70 mph ON THE MOTOWAY

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I would like to be the one that claims to have driven the most miles on here .You would have a job to beat me

I live 15 miles from the Taunton crash .I have always been a bit gun ho and driven transit vans near to the 85 mark . My car sometimes even faster !!!!

This weekend has completly changed my attitude I have also seen other carnage on our roads over the years that have effected the lives of those involved .

I was in support of the goverment plan to raise the speed limit to 80 I feel that I am more than qualified to have a veiw. I however now do not want to see the limit being raised to 80 now 70 is fast enough .

Furthermore those of you that demand that delivery and haulage companies and their staff should work faster or put their foot down should sit down and think carefully . Nobody has a right to pick up the phone and demand that somebodies Husband ,Wife, Mum, Dad ,son or daughter should put there life at risk for you shelfish gain

 

[Beachcomber]

I very much doubt it was speed alone that caused the horrific crash - conditions were foggy and misty, going on the kind of driving I see regularly I'd say it was more than likely going too fast for the road conditions, tailgating and not paying attention to the road ahead.

With these causes - going at 80, 70 or 60 is irellevant.

I'm all for a rise in the speed limit - but this must be coupled with stricter policing of driving habits.

 

I very much doubt it was speed alone that caused the horrific crash - conditions were foggy and misty, going on the kind of driving I see regularly I'd say it was more than likely going too fast for the road conditions, tailgating and not paying attention to the road ahead.

With these causes - going at 80, 70 or 60 is irellevant.

I'm all for a rise in the speed limit - but this must be coupled with stricter policing of driving habits.

speed is always the major factor in any accident allied to tailgating no matter what the conditions.

A major factor in the more serious accidents is a failure by drivers of cars to appreciate that a 38 ton truck will not stop in anything like the distance that a ferrari will or your everyday car.

Tailgating should be classed as dangerous driving.

As for raising the speed limit:

"A 10% drop in speeds resulted in a 40% drop in fatalities and serious injuries after speed
cameras were introduced in West London"

Earl

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Jeremy,
Very sobering obviously - but how long will it be before you're back at 85mph?

 

[Gillie]

Driving too close has got to be the cause of most accidents! How many times on the motorway do you see the idiot driving up your arse trying to make you go faster as they want to be ahead of you??

Once upon a time, I would have played the old go at the same speed as the car in the next lane to you, just to pee the person off - but these days, I must have mellowed, because I merely pull over and let the idiot through - or perhaps I just realised that should someone happen in front of me, the idiot behind me will cause some serious damage to me!

 

[trebor8]

Speed is not the problem, it's bad driving that's the problem

 

[mit74]

true... bad driving not speed that causes accidents and that doesn't always mean the morons doing 90mph in the fast lane. Many drivers don't seem to realise how much effect wet tarmac has on braking distances and still travel the same distance from the car infront.

Personally I think they should scrap the silly video/theory test and get people on a skid pan showing them how the wet tarmac effects a car and braking, what to do when a car loses control and how to use ABS and non-ABS cars properly.
While they're there they could also show the stupid people how big 4x4s are actually far les safer than they think they are

 

I would like to be the one that claims to have driven the most miles on here .You would have a job to beat me

Oh you have been driving for 55 years 10 of them running a haulage business?

Earl

 

[captaincloser]

As a non driver I find attitudes to cars as baffling as most of you find US gun laws.

Why are people not required to retake their driving test every few years ?

Why is tailgating tolerated and why do we have cars that can go 50% faster than any UK speed limit ? If its because they might go on the continent then the answer is buzz of to Germany then.

Why is there any drink drive limit ? Why do people drink alcohol and take drugs and then drive hoping to be under some 'limit' ?

Why is anyone allowed to drive whilist distracted by changing cd's, eating,making mobile phone calls,leaning over into the back to talk to a child etc ?

Why ? There is of course an answer to all the above, and yes I do know it.

 

[Cobby]

Speed is not the problem, it's bad driving that's the problem

To ensure/enforce good driving would require a huge logistical change in our society that simply isn't feasible. Poor driving has fewer repercussions when speeds are lower, ergo...

 

[JustOneUK]

I'd be happy for the limit to be a strict 50mph, we might then be able to manage motorways with 3 lanes instead of having to build more lanes whilst the inside 2 lanes sit practically empty.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I was driving down the A1 a few weeks back at 70mph in the right hand lane, slowly but surely overtaking a car on the left. Suddenly a Civic flew past me at at least 100mph+, and then screeched to the right to slip into the gap between my car and the car in the left lane, which at that point had reduced to about 15 feet at the most. The car snaked as he tried to regain control, and then once he had it, he bombed over to the hard shoulder to overtake another batch of cars in front.

