[Travel] Bad news for petrolheads!

[Silverhatch]

Speed doesn't kill, but inappropriate speed really CAN kill. And as someone who's had a couple of very big circuit shunts (full roll bar/4 point harness etc.) I shudder at the thought of having a big off in a road car on any public highway - or circuit for that matter.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Scrap cars and this could turn into another monorail thread.

 

[GT49er]

It's always puzzled me why many people pour scorn on any car, even a basic family runabout, that can't go 100mph, when the speed limit is 70mph. Cars like 2CVs and Fiat 500s were objects of derision, even though they could travel at 70mph - yet manufacturers kept turning out cars capable of 100mph plus, even the likes of Nissan Micras.

One question though - I'd be interested to know if anybody has the answer. Up to a few months ago, yes, the motorway was 70, but there was a highly unofficial but widely accepted limit for all practical purposes of 80mph. I've been told that by service police officers too - if traffic was moving (in normal conditions) at 80mph they were quite happy about it. Travelling on motorways it was quite evident that nearly all the cars were doing about 80 (white vans a little more!) so I went 80mph too, just watched to make sure my speed didn't creep up to more than that.
Then, about 6 months ago, I set out on to the M5 and sped up to my usual 80 - and suddenly realised that nobody else was. Virtually every vehicle was doing a strict 70mph (OK, maybe 71 or 72, but not more) and so it has been on the motorway ever since (and I'm not talking about the bits covered by those variable speed limits). Was there some announcement that they were going to clamp down on people exceeding the 70mph limit, when most drivers had routinely been doing 80 or so for years, unpunished, and with the tacit consent of the police? I never heard or saw any such, but the change overnight was so dramatic as to be remarkable.

 

[GT49er]

I know Kalimantan has already answered this but do you really know of any examples where the speed limit for a motorway access road is 40mph?

I know of places where the slip road is of a curvature that makes much more than 40 pretty hairy; certainly, for lorries, speed when joining the motorway isn't going to be much over 40.

 

[Blue3]

This is long overdue but I do worry how it will work on the road alongside cars not fitted with this technology ie when overtaking

 

[Sorrel]

It will be enforced through insurance. Agree to the limiters otherwise your insurance costs will multiply.

 

[Stat Brother]

The only downside I can see to all cars being limited to 20 mph in urban areas is that Stat Bore would start a new thread every day on how many he had passed.

I don't need cars to be fitted with limiters for that.
I can do that now while all you sheepeople are sat in traffic jams convincing yourself your 3 mile journey is quicker by car.

 

[RandyWanger]

My car is limited. 155mph. German's gentleman's agreement. Tyres are rated to 186mph though as it's an easy workaround to remove the limited.

Japanese car's are limited to 115mph I believe, but again a very easy workaround to remove this.

We will all have trackers fitted by law no doubt. Saying that though, my other car is from the 70's, doesn't need an MOT, I don't pay tax on it and it doesn't go very fast. The future is a classic.

 

[Notters]

One big problem I can see with this is that IDIOTS will assume that it is safe to drive at the maximum possible speed the whole time and keep their foot on the accelerator whilst taking no notice of the prevailing conditions.

One question though - I'd be interested to know if anybody has the answer. Up to a few months ago, yes, the motorway was 70, but there was a highly unofficial but widely accepted limit for all practical purposes of 80mph. I've been told that by service police officers too - if traffic was moving (in normal conditions) at 80mph they were quite happy about it. Travelling on motorways it was quite evident that nearly all the cars were doing about 80 (white vans a little more!) so I went 80mph too, just watched to make sure my speed didn't creep up to more than that.
Then, about 6 months ago, I set out on to the M5 and sped up to my usual 80 - and suddenly realised that nobody else was. Virtually every vehicle was doing a strict 70mph (OK, maybe 71 or 72, but not more) and so it has been on the motorway ever since (and I'm not talking about the bits covered by those variable speed limits). Was there some announcement that they were going to clamp down on people exceeding the 70mph limit, when most drivers had routinely been doing 80 or so for years, unpunished, and with the tacit consent of the police? I never heard or saw any such, but the change overnight was so dramatic as to be remarkable.

This certainly hasn't happened on the M62.

 

[Eeyore]

It's always puzzled me why many people pour scorn on any car, even a basic family runabout, that can't go 100mph, when the speed limit is 70mph. Cars like 2CVs and Fiat 500s were objects of derision, even though they could travel at 70mph - yet manufacturers kept turning out cars capable of 100mph plus, even the likes of Nissan Micras.

