Why is speeding socially acceptable?

luckyduck83

maxmycardagain wrote: »

Driving 1000 miles to Spain via France on toll roads and saw fewer accidents than on the 5 miles of dual carriageway i use daily every morning......and fewer police cars

So toll booths are the answer? I don't understand your point.

fred246

Accidents on the autoroute will be different types. Blow outs. Falling asleep with cruise control on. Toll roads are normally quieter. UK people often think that paying tolls is normal driving in France, but the French hate them as much as anyone and French money savers will do large detours to avoid them.

onomatopoeia99

luckyduck83 wrote: »

Technically, you're correct. But if something were to go wrong, or a person were to run across the carriageway etc., you'd have less time to react and the resulting collision would be considerably more destructive.

In addition, there's the greatly increased noise for those that live and work nearby.

This was an empty motorway. If someone runs across the carriageway into 70mph traffic, they are dead. Outcome the same. If you want to set speedlimits on the basis of a pedestrian deliberately breaking the law and entering the carriageway of a motorway, you'd better set them at 10mph, and impose the same limit on mainline trains in case a child is walking down the tracks.

I can accept noise as an argument for (for example) the M4 at Chiswick which cuts straight through London in an elevated section and is limited to 50mph. not 70mph, but in the middle of rural Wiltshire as it goes through agricultural land less so.

fred990

When I'm running the country I would have a no speed limit weekend on the M25. Use it at your own risk, no emergency services will attend.
How long do you think things would run smoothly (if at all?). For the speeders would this prove that driving faster is better? I guess it would all be good as it would only attract 'good' drivers?
I'd go and watch from a safe distance!

Alanp

I have to stick to the speed limits in my works van, 50mph for me on A roads and 60/70, mph on dual carriageway and motorways, I have a tracker and camera fitted, I will get a phone call from my manager if I drive excessively over the limit, the abuse I get from other drivers is astounding, especially HGVs, who will try and intimidate me to driving faster,

motorguy

luckyduck83 wrote: »

Technically, you're correct. But if something were to go wrong, or a person were to run across the carriageway etc., you'd have less time to react and the resulting collision would be considerably more destructive.

In addition, there's the greatly increased noise for those that live and work nearby.

Agreed. And likewise if someone is driving at an inappropriate speed around say a school, then there are consequences when something goes wrong.

As i said, i live beside a primary school and its actually a 40MPH zone. Would it be appropriate to drive past that school at drop off time at 40MPH? No. Of course not. Hence why the limits are not what people should be basing their speed on.

Someone driving past that school at 40MPH at a drop of time is at far more risk of causing an accident than someone doing 80MPH on an empty motorway, even though the latter isnt breaking the law.

luckyduck83 wrote: »

If all this is your argument for not having speed limits, I don't agree. To allow the general public to decide on a whim how fast they feel they can go would be incredibly careless.

Where did i say i didnt want speed limits?

What i am pointing out is that speeding is not the issue - inappropriate speed is.

motorguy

fred990 wrote: »

When I'm running the country I would have a no speed limit weekend on the M25. Use it at your own risk, no emergency services will attend.
How long do you think things would run smoothly (if at all?). For the speeders would this prove that driving faster is better? I guess it would all be good as it would only attract 'good' drivers?
I'd go and watch from a safe distance!

You mean like in Germany where they have inrestricted autobahns? Isnt the accident rate actually lower?

Wouldnt you agree that when the speed limit was introduced on motorways @ 70MPH cars were running drum brakes, no airbags, no ABS and next to no safety features and little skinny tyres, whereas now cars are much safer? So why not increase the limit to say 80MPH?

Who has the great risk of crashing? Some 1966 Ford Escort 1.1 driving flat at out 70MPH OR a new Ford Focus with all its safety features driving @ 80MPH on the same road?

Robby1988

People tend not to obey laws when they a) they don't see the big deal b) they see little chance of getting caught.

It's 6 points and £200 for using your phone whilst driving now & yet you still see loads of people texting & browsing Facebook in traffic jams and at traffic lights. Why? They don't see the big deal & know there are virtually no chance of getting caught. Using your phone whilst driving is very stupid & selfish however, I've always considered it hysterical to extend that to insinuating that sending a quick text message at traffic lights is endangering lives, but sometimes laws have to be black & white to enforce.

On the flip side, drink driving is deemed socially unacceptable by virtually everybody because they KNOW that doing it is genuinely dangerous.

You can apply these examples to speeding. I'll admit that I do 35-40mph in most 30 zones all the time in normal conditions in my car because I don't consider it a big deal and just find it a more reasonable speed, however I won't speed past schools whilst kids are about etc. I will also rarely speed in 40mph roads in built up areas because i know doing much over that is pushing the limits of whats safe. In other words, I suppose what i'm saying is that I have a functioning brain and don't see the need to follow arbitrary speed limits like some sort of drone where they are too slow. If people want to plod along at 28mph on a wide open clear road thats up to them, but I don't and won't unless there is a camera.

Scrapit

agrinnall wrote: »

I'd rather ban you.

But you can't. And that's what matters. Glad I get to you though.;)

Guerillatoker

luckyduck83 wrote: »

It's possible to do both. I've managed it for 24 years without consequence.

Sticking to the speed limits does not remove the chances of having an accident - in fact, I'd be amazed if there's much evidence to say that speeding causes accidents.

Have you ever been involved in an accident?