If he had clipped either car I'm fairly sure there would have been a major crash.

 

[Merchant UK]

I've used the motorway daily for nearly 15 years without an accident, Yet i've seen some of the worst driving which could end up causing and accident or even death.

Two of the worst i've added here but thats just the tip of the iceberg.

The first was when i saw a woman stationary at the end of the slip road joining the motorway. She then for reasons only known to god pulled out infront of a lorry doing 65-70 mph on the inside lane, This made the lorry swerve to the out lane about 30ft in front of me.

Pulling out from 0mph infront of a lorry doing 70mph odd is sheer suicide and had it not been for the quick reaction of the lorry driver could of ended up killing her and possibly others.

The second example i wanted to explain happened only a few days ago.

Imagine 3 lorries, all on the inside lane, quite happiliy driving behind each other, Along comes an idiot in a VW Golf "G Reg" andwhat i thought was going to overtake the 3 lorries by using the 2nd lane (Only a 2 lanes)

Infront of me and doing just 50 mph he stays behing the 3rd lorry, flashing his headlights as if to say "Overtake"

Not only was he holding me up and the cars behind but he kept going at that slow speed for about 3 miles continuing to flash the lorry at the rear of the 3 lorry convoy. The lorry driver indicated left as if to say he wants to stay in the inside lane, Followed by this idiot flashing even more.

By this time cars where hooting behind me and even the lorry driver did down his window and beckoned him to overtake and carry on.

The idiot finally gets the message and overtakes after about 5 minutes of reckless driving.

When i finally overtook him it was an old guy who i reckon shouldn't of been behind the wheel, Such an idiot which caused a tailback of quite a few miles and made other road users fustrated and angry.

I feel most definately that motorway driving should be a separate issue in the driving test and if you don't pass it you dont get to drive on motorways.

i've seen too many idiots both men, women old and young who practically put theirs and others lives at risk because they are far too inexprianced to drive safely on motorways.

As some one says its not speed that kills its bad driving, I drive regualary at 70mph almost daily for 15 years traving to work and i've neer had an accident or killed anyone

 

[trebor8]

My thoughts that could improve things - why not build a whole new network of dual carriageways that mirror the motorways, use these dual carriageways for the sole use of lorries only and thus ban lorries using the motorways

 

[Merchant UK]

My thoughts that could improve things - why not build a whole new network of dual carriageways that mirror the motorways, use these dual carriageways for the sole use of lorries only and thus ban lorries using the motorways

That won't work at all as some lorries fully laden would be slower than otjer lorries who are travelling empty, Also the cost would be a nightmare, there is talk about stopping lorries from overtaking on busy parts of the motorway, problem arrise when cars travel slower than lorries and thus making the lorry overtake them

Take a peek at this Youtube clip where a slow car undertakes a lorry, see what happens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_eiP8sk_KQ

Crazy

 

[captaincloser]

I drive regualary at 70mph almost daily for 15 years traving to work and i've neer had an accident or killed anyone

YET...you have never had an accident 'yet'.Does that mean that horrendous accidents do not happen to others ?

Why do people have to drive to work,make a delivery, drive on holiday,drive at night, drive with loved ones and all at 70mph or higher ? What would be amiss with leaving earlier and driving at a safer speed ?

If the speed limit were raised to 105mph does anyone realise that a large chunk of people, where they could, would drive at 104mph ? Many would do 120 if they could.

Just as long as those pesky killer crashes happen tp 'other' people and you 'have never had an accident' keeps working...

Insanity.

 

[trebor8]

That won't work at all as some lorries fully laden would be slower than otjer lorries who are travelling empty, Also the cost would be a nightmarey

I still can't see why it may not work. If it currently works on a 3-lane motorway, why can't it work on a 2 - lane dual carriageway dedicated solely for haulage?

The cost will be enormous, but I do feel there needs to be radical changes, than the current widening of parts of our existing motorways - how is that going to solve anything:|

 

Take a peek at this Youtube clip where a slow car undertakes a lorry, see what happens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_eiP8sk_KQ

Crazy

What a distortion the lorry was overtaking the car as can be seen by the relative speeds and should have seen that he had not cleared the car.

Point is that on our roads we have a vast difference in peoples driving abilities ranging from the Nigel Mansons ,boy racers and doddery old people.

Being a good driver is the ability to have tollerance for all types of drivers and act accordingly.

Unfortunately many on this forum don't.Hence I would suggest an IAM course may help with your problems.

