jods

The limit must have set donkies ages ago when brakes were foot powered and bits fell off the car at anything over 30 mph ?
Surely with today's technological advances with safety and stopping ability we should be pushing for an increase in speed limits and a reduction in the # of plod on traffic (move them over to real crime - like catching the scum who killed that old dear in Enfield)

Katana

And how will the cops make money if the motorway is deristricted? How will they buy their DVD players and keep the MPs employed?

jods

The cops will continue to make their money the way they have for years - Skimming from the bad lads

jods

Have touched 150 on the road from Hitchin to London and the car felt as solid as a rock. Standard uk '99 turbo 2000 with scoobysport back box.

devils_ad69

I believe a ban is NOT mandatory. A good solicitor should be able to help.

Bitten Hero

The problem is not that cars are dangerous at over a 100mph - the problem comes when there's an accident up ahead or you need to swerve to avoid something. Can you imagine how long it would take to stop from 150mph?

Have a look at Germany for a good example. De-restricted autobahns, and people tend to sit at 110-140 or more in the bigger cars. No problems, until there's an accident - when it happens, it's massive. Total carnage, multiple deaths, far bigger than anything we have here. At 140mph your car has four times as much energy than at 70mph.

Also some of our motorways aren't built to take that kind of speed - some of the corners are hairy at >90mph and if you don't know them you could be badly caught out.

That's why it's still 70 - nothing to do with the ability of modern cars, it's down to limiting the carnage in accidents.

Richard

[Edited by Bitten Hero - 2/28/2002 10:34:34 AM]

chuckster

We've got a G reg micra, it would be lethal at 100mph, if someone were stupid enough to do that. I've had a few friends get rear-ended as they out-braked cars approaching accidents. Just because you drive a modern abs equipped car doesn't mean everyone does. Should there be different speedlimits dependent on the spec of the car? No way as the speed differentials could also cause accidents.
Chuck

L555BAT

what about diffrent lane limits like 70 80 90 on each lane

SPEN555

The police should be given powers to use their common sense afer all they are not stupid.

For example, you get caught doing 100/120 in a modern car, say a scoob. He gives you a bollocking and sends you on your way. This is recorded and in future you are shown to be a persistent offender then you get done for it. If you get caught doing 100 in a complete shed which handles like a barge and would not stop in a month of sunday's then the Police prosecute you for dangerous driving.

On second thoughts, let's not be sensible and stick to an ancient law which not flexible for these modern times.

Damian.

Beemer_Deano

I'm all for upping the motorway speed limits, but so many people don't understand braking distances or lane discipline anyway - imagine them at 100MPH.

I take the point about the scale of accident on autobahns, but I believe figures show them to be far safer than our motorways with far fewer deaths?
Their drivers have had so long to acclimatize so everyone is used to them - the only way I see it working here is if the speed limits are gradually raised so that all the tailgating, lane hogging, 55MPH-in-lane-3 numpties can get used to it, but obviously that'll take years

All the best,

Deano

Beemer_Deano

Damian,

That's a good idea and probably exists informally (I used to get pulled far more tonking about in the works van than my Scoob or M3 ), but the problem is you give the police the power to decide who is or isn't breaking the law using individual judgement. Maybe based on predjudice - who decides whether your 15 year old 'Cossie is a shed or a classic?

Cheers

Deano

FreeT

Have you ever had a tyre blow at 150mph? Didnt think so - cos unless youre a damn good driver and extremely lucky youd probably be dead possibly taking many others with you.

jods

I haven't had a tyre blow at 150 or indeed at any speed. I guess it would be a bit of brown trouser time. Wouldn't want to test it but wouldn't the car retain enough stability to allow you to bring it down thru the gears to a gentle stop ?

Bitten Hero

Nope, no chance. At that speed, the entire tyre would disintegrate and remove itself from the rim, the front/back of the car would slide wildy and you'd career into the crash barrier or left hand side of the road, depending which tyre blew out. No driver on this planet would be able to control it at that speed - you'd just be a passenger Doesn't bear thinking about! Blow-outs at 70mph normally cause accidents on motorways because it's only down to luck if you can control it.

