advertisement


Speeding Offences

The general guide for ‘getting done’ for speeding is that it all starts at 10% +2 mph. So, I set the speed limiter in my car to 10% +1, knowing that in a 70 limit I’m doing about 76 or 77 real mph. I hate cruise control on our roads.

I’m afraid that doesn’t apply any more. Regions can set their own limit. For instance in North Yorkshire the limit for a dual carriageway way is 75, they issue a ticket at 76.
 
I’m afraid that doesn’t apply any more. Regions can set their own limit. For instance in North Yorkshire the limit for a dual carriageway way is 75, they issue a ticket at 76.

Thankfully when I pass through N Yorks the last place I want to be is on a dual carriageway :)
 
No they don’t. Yours is the worst I’ve heard of in decades. Mine is one or two mph high from 20 to 70mph when compared to gps and those roadside speed warning things.

With bikes I found that fitting a new tyre affected speedo readings by as much as about 3% based on rev counter readings
 
Andrew - I'm trying to understand that.

Is that a number which gives an indication of how many fatalities were caused in incidents where the victim most likely would not have died if the impact were at a speed below the limit ?
As Andrew says, that figure is generally applied where the fatal collision probably wouldn't have happened at all if the driver hadn't been going so fast. The classic example is the biker doing 100 on a 60 limit A road. Somebody coming the other way sees a nice big gap and turns right. What would have been a nice big gap at 60 and given them time to turn is not big enough for the bike doing 100 to stop and bang, he's dead. Now the other driver shouldn't have made the turn but if the biker had been doing 60 he might not even have needed to brake. That's what makes his speed a contributing factor.
 
With bikes I found that fitting a new tyre affected speedo readings by as much as about 3% based on rev counter readings
it does on anything, you can do the arithmetic for a tyre with 8mm tread and the same tyre worn to the limit of 1.6. 2 x pi x r, subtract one from tother, about 1 or 2% for cars.
 
I think the authorities deliberately confuse things by lumping in the "inappropriate speed" (which could well be under the limit) accidents with accidents where the speed limit was being exceeded. In bad conditions an appropriate speed might be a lot less than the speed limit, but some folks (who won't regard themselves as the sort of people who speed) seem to consider the posted limit as being the speed you should drive at - no matter what the conditions.

They're not as bad as the folks you sometimes see that drive at 40mph everywhere - 60 limit, 30 limit, 20 limit, past a school etc.
 
There are statistics on outcomes related to accidents at speed. The differing outcomes for a pedestrian being hit at 20, 30 or 40mph are quite stark.
 
They're not as bad as the folks you sometimes see that drive at 40mph everywhere - 60 limit, 30 limit, 20 limit, past a school etc.
Yes, you see this all the time.
I remember following a police van doing exactly this a few years ago; I followed it for about 10 miles, losing it through the 30 limits and catching back up with it in the 60 limits.
 
Yes, you see this all the time.
I remember following a police van doing exactly this a few years ago; I followed it for about 10 miles, losing it through the 30 limits and catching back up with it in the 60 limits.
If you were in a car, and the police were in a non-car based van, you probably would catch up with it on the national speed limit roads. They’d have been limited to 50mph.
 
I was once doing a typical 35 MPH in a 30 zone past a line of parked cars outside some houses. A tiny child, can only have been walking for less than a month, came straight out in front of me. I jumped on the brakes and stopped about 5 feet short but if I'd been there no more than 2 seconds earlier I'd have had that kid's brains all over the front of the car.

Good point.

The human brain really seems to have a problem operating without visual stimuli.

We see the kid, we slow down or hit the brakes, whatever. But to adapt speed to what we can't initially see, but which could potentially appear from behind parked car etc. seems difficult if not impossible, for us to process.
 
If you were in a car, and the police were in a non-car based van, you probably would catch up with it on the national speed limit roads. They’d have been limited to 50mph.
It's not the speed it was going within the national limits that was bothering me ;)
 
One of the funniest things I have ever seen : Long dead straight road (Watling Street) going towards Billingshurst, I was traveling quite fast and a car pulled out in front of me from one of the few side roads, not dangerously close but quite unnecessary, he then proceeded at an extraordinarily slow speed accelerating very slowly until after the two miles to theout skirts of the village he had reached a little over 40mph, straight past the 30 limit sign without slowing down at all then past the camera - flash flash it went, cheered me up no end.
 
The issue with car speedometers is that there is no negative tolerance in the indication, therefore the car makers have to adjust to some small percentage higher. This is to allow for inflation levels (temperature or maintenance) or the car being fitted with non-OEM tyres

If you fire up Waze, you can compare the clock with the GPS and that will allow you to calibrate your car reasonably well in reality. Mine is 2mph over at 50 for example. If I set my cruise at 75mph, then I can be pretty sure I won't fire a camera on the motorway (or at least it hasn't happened yet touch wood). I could probably get away with 80 on the dial, but why bother. It won't make much difference to my arrival time, especially if I stop somewhere for a coffee.

I had a chat with some speed coppers at Goodwood once, and they said there is a +10% discretion (otherwise they would be overwhelmed with business, and lose the trust of the public). On top of that, different counties apply a bit extra too. West Sussex is 10% + 3, and Hampshire is 10% + 2 for example. However, they are perfectly within their rights to book you at lower if you're driving like a wally. So it is discretion, not a rule.

I share Tony's concern about cruise control. But then I got adaptive cruise on my last car, and I wouldn't look back. I'm afraid on long motorway runs, I drive using the stick on the column rather than the pedals, but no, it's not a good idea to put your feet up on the dash :)
 
I use cruise control frequently. In long roadworks with a 50mph average speed monitoring it is a joy.

The wife has access to the feature in her car, but never uses it. (fear of buttons)
 
I use cruise control frequently. In long roadworks with a 50mph average speed monitoring it is a joy.

I don't tend to use cruise often in roadworks (unless it's very quiet) but I do find the speed limiter function of the Mercedes (and no doubt others) very useful for that. I just stick it at 50mph and then even if I'm having to adjust speed to match other traffic etc. then I won't go over the limit (which is an almost certain ticket when the average speed cameras are in use).
 
I drove my Giffith to work in the snow one day. That was the only time. The blasted thing was a nightmare to control, particularly going downhill to a road junction. Still, I loved it.
Haha, I bet!
I took my Z4m out in the snow a couple of times, it was twitchy but the biggest issue was ground clearance... lots of scraping noises coming from underneath!
 


advertisement


Back
Top