Earl

 

[DuckingandDiving]

Why are people not required to retake their driving test every few years ?

im surprised the government hasnt done this already as a nice little earner. Lose too many votes from motorists maybe? But i would support it - as an IAM member I dont ever get retested, but to keep my rospa gold im retested. It's a good idea and could save lives.

Why is there any drink drive limit ?
Why do people drink alcohol and take drugs and then drive hoping to be under some 'limit' ?

There has to be a limit set above zero. you cant have zero because things like medicine may contain alcohol, mouthwash does, and this could register if youre breathalised. Youd then be done for driving over the alcohol limit when all you did was brush your teeth.

Why is anyone allowed to drive whilist distracted by changing cd's, eating,making mobile phone calls,leaning over into the back to talk to a child etc ?

They shouldnt but they do. Bad driving habits. When the police cant even enforce the endorsable mobile phone penalties, what chance of them catching and prosecuting people changing the radio station or talking to the kids in the back. They could be done for driving without due care and attention, but its never likely to happen, until the accident happens first because proving it, unless its something mad and caught on the police own video, probably just isnt worth the effort.

 

[captaincloser]

Point is that on our roads we have a vast difference in peoples driving abilities ranging from the Nigel Mansons ,boy racers and doddery old people.

Earl

Hey Earl Its either Charles Manson or Nigel Mansell. One was a mass muderer and one a fast car driver...as you will remember. Come to think of it Manson could also have been a fast driver.

 

Hey Earl Its either Charles Manson or Nigel Mansell. One was a mass muderer and one a fast car driver...as you will remember. Come to think of it Manson could also have been a fast driver.

Whatever.!

Earl

 

[mobyme]

In my opinion lorry drivers are the cause of most major accidents; take a look at any motorway accident and invariably there is a lorry involved.

Nobody is more guilty of tailgating than they are; they use the slipstream of the vehicle in front to build up momentum and slingshot past when they get to a descending straight, it's all very clever but once they go for it, they are committed to seeing it through as they have very little choice given the size and weight of their vehicle.

Lorry driving is the most boring job on earth and it's almost impossible to concentrate continuously for hours on end; at least in the old day's they used to have driver's mates for company. If we want to see less accident's on the roads we need to get back to putting goods on the railway.

 

[wilwong1971]

Here's an example, car getting stuck and dragged across the motorway after being struck by lorry driver...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF6EiLn8bto&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The majority do drive safetly on the motorway, like all things in life it's just a stupid few that don't observe or concentrate, or drive recklessly etc. I've seen a land rover dragging a fully laden horse trailer undertaking me and cutting me up across lanes at 80+ with a child in the front seat...f**king irresponsible, old granny poodling at 30mph on the fast lane, and a driver gunning down the hard shoulder to avoid a motorway queue. Another killer is when there's rain or ice, people still drive like its a cloudless sunny day....

 

[DotNetWebs]

I do not understand all the comments about speed to be honest. If we all drove sensibly then speed would not really be the issue that it is. Do I observe the motorway speed limit? No, how many accidents have I caused or been involved in? None

The point is that the laws of physics state that the damage caused by an accident is proportional to the SQUARE of the speed.

This is why he risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph than at 30mph

http://think.direct.gov.uk/speed.html

If you are involved in a accident that is not you fault the extra 'damage' caused by your excessive speed might just make the difference between somebody living or dying.

Regards

Dotty

 

[Subbynet]

The point is that the laws of physics state that the damage caused by an accident is proportional to the SQUARE of the speed.

This is why he risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph than at 30mph

http://think.direct.gov.uk/speed.html

If you are involved in a accident that is not you fault the extra 'damage' caused by your excessive speed might just make the difference between somebody living or dying.

Regards

Dotty

That might be roughly true for urban driving when you hit a person, but its not so true for motorway driving, where surely physics must take into account speed + weight + structural strength + road adhesion, and many other things.

It's far too simple to say its proportionally squared to the speed.

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

Considering 2000 people die each year in road accidents what makes these 7 deaths so significant other than the media coverage. The original post suggests if this hadn't happened then you would support an increase in speed limit because the 1993 other people who will die this year you don't really hear about?

 

[DotNetWebs]

..surely physics must take into account speed + weight + structural strength + road adhesion, and many other things...

Off course it does.

But for any two given accidents where all those variables are the same - the 'force' of the accident will be proportional to the square of the speed.

Regards

Dotty

 

[Subbynet]

It works well as a science experiment, but it reality many more factors play a part.