Richard

camk

I've driven frequently on unrestricted roads here and for me in a 523 is for normal cruising 160-220(max) thats KMPH . I've seen a few accidents and agree that its harder and longer to stop than you would think.
The odd car goes over 200 here but its rare in comparison to the huge number of cars on the roads 24x7. Whoever said they have big accidents is correct but there does seem to be more cars on the road and they make better progress here due to excellent lane discipline. This would be the best thing we could adopt, never mind the unrestricted speeds.
However when the limit changes back to 130 or whatever Germans actually stick in the main to the limits. They also drive to the limits on country roads(100KMPH) and rarely faster. They have a very different attitude than UK drivers where limits seem to be seen as 'advisory', I know from experience as I still struggle to drive at 100KMPH on country roads.

Regards
Cammy

Mo

Going off on a bit of a tangent but I'd just like to say my piece for the Bridgestone S02PP.

On a french autoroute I had a rear blow out at an indicated 120mph+

Apart from a massive vibration the car was stable enough to bring it to a stop where I could inspect it. It took me a while to find the problem as it still held it's shape and "looked" inflated - it had a two inch gash in the inner sidewall. It then held it's shape for the next five miles at about 30mph to the nearest garage.

Yes things could have been disastrous if it were a front tyre or if it was mid bend but I just wanted to state my praise for the tyre itself.

Let's hope the S03 is as good. I wont be using anything else.

As a regard to speed. It's easy to say let's up the speed when we all drive high performance cars but what about the rest of the sheds you see driven on the road. I've driven plenty of old buckets that do little to inspire confidence in a straight line at 70mph let alone 100mph. We can't do it with the vast array of cars, their differing capabilities and the severe lack of driver inteligence out there.......

jods

Perhaps we should be banning cars that CANNOT do 150mph without falling to bits. It would certainly clear the roads of the menks in Mondeos who think it funny to sit in the outside lane at 70 holding up proper cars.

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

I'm afraid that although cars are easily capable of sustained 100mph plus, the standard of driving in this country to me indicates that most people are not capable of driving at such speeds and being able to react quickly enough if something goes wrong.

I would also say that most motorways that I've driven on 100mph is borderline ok but anything well in excess of that, say 120+, is just too fast.

I'm lucky in that I own a Scoob so my car is fast enough and safe enough to do these sorts of speeds but you've got to take into accounts the reactions of other drivers.

I also own a Suzuki GSXR and have seen an easy 162mph on a fairly deserted motorway but I've also had a rear tyre blow (nail found in tyre carcass)at 100mph and it was pure luck that I'm still alive today - I didn't come off and made it to the hard-shoulder in one piece! So I am not someone who is afraid to do some serious speeding.

DP.

Funkii Munkii

Chuckster

My missus has an E reg Micra and theres no way it could hit the ton, we once got 80 out of it and then had to stop and remove the panels from the carriageway!!

Still its always nice to drive it once in a while to remind me how spoilt I am in the Scoob

Dave

johnfelstead

Deaths per 100 million kilometers driven


Egypt 43.2
Germany 1.9
Austria 10.7
Japan 1.7
Switzerland 1.6
Ireland 1.5
Portugal 9.0
Poland 6.3
Netherlands 1.3
New Zealand 2.2
Czech Republic 5.9
Norway 1.2
Spain 5.9
Hong Kong 4.8
Sweden 1.1
Belgium 3.3
France 2.0
United States 1.1
United Kingdom1.0

Deaths per 10,000 motor vechicles

Portugal 21.1
Greece 19.7
Luxembourg 17.1
US 15.8
New Zealand 14.1
Spain 14.0
France 13.8
Japan 7.9
Canada 10.3
UK 6.1

Britain has a brilliant record for road safety. You wouldnt think we really need so many speed cameras to protect us would you based on the statistics.

Camera's are about money.

Lets face it, everyone speeds a certain % above the posted limits so if the limit was raised we would all go that extra % higher yet again.

I think the big issue is more to do with how the limit is policed. I think its fine as is but only whilst the police turn a blind eye to people who actually do 85MPH. As soon as we get total camera coverage then 70MPH cannot be justified.

Germany has the best lane disipline i have ever seen, takes me 3 1/2 hrs to get from Calais to the nurburgring because of that, it takes me double that to get from dover to manchester sometimes. (the roads are 200% better in france/germany/belgium too)

You think we are bad though, go to the USA, they really do suck ***. Britian has a very high % of good drivers!