Police speed traps!

[NS215]

What is the point of exceeding the speed limit, can someone please explain

Not to difficult to explain really, would have thought most people would understand the physics behind it.

THE QUICKER YOU GO, THE QUICKER YOU GET THERE

you really needed that explaining??????

(I don't condone speeding and very rarely speed myself as my van does 75mph flat so tend to cruise around like i've got all day, any more than cruising and the van is revving too much and supping too much fuel)

 

[Steve]

Theres a place nearby where the limit changes from 60 to 30. All fine, and I'd gladly go down to 30. However, there is that stupid road surface as you approach the 30 limit, designed to make you want to slow down, that vibrates your car.

The theory is drivers will slow down, but I know better than this. Go over it at 50+, and you and your car will hardly feel it. Go over it at 30 at your peril - your car will shake itself to pieces and doing this daily will damage your suspension and other parts of your car. Its like they are rewarding drivers for speeding. Madness. Of course, I slow right back down when I've passed it.

 

[breezer]

THE QUICKER YOU GO, THE QUICKER YOU GET THERE

nice theory, it doesn't work in practice. all it really does is get you to the next traffic queue quicker

but "just for the hell of it" next journey you make, note milometer reading and time. when you arrive at destination do same again and divide one into the other to see you average speed, its amazing how slow it can often be.

 

[kevindgas]

Why 35 and not 30, what do you gain by the extra 5mph

3 points and a £60 fine usually

picked up 7 points in 6 days a few years ago motorway and dual carriageway
try to be a bit more laid back these days as i realised that a 200 mile journey took 3 3/4 hours at 70 - 100 miles an hour and 4 1/2 at the right speed and guess what i was not stressed when i took more time

 

[Mike2007]

4 1/2 hours driving at the correct speed with your full attention on driving? NO phone calls, NO sandwiches, NO adjusting radio stations or changing a CD?? These are all dangerous.

Well its an offence to break the speed limit, but there seems to be a virtual evangelical approach to keeping within it.

I don't intentionally speed, that is what people seem to have wrongly read!

 

[JonoPashley]

Alot of people get caught out because of Vans not based on cars carrying a different speed limit.

 

[crystal ball]

take note of breezers post, its not too difficult really unless you are unable to understand the physics, so you might get there quicker, so what and at what cost and why

I need that explaining

 

[kevindgas]

4 1/2 hours driving at the correct speed with your full attention on driving? NO phone calls, NO sandwiches, NO adjusting radio stations or changing a CD?? These are all dangerous.

i never suggest i was perfect just saying speeding only added to the frustration
never take phone calls whilst driving (hate the phone at the best of times)
sandwiches ?(Mcdonalds was on route )

changing radio /cd not me officer

 

[Donkmeister]

Surely it's just a matter of checking the little clock behind the steering wheel from time to time... if the needle's gone too far clockwise, you reduce pressure on the right foot... or am I missing something?

My car *wants* to go about 35mph in 30 zones, so I just do 27-28 most of the time as it's happy doing that. Hell, if you're that concerned, just put your handbrake on a couple of clicks, it acts like a sort of cruise control

It gets frustrating because lots of speed limits are highly inappropriate - often set because of a nervous council employee or a busy body who moved to a busy country lane and then decided they didn't like the traffic. I hate that. But, I obey the limits because I know if I get caught there is little excuse in "Sorry officer, I thought that was just a JOKE speed limit sign!". In 20 limits I invariably get overtaken by someone who hates the limit more than me.

There's three types of people:
1) those who believe any speeding, anywhere, any time is terrible and warrants being rogered with a red hot poker
2) those who believe moderate speeding is safe on the open road but carries a risk of fines
3) those who believe any speed they drive is fine and everyone else should do that speed too (but not down THEIR street whilst THEIR children are playing, are you mad?!)

 

[securespark]

If you don't speed you will not get fined / pulled over.

Not quite! Read my story about being pulled over on the motorway. I'm dam sure that if I could not have proved my vehicle could not have been doing that speed, I would have been prosecuted.

After all, the 20/20's are well known for being unreliable...

http://www.speedcameras.org/speed-camera-news-article-print.php?id=117

 

[AndrewSchofield]

There are drivers that have no awareness of other drivers at all (regardless of their low speed), like the coffin dodgers you see everywhere.

I agree Mike - i think there are many more dangerous drivers on the road than those who occasionally go a few mph over the limit. I parked up in town earlier this week in a road side parking space on a one way street. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anything was coming before crossing the road - only to have to jump back on to the pavement to avoid a bloke who must have been 70+ who'd obviously not seen the two huge 'No Entry' signs and the 'NO ENTRY' painted on the road and was quite happily going the wrong way. Now no doubt he didn't get caught but i'd hazard a guess he thinks he's a safe driver and i'd also guess he's more of a danger to other road users than I am.

I stick to speed limits because i know the one time i don't - i'll get caught. But, out of built up areas, i do so begrudgingly and i think that a lot of speed limits are un reasonably low. 30mph in towns and villages and even 20 near schools and on housing estates is fine. But 40 or 50 on wide, straight open roads is, in my opinion, unnecessary. On my 12mile journey to work each day, I regurlalry get overtaken by people when i'm doing dead-on or 1-2mph over the limit.

 

[Estrella]

I speed daily. On motorways/dual carriageways I usually sit at around 80/85. In built up areas I do keep to the limit, but on the open road I gun it, and have done so since I passed my test 20 years ago.

I think the motorway speed limits are a joke and should be revised.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Just as a token bit of useless information that is connected with this thread - yesterday (12th March) was the 74th anniversary of the introduction of the 30mph speed limit in built up areas - something you probably didn't know five minutes ago!! And if that comes up in the pub quiz this weekend.....

 

[Mike2007]

Today I made a brilliant attempt at keeping under ALL speed limits!
I also make a great attempt at counting any vehicle going over the speed limit. I lost count my lunch and made a guess that I was in the 20% that remained under the limit.

Those under the limit eg.
Truckers.
Coaches.
Old People.
Middle aged women.
Executives.(50 grand cars)

Amazing that the law abiding drivers frequent DIYnot so much. Or is it that the DIYnot speeders keep stum!
So the penalties are not working. What next, ban ice cream vans and footballs to reduce accidents??

 

[Shytalkz]

Speedos overrestimate by around 10%, by EC Directive. Put Road Angel in your car and you'll see a far more accurate speed reading. It clearly is accurate, as I use it to go through cameras without ever tripping them.

Althought the plod who pulled me for driving on cruise control at 72mph on both RA and SatNav with speedo indicating 78 refused to believe me. But then he also reckoned his van had a calibrated speedo, but fudged the issue of showing me it for that particular day and sent me on my way (With the clichéd "I believe in giving everyone a fair crack of the whip, sir..." speech as his parting shot, needless to say).