how do I become more aware of speed limits

[Deleted User]

I have taken over driving our new car, husband died last week. My driving feels ok, considering he drove everywhere, I did used to drive a land rover and was good at reversing a trailer etc but that was 15 years ago. We have had diesel cars forever and now we have petrol, which is very different as I am getting used to the engine sounds and to the torque. I am 67

I am driving safely and am learning to use sat nav. The speed limits bother me, the ones that go from 60 down to 30. Sat nav shows the speed limits, sat nav is built in and I have to glance to the left, speed limit is shown in a circle. Trouble is that I don`t look down and left, unless I am not sure, I keep eyes on the road. A couple of times yesterday, the 30 limit didn`t register for a few seconds

Is there a simple device that gives a verbal warning for say, 30 and 40? That is all I want, I am not camera dodging, just wanting to be safe and to keep within the law

loskie

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/scotland/travel-lifestyle/driving---top-tips-for-older-drivers/

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadsafetyandsafesustainabletransport/roadsafetydrivertraining.htm


You don't say where you are in the country but sounds like your confidence would be restored with some refresher courses.

http://www.roadar.org/drivers/driving-assessments.htm


Good luck, I imagine it must be quite daunting being thrown straight into this but be brave and don't give up.

bowlhead99

Sat navs don't always have the up-to-date data about the particular stretch of road you're on, as these can change from time to time anyway, so using a satnav to judge the road limit is flawed.

What you need to do is learn to find out the limit by looking out of the window rather than looking down to the left or waiting for an audio prompt. The limit won't change from 60 to 30 without a red and white sign telling you, and you should know the limit for different types of roads in the absence of repeater signs.

If you're out of practice of driving, you might benefit from refresher lessons from a driving instructor. Ultimately you'll need to be self sufficient - and so an investment of a bit of cash and time with a professional would have more benefit than seeking out a new gadget which, if it exists, would not always be accurate and would become a crutch on which you relied rather than actually helping you improve your ability to the legal standard.

Driving schools have pupils of all ages and sitting in a car with someone patient showing you the ropes, even if you physically know how to turn the wheel and use the pedals, could be invaluable. They can focus on helping you be aware of your surroundings and roadsigns and other hazards you may be missing. Lessons are not just for people without driving licences, so no need to be embarrassed about asking for help.

Another thing to consider is that if you are missing roadsigns that tell your about limits, you're probably missing other things; could it be that your eyesight's deteriorated in the last 15 years without you really noticing? May be worth visiting an optician if you don't have a current prescription.

Perhaps it is just the stress of your recent loss, and lack of recent practice, that's making it difficult for you to concentrate on several things at once. This will pass with practice, if you practice with an instructor who can show you what to look out for, rather than listening for squawked instructions from a box. The squawk box is not going to tell you to watch out for that child running into the road, or there is a pothole that's closed the road, or a truck is going to start pulling out of its parking spot. So, whether or not you have a satnav screen in the car which knows some of the speed limits, relying on a box to tell you what to do is a really bad habit, and people were managing just fine without them for the last century before satnavs became popular.

Cornucopia

Exactly right. The SatNav is there as an aid to navigation, and that's only really needed on unfamiliar routes.

Driving is now much more about being aware of one's surroundings on the road than the practical task of getting from A to B.

If the SatNav is a distraction to that, I would turn it off.

You can determine the speed limit on a road without SatNav and without having seen the terminal signs.

If there are no [repeater] signs and it is in a built up area and there are street lights present (the street lights must be no more than 200 yard apart whether they are on the same or opposite sides of the road) the speed limit is 30mph.


If there are no street lights and it is not in a built up area (i.e. a country road) then the speed limit is 60mph...

