New Speeding laws as of April 24th

[smiffy]

How do you wipe your ass then?......

again, CD!

 

[andyglym]

Time for some perspective.

It's really simple - it's you that controls your right foot. The limit is clear. The consequences are clear.
Anybody who gets caught doing over 100 deserves what they get. Don't blame anyone else. Don't whinge fines have gone up.
Driving at speeds higher than conditions allow for the safety of others then you need to be parted from your money.

Anybody who has been unfortunate to knock somebody over in a 30 limit will understand why we have a 30 limit and why it should be enforced - rigorously. Pedestrians don't survive above that. Having had two girls step out without warning just feet in front of my car when I was doing 20 I can tell you exactly why anybody doing more than 35 should get a decent fine. The limit isn't there just to slow you down, it isn't there to get more money - it's there to stop people doing stupid things because they are selfish. I see drivers doing 70 in a 30 limit every morning. Rank stupidity. And this is on a road that's seen more than 10 killed and numerous serious accidents. All to save 20 seconds!!!

Using the roads isn't a right it's a privilege - for the sake of your children and your children's children, use it sensibly. If you're prepared to literally clean someone up off the bonnet of your car, then feel free to drive like a moron. The rest of us don't need you. The fines are there just for you.

The rest of us will be fine and will enjoy our cars.

Much of the money goes on providing people to clean up the consequences of speeding and aggressive or careless driving. Accidents cost tens of thousands upwards. Each major motorway incident also costs people and businesses hundreds of thousands. Frequently because of some moron with a heavy right foot.

Each fatality has a cost of circa £1,000,000. Not to mention the "knock on the door" from the Police

 

[andyglym]

The set speed limits and fines are two separate issues. Get caught speeding, you pay a fine. The fine is in my view an easy target by all governments as there will always be motorists so it's a reliable steady "income".

As for set limits ......

In reported road traffic accidents in 2015:

• road deaths decreased by 2% compared with 2014, falling to 1,732.
• the number of people seriously injured decreased by 3% to 22,137.
• there were a total of 186,209 casualties of all severities.
• 140,086 personal-injury road traffic accidents were reported to the police.

That's a lot of dead people and seriously injured people, not to mention all the angst it causes to family and others. Sure, they could restrict cars to 70mph but they could still do 70 in a 20 limit etc. They could also introduce a light bulb that would last forever, just not good for the economy. Bottom line is, the captain of the ship is in control and hence responsible for his/her actions. Nobody else to blame, even if he fine system seems unfair. We've all been lucky thus far (most of us, perhaps).

 

[TaffZee]

Wait lets put this into perspective, speed in a congested area should be punished, stands to reason,1965 the motorway speed limit of 70mph was imposed, 1965! 52 years ago how far have cars come in 52 years, but still using the 70mph limit, reducing the speed limits would save lives but how far are we willing to go.

 

[Redline]

The set speed limits and fines are two separate issues. Get caught speeding, you pay a fine. The fine is in my view an easy target by all governments as there will always be motorists so it's a reliable steady "income".

As for set limits ......

In reported road traffic accidents in 2015:

• road deaths decreased by 2% compared with 2014, falling to 1,732.
• the number of people seriously injured decreased by 3% to 22,137.
• there were a total of 186,209 casualties of all severities.
• 140,086 personal-injury road traffic accidents were reported to the police.

That's a lot of dead people and seriously injured people, not to mention all the angst it causes to family and others. Sure, they could restrict cars to 70mph but they could still do 70 in a 20 limit etc. They could also introduce a light bulb that would last forever, just not good for the economy. Bottom line is, the captain of the ship is in control and hence responsible for his/her actions. Nobody else to blame, even if he fine system seems unfair. We've all been lucky thus far (most of us, perhaps).

Doesn't matter how much you try Andy you can't get everyone on the same page. Spurious issues get drawn in so things not under discussion can be then used as an alternative argument. None of them alter the fact speed limits are there and remain unchanged but increasing numbers of drivers repeatedly and more regularly choose to ignore them and then claim immunity from the consequences. Maybe solution is they should see increased fines simply as a cost premium to get there more quickly than anyone else. Technically their situation hasn't changed - only the get there quicker cost has gone up. Their option to choose more wisely remains available.

 

[Ianmc]

Any law that the majority of people ignore is an ass.

 

[Tfp]

Any law that the majority of people ignore is an ass.

Would you prefer to see all speed limits abolished?

 

[andyglym]

Would you prefer to see all speed limits abolished?

Carnage me thinks. The minority don't have the intellect to be given such freedom

 

[Grumps]

Not wishing to go off topic here but isn't the use of mobile phones way more dangerous and widely abused!
These idiots need to sort their priorities out, they've just made the HUGE decision to raise the fine to £200 for f***ing about on Facebook while driving yet they are going to fine people hundreds for running 1 or 2 mph over the speed limit, really? Bet the morons that make these fantastic decisions aren't "average wage earners"!!! Says it all really doesn't it!