One question though - I'd be interested to know if anybody has the answer. Up to a few months ago, yes, the motorway was 70, but there was a highly unofficial but widely accepted limit for all practical purposes of 80mph. I've been told that by service police officers too - if traffic was moving (in normal conditions) at 80mph they were quite happy about it. Travelling on motorways it was quite evident that nearly all the cars were doing about 80 (white vans a little more!) so I went 80mph too, just watched to make sure my speed didn't creep up to more than that.
Then, about 6 months ago, I set out on to the M5 and sped up to my usual 80 - and suddenly realised that nobody else was. Virtually every vehicle was doing a strict 70mph (OK, maybe 71 or 72, but not more) and so it has been on the motorway ever since (and I'm not talking about the bits covered by those variable speed limits). Was there some announcement that they were going to clamp down on people exceeding the 70mph limit, when most drivers had routinely been doing 80 or so for years, unpunished, and with the tacit consent of the police? I never heard or saw any such, but the change overnight was so dramatic as to be remarkable.

Yes. I was told that a car I was looking at only had a top speed of 98mph. I was confused as to how that was an issue.

 

[Uter]

Fewer accidents, less time taken up by the police and big savings for the NHS?

I think the benefits of fewer accidents has other savings too. E.g. Fewer repairs to damaged street infrastructure. Less spending on benefits/more tax revenue as a result of fewer people rendered disabled/unfit to work because of traffic accidents.

I wonder how much net revenue there is from speeding fines anyway once you factor in the cost of admin and purchasing and maintenance of speed cameras etc.

 

[Icy Gull]

Grab yourself a car before these restrictions come into play is my recommendtion, it’ll be years later that they ban cars that you drive yourself without big brother limiting how you drive.

 

[Weststander]

I think the benefits of fewer accidents has other savings too. E.g. Fewer repairs to damaged street infrastructure. Less spending on benefits/more tax revenue as a result of fewer people rendered disabled/unfit to work because of traffic accidents.

I wonder how much net revenue there is from speeding fines anyway once you factor in the cost of admin and purchasing and maintenance of speed cameras etc.

Huge net revenue. The data is transferred digitally, the cameras require very little maintenance. For example, there’s a single speed camera at Halland that rakes in £2.3m per annum.

 

[swindonseagull]

It will be enforced through insurance. Agree to the limiters otherwise your insurance costs will multiply.

Rubbish........it cant and wont be fitted to all cars retrospectively.

 

[Icy Gull]

Rubbish........it cant and wont be fitted to all cars retrospectively.

Classic car values to go through the roof or plummet to the floor?

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

Ridiculous and unworkable.

It can never work all the time it can be overridden, and other cars are on the road without the technology.

It may work if they started installing them now, but not make them compulsory for 10 years when every car has one fitted.

Besides, isn't the next big thing driver-less cars, thus making this latest move from Big Brother redundant before it even starts!

 

[Uter]

Huge net revenue. The data is transferred digitally, the cameras require very little maintenance. For example, there’s a single speed camera at Halland that rakes in £2.3m per annum.

That's gross though. There must be a cost associated with processing all speeding violations. I doubt it's small when you consider the whole process, including appeals, court summons etc. The process can only be automated up to a point.

Also, I dare say that figure is the total of fines issued, which will not be the same as actual money received. A fair proportion of fines are never paid.

 

[symyjym]

Better off making dashcams and satnavs mandatory so everyone is recording themselves and other drivers. If I am overtaking a car that is doing 68mph I will want to do 75mph to overtake it as quick as possible. Slow overtaking is more dangerous in my view because driving side by side leaves less room for error.

 

[Two Professors]

I don't need cars to be fitted with limiters for that.
I can do that now while all you sheepeople are sat in traffic jams convincing yourself your 3 mile journey is quicker by car.

Not me.I use the train,or travel on routes with bus lanes.No jams for me.Hope you wear a respirator with all their nasty pollution in the air.

 

[Sorrel]

Rubbish........it cant and wont be fitted to all cars retrospectively.

Didn't say it would be. But I would bet that insurance costs for those without limiters will be greater and that level of penalty will "encourage" people to want them.

Classic cars are different - and yes, I think their value would only increase.