Poll on rural speed limits
24 November 2009, 05:03 PM
#31
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I'm not sure that would help, though. Last night I drove home along some country roads which were soaking wet, covered in *very* slippery mud and leaf litter, and which had a lot of sharp bends and potholes - and I got tailgated by a Corsa.
The trouble with any speed limit is that if it's appropriate for one set of conditions, it won't be appropriate for others
The trouble with any speed limit is that if it's appropriate for one set of conditions, it won't be appropriate for others
24 November 2009, 06:05 PM
#32
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Hence why I said...
Originally Posted by Me
assess the road ahead, taking into account signs, markings, current conditions, knowledge of the area, traffic volume etc etc and make good and fast decisions as to how fast they can drive......some people have capabilities way in excess of that average, others only think they have, and some are well short of it
26 November 2009, 11:51 AM
#33
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Ignoring speed limits AND driving like ***** is a fatal combination. Driving like a **** at any speed is dangerous, but speeding in itself isn't necessarily dangerous. Again, it's all down to ability. Some people can assess the road ahead, taking into account signs, markings, current conditions, knowledge of the area, traffic volume etc etc and make good and fast decisions as to how fast they can drive, and that judgement may well see that decision being in excess of the posted limit. The limit after all is based on an average of what is considered to be safe for the majority of ordinary drivers. However, some people have capabilities way in excess of that average, others only think they have, and some are well short of it and know it.
Lewis Hamilton was just 21 when he started his F1 career, so dismissing the abilities of all young drivers is a bit narrow minded. Indeed, many teenagers I teach make for better drivers than the older people whom come to me for tuition. If applying any restrictions I would recommend there to be a way of side-stepping them by proving ability. My own preference would be to restrict novice drivers of any age to low powered cars with restricted passenger carrying capacity, such as Smart cars (the 2 seat ones), unless you choose to sit a more advanced test which proves you already have the ability to control larger, more powerful and faster vehicles.
Lewis Hamilton was just 21 when he started his F1 career, so dismissing the abilities of all young drivers is a bit narrow minded. Indeed, many teenagers I teach make for better drivers than the older people whom come to me for tuition. If applying any restrictions I would recommend there to be a way of side-stepping them by proving ability. My own preference would be to restrict novice drivers of any age to low powered cars with restricted passenger carrying capacity, such as Smart cars (the 2 seat ones), unless you choose to sit a more advanced test which proves you already have the ability to control larger, more powerful and faster vehicles.
What can the authorities do but to set speed limits that they expect the average driver to be able to cope with safely, but when those speed limits are exceeeded, they cannot sensibly make allowances for those who may think they have above average ability at the wheel and therefore don't feel bound by the speed limits.
Les
26 November 2009, 06:21 PM
#34
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Of course limits have to be set, and based on common sense. The way those limits are enforced is the problem these days. It's easy to spot a car that is being driven well, and even easier to see one being piloted by a total numpty. We used to have traffic police who were able to use discretion and make sensible decisions as to whether or not to pull, or indeed to penalise a driver they had observed. Cameras can never do that, and the way most of the current officers are trained, along with their motivation means that reasonable judgement based on observed behaviour is gone.
26 November 2009, 06:28 PM
#35
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What can the authorities do but to set speed limits that they expect the average driver to be able to cope with safely, but when those speed limits are exceeeded, they cannot sensibly make allowances for those who may think they have above average ability at the wheel and therefore don't feel bound by the speed limits.
Les
Les
However, these guidelines seem to have been thrown out of the window, with the government suggesting that the limits should be set for the average speed. This would potentially criminalise half the drivers on the road (and when they got banned, the next half
).You will always get people who think that they have "superior abilities", and lowering the limit to stupidly slow speeds won't affect their behaviour - but it will affect everybody else
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