 

[Ianmc]

Of course not, the problem is that the currency is devalued. Almost everyone exceeds the 70mph limit on motorways (when it was introduced most cars wouldn't reach this cruising speed, now virtually all will). Hence the "value" of a (perhaps important, say near a school) 30mph limit is undermined. A number of limits in my area have been reduced recently (arbitrarily it seems, certainly without consultation) from national speed limits to 50 or 40mph which makes no sense - this is compounded by the fact that the changes are virtually unenforceable (unless you don't see a police car on your tail) - they are largely ignored by everyone. This situation encourages a "catch me if you can" attitude and alienates many otherwise law abiding people. As said earlier, the law with regard to speeding has become an ass.

 

[Grumps]

We have a stretch of road very near us. @Lee knows it as he stayed on it recently when him and Sam came to visit. It took a life the evening before they arrived and another last weekend. I was in a car helping a driver last year on the same section where the car had rolled landing on it's roof. He survived. We are campaigning for average cameras. Up to now they are not interested.

 

[Tfp]

Not wishing to go off topic here but isn't the use of mobile phones way more dangerous and widely abused!
These idiots need to sort their priorities out, they've just made the HUGE decision to raise the fine to £200 for f***ing about on Facebook while driving

They should have made it £500

Yes, speeding is annoying, but at least they're looking where they're going.

 

[TaffZee]

The top and bottom of it is that again the government is hitting the motorist, and using feeble excuses to do so:

1) Fuel Duty (they want to get cars off the road and people using public transport)
2) Diesel cars (as soon as they became popular they raised the price of duty on diesel putting extra costs on everyday living due to high transport costs)
3) Losing to much revenue on eco cars, so change the law and start charging for them by upping the Vehicle Taxation
4) And now the speeding price hike. (Speeding Kills) I know it does but solve the issue don't hide it with feeble excuses for extra revenue.

The speed limits need to be looked at within this country, the rest of Europe have an 80mph speed limit on motorways and 70mph during inclement weather, the 70mph limit on the motorways is in need of an urgent review. I would be happy with a 20mph speed limit in built up areas if this saved lives, I know that the laws are there so be prepared to face them if you ignore them, if you never break the speed limit in a 30mph 40mps area well done you, as I never break these speed limits, But always travel on motorways at 80mph which I don't feel is any more dangerous than traveling at 70mph as most cars are traveling at this speed now. They will never ever ever ever solve the problem with increased fines and points Why ignore technology that is cheaply and readily available to stop speeding cars in a few months if not weeks. Limits must be in place, but these need to be realistic as things have moved forward since they were introduced.

Frustration in my opinion kills more people on our roads than speeding drivers.

 

[Rha]

Mmmmmmmmn, Read somewhere that Bedfordshire police have been given the go ahead to increase the number of speed cameras to allow them to raise revenue for the shortfall in government funding this year. So there's your answer, unless all the new cameras are sited for safety reasons, ha ha ha, love to see where they've positioned them. Come on everyone, not hard to see what speeding fines are all about. Yes I do speed but hasten to say not in built up areas i.e. 20,30,40 limits, but the rest I'll do a quick evaluation to determine weather and how far over the limit I'm prepared to go, m/ways are the place where we've defo got it wrong,IMO the new fines won't work on the regular speeders, they'll just hope they don't get caught just like me. Does seem a bit fairer if earnings is in fact what it's all about, but then I would say that being a poor pensioner.lol.

RHA,Roy.

 

[t-tony]

I live in a quiet area which has a large problem with speeding motorists, they use our roads as cut throughs in the morning rush hour.

One road in particular which is a 30 limit, and I know of two fatals, has had chicanes fitted. It's made it more dangerous, the speeders still speed, and they're now speeding on the wrong side of the road coming at you trying to beat you round the chicane.

Now what really boils my weewee is that you never see the camera vans parked up on this road, they are sitting on dual carriage way flyovers where they can happily pick off a hundred speeders per day.

And the powers that be claim it's not for revenue/targets???

I've sat by this road and watched the speeders, and to my surprise it was mostly young ladies.

That last part does not surprise me one little bit.

Tony.

 

[ppavuk]

Somehow our German friends managing to survive with no limit on motorway. How they are so different?

 

[hard top]

Somehow our German friends managing to survive with no limit on motorway.

Yep, but when they have a good one, they have a good one and they do not get out of the wreck and walk away.
Not all autobahn's these days are without speed limits, and if you get caught going over them, you are in deep dog doodoo.

 

[Redline]

Somehow our German friends managing to survive with no limit on motorway. How they are so different?

There are lots of differences, not least the much much higher level of maintenance on the autobahn (and they have a £10k pa higher GDP each to help pay for it). Only 52% of autobahns are unrestricted with limits mainly around cities and urban areas. Driving standards in Germany however are considered much higher than the UK.

But, looking at safety, some areas of Germany have much higher death rates (per million population) than anywhere in the UK and higher overall compared to the UK which has the among the safest roads in Europe.
The number of deaths in Germany is much greater on unrestricted motorways than those with restrictions.
Germany has a 50% higher death rate per billion km travelled compared to the UK.
Its rate is also falling more slowly than most other european countries.

Just looking at motorways - Germany typically three times higher deaths pa than the UK and is considering a 75mph limit.

So is Germany safer?

 

[mwpe]

So is Germany safer?

View attachment 52373[/QUOTE]

No but it is much more fun.

 

[Sean d]

What is it with Eastern block countries, must all drive like nutters