... Whilst this opinion is written in the Urban Speed Limits section of CIAO the philosophy of it quite obviously relates to speeding in general.
Many local authorities are introducing traffic calming measures in many urban areas, speed humps (sleeping policemen) are a favourite and to an extent ... Read review
Advantages: Saves lives Disadvantages: Death on the roads. Driving disqualification or worse.
...speed can have both in urban and rural areas.
Each of us who drive probably feel we are the safest driver on the road, but many drivers belief in their own abilities is often misguided, misplaced or in some cases totally unsafe. The vast majority of drivers do not have a real appreciation of speed, the speed others are travelling at that is, their judgement is often flawed at estimating the time they have based upon the speed they ... ...opinion is written in the Urban Speed Limits section of CIAO the philosophy of it quite obviously relates to speeding in general.
Many local authorities are introducing traffic calming measures in many urban areas, speed humps (sleeping policemen) are a favourite and to an extent do work although I have seen many ‘boy racers’ driving to see how quickly they can go over them, clearly some people have no regard for the damage ... more
The issue of speeding and the speed limits set on our roads is one of great debate. Each one of us will have our own opinions of the issues that it raises, the rights and wrongs, the whys and wherefores. But how many of us have seen the effects of speed first hand. I have. For 20 years I was a police officer, part of that time was spent patrolling our roads as a traffic cop (at this point I feel my circle of trust already diminishing and read rates dropping). Seriously though I have seen the effects that excess speed can have both in urban and rural areas.
Each of us who drive probably feel we are the safest driver on the road, but many drivers belief in their own abilities is often misguided, misplaced or in some cases totally unsafe. The vast majority of drivers do not have a real appreciation of speed, the speed others are travelling at that is, their judgement is often flawed at estimating the time they have based upon the speed they think a vehicle is travelling at. This is very often the cause of accidents, simple driver error as the result of this basic failure of appreciation of speed. How many of you – without reaching for your copy of the highway code - can honestly remember the braking distances we all had to learn for our driving tests, how long does it take for a vehicle to stop at 70 MPH? I’m not going to tell you, make it your goal for today to find out if you don’t recall. More to the point how many of us still have a copy of the highway code, the bible to good driving and how often have you referred to one since passing your driving test? Again I suspect very few of us.
There is no doubt in my mind that SPEED KILLS. I have seen it, I have been there, I have cleared up the mess left at the scene and worst of all I have had to visit the relatives of those killed to tell them the news that a loved one has died as the result of a road accident. How many of you would like to do that, it is probably one of the worst aspects of being a police officer and not a part of the job I ever relished.
Not only have I witnessed first hand many of the horrors as the result of excess speed I have also been on the receiving end of it. 13 years ago whilst ‘on duty’ I was involved in a serious road traffic accident where the combined impact was in excess of 120 MPH; I survived (obviously) but not without receiving lasting injuries which eventually forced me to take early retirement. I count myself as very fortunate.
Another personal experience of speed was with my son, when he was just 4 years old he was hit by a car, he was a pedestrian. In this case the driver was not speeding but travelling at a respectable 25MPH in a built up area. My son’s injuries sustained at even this relatively slow speed were severe and show the damage which can be caused at even low speeds. He suffered a fractured skull, 3 breaks in his right arm, a broken right femur, broken left shin bone, broken collar bone and numerous lacerations. He too survived and spent 8 weeks in hospital although it was touch and go at one point. No matter the speed serious injuries can occur.
Having been at both ends of the effects of speeding I am naturally in favour of any measures devised or designed to prevent it and to reduce the devastation that its excess can cause on our roads. Whilst this opinion is written in the Urban Speed Limits section of CIAO the philosophy of it quite obviously relates to speeding in general.
Many local authorities are introducing traffic calming measures in many urban areas, speed humps (sleeping policemen) are a favourite and to an extent do work although I have seen many ‘boy racers’ driving to see how quickly they can go over them, clearly some people have no regard for the damage they may cause to their vehicles by doing this and to them they obviously have no regard for the speed limits.
Most urban areas have either a 30 or 40 MPH limit, fine if people observe it but often they don’t, again this begs the question why? I mentioned earlier that many people have no appreciation of speed, neither does there seem to be much perception for the hazards that there may be particularly in built up areas. Schools, shops, petrol garages, playgrounds all present possible hazards from pedestrians or other vehicles which too often go unnoticed. Drivers have a duty of care when behind the wheel, by exceeding the speed limit they are in breach of that duty of care and present a threat to other road users.
Some will argue that you can drive perfectly safely at speed, I will not disagree, some people can but not all. Reading ahead and being aware of hazards and what might happen are all relative factors to safe driving. Anyone can get into a car and drive fast but few can do it safely. I have been trained to drive at speed both in pursuit situations and in defensive driving techniques, this though does not necessarily make me a better driver nor does it give me the right to speed.
Despite the introduction of the much talked about and some would say controversial Speed Cameras and other measures to combat the motorist intent on speeding the problem will not go away, there will always be someone either in a hurry or who simply does not see why they should comply. Many regard these measures as unnecessary as they feel quite safe inside their metal boxes on wheels but have they really thought out the possible consequences of their actions. To many speed is impulsive, almost an involuntary action but there are those who deliberately go out of their way to break the law.
There are of course more far reaching consequences of speeding; collect sufficient points on your license and you get banned. What then? With today’s reliance on cars as an efficient and necessary form of transport some people ignore their driving disqualifications and continue to drive. This disregard for the law means that the person is neither licensed or insured to drive. Speed now and have an accident or just simply drive and you run the risk of serious charges being pressed by the establishment. Continue and you could face jail. Something many people do not even consider when they are speeding.
