locomotive Act 1865?



Or even better, reduce the speed limit to zero and ban reverse.

Joe_Horner

SailorSam wrote: »

But i still believe speed kills, if you are in an accident you've got more chance coming out unhurt if you're going slower.

If you hit me at 30mph I have a 20% chance of living
If you hit me at 20mph I have an 80% chance of liviing
Please just stop trying to hit me!

Nodding_Donkey

And if you are doing 50 you will be gone before I cross the road

marlot

According to a Department for Transport study, Contributory Factors to Road Accidents, 2005, the main causes of accidents are as follows:

• Failure to look properly – 18%
• Failure to judge another person's path/speed – 10%
• Being careless, reckless or in a hurry – 9%
• Poor turning/manoeuvring – 8%
• Loss of control – 8%
• Going too fast for conditions – 7%
• Slippery road – 6%
• Following too close – 4%
• Sudden braking – 4%

Richard53

SailorSam wrote: »

But i still believe speed kills, if you are in an accident you've got more chance coming out unhurt if you're going slower.

Speed doesn't kill, otherwise the Space Shuttle would have a 100% fatality rate. What kills is speed that is inappropriate for the conditions. As has been said many times, sometimes 120 on a motorway is perfectly safe, and 15 mph in a busy town is criminally dangerous.


I would agree that in an accident, the faster the vehicles are travelling, the more risk of death and serious injury. But speed doesn't cause accidents in and of itself - it's the use of inappropriate speed that does that.


Perhaps this is splitting hairs, but the 'speed kills' mantra has resulted in a lot of stupid and ineffective measures that have served to alienate many reasonable people, while doing precisely nothing to reduce casualties.