Does anyone think the speed limits, in Britain are generally too low?

Question

Obviously, near schools, speed limits should be low, but generally on British roads, do you think the speed limits are too low?

Answer 1

Here are some facts:



Motorways are the safest roads in Britain. They also have the highest average speed.

75% of all road accidents in this country occur at less than 30mph.

You are four times more like to cause an accident because you don't know where you are going, than a driver who is exceeding the speed limit by 10mph.

(Source: T.R.L.)



The motorway speed limit is too low. However, it's debatable whether the speed limits on other roads are too low.



"The limits are there for a reason they aren't just numbers pulled out of a hat"

Actually, you are wrong.

The motorway speed limit WAS pulled out of a hat. Between 1958 and 1965, Britain's motorways had no speed limits at all. It was only after 'speed testing' of cars like the Jaguar E-Type, the Ford GT-40 and the AC Cobra resulted in some horrific crashes, that a speed limit was introduced.

It was set at 70mph totally arbitrarily, with NO research or consultations taking place.

Answer 2

There are two main arguments against raising speed limits - safety and environmental impact.



Re. safety, higher limits would only be practical if they were accompanied by a significant rise in the standard of driving skills. If the driving test was made more rigorous and had to be re-taken at intervals, and if driving bans were used much more often for offences, so the incapable or deliberately dangerous drivers were taken off the road, then higher speed limits on motorways and some other main roads could be introduced with no additional hazards. However the motor industry have always lobbied against this as it would lead to a significant fall in sales of cars, etc.



However higher speeds also mean more fuel is consumed and more land is taken up and more costs involved in building roads fit for higher speeds (e.g. with footbridges where pedestrian paths cross roads, as traffic becomes too fast for it to be safe to just walk across).

Answer 3

I`m driving on a motorway, I turn off and join a country road with a NSL. This road is more prone to accidents than the motorway (?)

I am driving on a motorway at 70 and being continually overtaken by drivers doing 80/90/100 MPH.

Car performance has increased ten fold over the last 10 years but driver ability still be seemed to be based on speed . ` Drive at a speed appropriate to the speed and traffic conditions` seems to have gone out of the window.

Answer 4

I think people habitually exceed the speed limits, especially where there is a low risk of being caught.



I wonder what the effect would be if the speed limit increased, as people would still exceed it. As roads, corners and junctions are designed for a certain speed, increase the limit and the people speeding will probably become dangerous very very quickly.



So, if the 30mph speed limit was increased to 40mph, people would add another 7mph an be traveling close to 50mph. Have a look at your local road system and see if you think that would be a good plan. Can you emerge from junctions? Can people brake? Can the corners still be negotiated at that speed?



What about people who exceed the speed limit by 20%? People who like to drive fast? They would be going close to 60mph in a built up area.

Answer 5

In general they are about right. On the continent the "motorway" limit is often 130k/85 mph, but there is much less traffic on the roads where that is allowed. The issue I have is people who drive at the speed limit where its totally inappropriate, 30 through my estate is far too much, but its legal, and there are roads nearby with national limit of 60, where 40 would be right.. Note: I'm not "Captain Slow", I do drive fast, but not everywhere

Answer 6

Maybe a bit higher on motorways, but if it were 80 mph then it should be enforced, which it is not at present. I also get totally fed up with the boy racers who stay 10ft from my rear when I am doing 60mph on normal road ie speed limit 60mph. I have been overtaken by such people driving with one hand and using a mobile phone with the other. One time he had to pull in quickly as there was something coming...(oh yes, had the baseball hat on backwards !!) forced me off the road... No wonder we get all these enquiries about cheap insurance for 17 years olds.

Answer 7

They are too low on the motorways, i think the speed limits in towns and cities are ok, but 70mph on a motorway is a bit low, and no one actually sticks to it anyways.

Most countries in Europe have higher speed limits and worst roads and there are less accidents, most of the time it's the idiots driving the cars and not the speed limits that cause accidents.