Many see speeding offences as petty and a waste of police resources. On the police resource side they forget that this is catered for in the manpower and it does not prevent other officers from investigating other more serious offences. If I had a pound for every motorist who had told me to ‘do some real police work and catch real criminals’ I would not need to write on CIAO as I’d be very rich. Those who regard the offence as petty, try putting yourself in the shoes of the bereaved relative killed by a speeding motorist and then say speeding is not a serious enough offence to warrant police attention.
I would at this point also like to dispel a myth; the money raised from speeding fines does not go directly to the police, it goes to central government funds to pay for road improvements, public transport, the legal system and much more. If it was a means of income for the police every officer out there would be booking motorists and nothing else would be done. The police service is not a business, it is not designed to generate a corporate profit, it is a public service for our protection whether on the roads or otherwise.
Personally I think our speed limits are about right, it is driver attitude towards speeding that we must change and how we go about that is another issue entirely. What I will say, is drive safely within the law, drive to your limits and not to the limits of your car. It is far better to arrive safely at your destination than not to arrive at all.
Make our roads safer. Kill your Speed, be a safe driver.
Advantages: See opinion Disadvantages: See opinion
~ ~ In most cities and towns throughout the UK and Ireland the speed limit in built up and residential areas is 30mph, or on some more open stretches of road, 40mph.
Can any of us who are motorists hold our hands on our hearts and honestly swear that we stick conscientiously to these prescribed speeds? Well, maybe one or two, but damn few of us, that’s for sure.
~ ~ Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting for one moment that we’re ... ...breakneck speeds. Far from it. I honestly believe that the majority of motorists drive within themselves, and at a speed that they think realistic for the road conditions and traffic.
~ ~ I’ve actually been in two minds for some time as to whether or not to actually post an opinion on this topic, as our fellow member “jonwhite” wrote such an admirable and thorough opinion on the subject, and with his broad and extensive experience ...
the_mad_cabbie 06.03.2001 (19.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Urban Speed Limits
Advantages: they are there for a reason Disadvantages: nobody cares about them
...hiding places in their cool urban camouflage outfits. My neighbour has a little girl who is deaf and rides a scooter. She pedalled out in front of my car with her eyes closed and her hearing aid turned off from behind a wall. I was travelling at 5 mph and she almost rode into my bumper. I had stopped by then but if she had hit she would have been painfully hurt through only the momentum of her own weight.
The other tricky problem is the motorway ... ...long time ago. Personally I think that this is the case. However, people often argue that because this particular limit is wrong, then the others are too. This isn't true and again, the argument is self-serving and cheap. The higher speed limits were set for safe driving. When they were set, a car travelling at 70mph was generally a death trap. This is no longer true. The lower limits are set because of the architectural limits of a childs body. ...
Saturn 21.10.2001 (22.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Urban Speed Limits
Advantages: gets you from A to B quicker Disadvantages: you could kill
...this topic is all about urban speed limits and I am coming to my point (honest).
Not so long ago, it was perfectly acceptable for a person to drive to a pub, drink alcohol to their hearts content and then drive home. Of course now, anyone doing so needs their head testing as the penalty for being caught doing so is a certain ban and rightly so in my opinion. So should people’s attitudes be changed, so that in our modern society, speeding is ... ...arguments for and against any such proposals.
I do believe that many of our speed limits are perfectly reasonable, if they are obeyed. Some speed restrictions really do need to be reduced, particularly in residential areas such as near schools, to a maximum of 20mph. Some people would like to see variable speed limits depending on the time of day around schools but would this not just cause confusion. Not all school sessions begin and end at the ...
elle3041 16.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Urban Speed Limits
Advantages: Increase safety levels on roads, reduce accidents Disadvantages: Often inappropriately enforced,Introduced some time ago and in need of revision,alienating otherwise law-abiding citizens by too rigid application of law
...of speed limits, especially in urban areas.
Speed limits are used in almost every country in the world, the bulk of our urban areas having speed limits set at 30 mph or 40 mph depending on road conditions. It is proven that the damage done to pedestrians in the case of collisions between motorists and pedestrians is severely reduced at lower speeds, although not eliminated entirely. For this reason, in residential areas, I tend to agree that speed ... ...near schools, or other places where the motorist is likely to encounter significant numbers of children or (often neglected) older people who are likely to be slower in crossing roads than middle-aged/younger adults.
Although speed limits can be a source of frustration to many drivers (anyone who claims never to have speeded under any circumstance is either a robot or delusional), there is no doubt that the cause of many accidents even on minor ...
bwsr2 16.06.2001 (08.01.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Urban Speed Limits
...they have posted it under Urban Roads and it is not about town driving. Please bear this in mind when Rateing it.
Cheers.....Peter All you inquisitive people who have read my few paltry opinions, so far, and clicked my profile to see if there was any background to the idiot that wrote them will have noticed I live in N. Ireland. For those unlearned members on the mainland, there has to be a couple, when you pass your driving test here
for the ensuing ... ...R plates. This is enforced whether you’re a newly qualified driver or an experienced driver who has had to retake the test.
For those still confused think of L plates with a different letter. This R stands for restricted and that means the car, not the driver, is restricted to 45mph, no it’s not an easy way to exceed the 30mph speed limits. This law or restriction has been in force for over 25 years and it was initiated because a lot of newly qualified ...
petersmyth1 29.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Urban Speed Limits
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