Most cars on a motorway are travelling in the same direction (apart from a few OAP's and car thieves ), so the force of impact tends to be lower, but depending on the speed differential between the two vehicles. The only time it comes anywhere near is if you hit an immovable object straight on (like the back of a lorry, or hitting a bridge), or another car (of the same weight - build quality) hitting you head-on at the same closing speed.

The biggest factors I believe is the distance between vehicles, vehicle condition and road conditions.

 

Some interesting Stats about speed and meeting your maker.

http://www.hintsandthings.com/garage/stopmph.htm

Earl

 

[captaincloser]

I do not understand all the comments about speed to be honest. If we all drove sensibly then speed would not really be the issue that it is. Do I observe the motorway speed limit? No, how many accidents have I caused or been involved in? None

Pause for a second as you speed through your life and ponder how many people kill themselves and others every year who had spent their previous waking hours telling everyone who would listen " How many accidents have I caused or been involved in? None"

You and all those like you, which is a high percentage of drivers, are a menace. Grow up.

 

[internetspaceships]

Speed isn't the killer, it's bad driving. (As Trebor said)

How many times do you follow someone home who does 50mph on a 60 road, yet when they go into a 40mph zone they STILL do 50?

Those aren't safe drivers they are bad drivers.

 

[mit74]

Speed isn't the killer, it's bad driving. (As Trebor said)

How many times do you follow someone home who does 50mph on a 60 road, yet when they go into a 40mph zone they STILL do 50?

Those aren't safe drivers they are bad drivers.

ha yeah man they infuriate me! I call them the 40mph drivers. They do 40mph down a national speed limit road holding you up and forcing you to take risks trying to overtake them then when they hit the smaller villages that's a 30 limit they still do 40mph!!! These are by far the worst drivers on the road in my opinion. They clearly aren't skilled enough to drive over 40mph comfortably yet they happily speed through built up areas where they clearly need to slow down , them even more so because they obviously have less confidence and most likely a slower reaction time.
These people are only slightly more annoying than the middle lane hogger.

 

[captaincloser]

Speed isn't the killer, it's bad driving. (As Trebor said)

Speed is the issue and you need to take a step back to see this.

Bad drivig will be around whatever the speed...

 

[internetspaceships]

Speed is the issue and you need to take a step back to see this.

Bad drivig will be around whatever the speed...

The bad driving not the speed causes the accidents though.

Yes the faster the speed that the accident occurs, then the higher the likelihood of injury however the bad driving itself is most often the cause.

 

[captaincloser]

ha yeah man they infuriate me! I call them the 40mph drivers. They do 40mph down a national speed limit road holding you up and forcing you to take risks trying to overtake them

.....as you speed to your plot in the graveyard.

What exactly is your need to speed again ?

 

[internetspaceships]

.....as you speed to your plot in the graveyard.

What exactly is your need to speed again ?

You don't need to speed to overtake someone doing 40mph on a 60mph road....

 

[captaincloser]

The bad driving not the speed causes the accidents though.

Yes the faster the speed that the accident occurs, then the higher the likelihood of injury however the bad driving itself is most often the cause.

That has been my point in this thread. What is the eternal rush for ? Is it, as I believe, because you can ? People speed because they can, not because they need to.

 

That has been my point in this thread. What is the eternal rush for ? Is it, as I believe, because you can ? People speed because they can, not because they need to.

I got a brand new motor mate and it will do 6 trillion miles an hour and I want everyone to know how big and important I am sat behind me 10 thousand horse power..

speeding on the average UK road will not shorten your journey time,except if you are on the way to the cemetery.

More people killed on our roads than were killed in ww2.

264,000 died in active service during WWII
311,000 died on Britain's roads between1945-1998

Earl

 

[captaincloser]

Nobody under the age of 40 will be interested in these figures Earl, but they are stunning.

This whole thread, like any other conversation on speed is like speaking to a Texan cowboy about gun restrictions.

 

[DotNetWebs]

It works well as a science experiment, but it reality many more factors play a part.

Most cars on a motorway are travelling in the same direction (apart from a few OAP's and car thieves ), so the force of impact tends to be lower, but depending on the speed differential between the two vehicles. The only time it comes anywhere near is if you hit an immovable object straight on (like the back of a lorry, or hitting a bridge), or another car (of the same weight - build quality) hitting you head-on at the same closing speed.

The biggest factors I believe is the distance between vehicles, vehicle condition and road conditions.

I see what you are trying to say but the fact remains that, excluding the effects of gravity, the 'final' impact speed in a collision is going to be directly related to the speed the of the vehicle(s) immediately prior to the collision.

Regards

Dotty