Answer 8

Motorway limits are too low. They were set in the 60's when the average car would just about do 70 MPH top speed. They should be at least 90 limit.



Everywhere else is fine as it is. There have been campaigns to reduce the limit on rural NSL single carriage roads to 40, but this is unnecessary in my opinion. 60 is fine for these roads.

Answer 9

The subject of motorway speed limits is often discussed, with many people pointing to car technology - ABS brakes, Advanced chassis technology, Tyre ability etc etc but all that is ok but for one thing....There is about 100 times as many cars on the road !

Your 1966 Anglia may not have been too good on emergency braking from 60mph but odds were the next car to it was 100 meters away. You latest (dogs doodies) BMW may have every safety gadget there is, but when he's doing 90 or 100 mph on the M4 and needs to swerve or stop in an emergency situation, odds are there 50 other vehicles within 100 meters !

Driver reaction and common sense also have not improved. 70 is fine.

Answer 10

I would agree with you, BUT for the fact that I spend my days on the roads (motorbike instructor) and every day I see people who can't even manage to stay safe at or below the speed limits (I'm talking about car drivers, not my students!) let alone if they were higher! Maybe 30% of people could safely handle a 20% increase of all speed limits, about 50% or so of people are ok at the current speed limits, but at least 15-20% of people on the roads have no business travelling more than 10mph due to being completely inept or unable to concentrate or control their car properly.



Also, I'm sure a lot more people THINK they could handle higher speed limits than actually COULD handle them! 80mph on the motorway in good conditions, with a well maintained modern car is perfectly safe most of the time, but idiots in their cars which they barely bother to service, riding 10ft from the bumper of the car in front because they think their ABS makes them immortal, whining that the speed limit is 70mph instead of 90 or 100, are the entire reason there are speed limits!

Answer 11

The motorway speed limit of 70 mph makes perfect sense. Cars have to be designed for a maximum impact speed, and 80 mph is the industry standard. If the cars were designed for higher speed impacts the crumple zones would have to be stiffer to avoid complete crumple above 80 mph, and that means more deceleration force on the occupants at slower speeds. As cars are designed, 60 mph impacts are very survivable, 70 mph impacts are decently survivable, 80 mph impacts are poorly survivable and 90 mph impacts are widow-makers. There is nothing arbitrary about a 70 mph speed limit - it is the most expeditious sane choice.

Answer 12

After nearly getting run down last Saturday by someone using a mobile phone who didn't seem to notice that I was crossing the road before they had turned the corner, no I don't think the speed limits are too low.

Answer 13

There are certainly guidelines that avert velocity limits from being set too low purely for ticketing purposes. the limitations are set in accordance with the eightieth percentile of drivers, ie, how rapidly maximum human beings stress in that zone besides. 20% will stress unsafely quickly, and 20% so sluggish it is stupid, yet maximum each and all and sundry is contained in the middle. ninety 9% of velocity limits are set properly, compensating for safe practices. I propose you keep on with them and by no potential be in any such hurry.

Answer 14

i have driven over a million miles ..all continents ..what i know for sure is ..we have the best drivers anywhere in the world ..especially the older motorist ...and our speed limits are fine ...they work ..and our cops are not bad either ..what does worry me is the foreign lorry drivers ..in the old days when on a motorway a lorry would indicate to overtake but would wait till you were past before the lorry pulled out ...not any more ..most drivers are compromised by lorry`s more than any other type of vehicle ..but the cops should come down real heavy on the middle lane drivers..ADD if you want sheer driving hell ..try india ..4on a motorbike is common ...for every person killed in uk on roads ..50 die in india ....thats 100.000 a year

Answer 15

No, I got knocked over by a car doing 30, if it had been doing 40 I would not be here to give you this answer. The limits are there for a reason they aren't just numbers pulled out of a hat

Answer 16

our speed limits are fine i spent 5 years in germany going up and down the autobahns and most people do 70mph even when there are no limits

Answer 17

Seeing as people still die every week due to car accidents, it would seem impossible to complain that they're too low.