[Deleted User]

they were good, helpful posts. Thank you, ok yes awareness is key and recognising the road side conditions. There is a good instructor in the village, ex police. I`ll see how I go in the next few days and go from there. Eyesight is fine, I have regular eye tests and wear glasses

I heard yesterday that 7 village people had been `caught` and had to go on awareness courses. That made me sit up and think

Sat nav is good and is not a distraction. I don`t look at the coloured screen, I just have a simple black and white arrow in front of me. I was never any good with directions so a voice telling me to turn left in 100 yards is nice, it helps me with my road concentration

I appreciate the comments, very valuable

AdrianC

kittie wrote: »

Is there a simple device that gives a verbal warning for say, 30 and 40?

As others have said, yes - and it's outside the car window. EVERY speed limit but the default has to have regular (every ten seconds, roughly) repeaters. If it's a 40 or a 50, there's no exceptions to that - there will be repeaters.

The default speed limit is 30 in urban areas (defined as regular streetlights) and 60 outside. If it's a dual carriageway, it's 70. Dual carriageway is nothing to do with the number of lanes, or whether there's a barrier in the middle. It's all about how many bits of tarmac there are. Simple rule of thumb: Could you stand on one verge and roll a ball across to the other side?

So - just a quick look out the window will tell you...
- Are there repeaters?
- If not, are there streetlights?
- If not, how many bits of tarmac?

From that alone, you can guarantee that you know the speed limit.

just wanting to be safe and to keep within the law

Remember that they are two very, very different things.

A refresher lesson would be a good plan, then go by what the instructor says. Get a copy of the highway code - or it's online - https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/highway-code - it's changed a lot since you passed your test, which I'll bet is the last time you looked at it...?

neilmcl

kittie wrote: »

I have taken over driving our new car, husband died last week. My driving feels ok, considering he drove everywhere, I did used to drive a land rover and was good at reversing a trailer etc but that was 15 years ago. We have had diesel cars forever and now we have petrol, which is very different as I am getting used to the engine sounds and to the torque. I am 67

I am driving safely and am learning to use sat nav. The speed limits bother me, the ones that go from 60 down to 30. Sat nav shows the speed limits, sat nav is built in and I have to glance to the left, speed limit is shown in a circle. Trouble is that I don`t look down and left, unless I am not sure, I keep eyes on the road. A couple of times yesterday, the 30 limit didn`t register for a few seconds

Is there a simple device that gives a verbal warning for say, 30 and 40? That is all I want, I am not camera dodging, just wanting to be safe and to keep within the law

Agree with what's been posted. A few driving refresher lessons may be a good idea.

Strider590

+1 for reading the newest highway code.

That or just buy a Peugeot and shout "maniac" at every other car you see

wiogs

AdrianC wrote: »

As others have said, yes - and it's outside the car window. EVERY speed limit but the default has to have regular (every ten seconds, roughly) repeaters. If it's a 40 or a 50, there's no exceptions to that - there will be repeaters.

The default speed limit is 30 in urban areas (defined as regular streetlights) and 60 outside. If it's a dual carriageway, it's 70. Dual carriageway is nothing to do with the number of lanes, or whether there's a barrier in the middle. It's all about how many bits of tarmac there are. Simple rule of thumb: Could you stand on one verge and roll a ball across to the other side?

So - just a quick look out the window will tell you...
- Are there repeaters?
- If not, are there streetlights?
- If not, how many bits of tarmac?

From that alone, you can guarantee that you know the speed limit.



Remember that they are two very, very different things.

A refresher lesson would be a good plan, then go by what the instructor says. Get a copy of the highway code - or it's online - https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/highway-code - it's changed a lot since you passed your test, which I'll bet is the last time you looked at it...?

Not heard that one before.

What does it mean if the answer is yes? And indeed if it is no?

BeenThroughItAll

wiogs wrote: »

Not heard that one before.

What does it mean if the answer is yes? And indeed if it is no?

If you can't there's a central reservation. That means a dual carriageway and unless posted otherwise the speed limit is 70MPH rather than 60MPH.


Note - having two lanes in each direction does not make a road a dual carriageway.

Cornucopia

Are there many of those left?