Am I the only idiot that sticks to the 20 MPH limit?

I do since I got done for speeding! 23 in a 20 🤦🏻‍♀️ I use Waze app constantly so I know. 20mph zones seem to be everywhere and pop up suddenly…… the road I got my ticket on o know well and I saw the mobile speed van looked at my speed and thought ‘phew, I’m not even doing 30’ it was only when I went back through about 30mins later I realised it was a random 20mph zone in the middle of. 30

I passed my driving test in March. I stick to the speed limits like glue because I can't risk getting tickets, and there's a lot of speed limit changes on my regular routes.

Yesterday I passed an RTA. This was on a stretch of road that is 40mph limit, just before it goes to 20mph limit. It was at a t junction, on a bend, no pavements, poor visibility and often horses on the road. Fortunately the poor guy seemed okay (ambulance was present) but I think he would have been better if it had been 20mph, or even 30mph.

Also, I'm sick of getting tailgated when I am right up to the speed limit. I aim to drive with the needle of my speedometer on the limit, because I'm pretty sure that it puts me just under. I am not going to go belting along at 50 in a 30 zone because you're so far up my exhaust it's adultery.

I don't want to be one of those drivers who are nervous nellies and can't turn right, but there are some roads that I am scared to go on because of the number of drivers breaking the speed limit. It's not just me who finds it tough, but experienced drivers (including my instructor), as the road isn't a wide, straight, unobstructed road and the limit of 40mph seems pretty reasonable when you watch a lorry swaying around some of the tight bends.

Sometimes driving at 20mph can be a blessed relief.

We live on the outskirts of a 30mph village, but often go to a neighbouring village that has a 20mph limit. The 20mph one is so much nicer to walk around with DS or to cycle around (we often bike there) than ours. It makes for a much more person-friendly experience.

Obviously not every road should be 20mph - the bit of road we live on is 40mph and that’s about right. But it can certainly make some areas much more pleasant places.

In answer to your question though - yes, I stick to it. In fairness the only 20mph zone I regularly encounter is that village and you’d be daft to go much faster, given the layout of the place, the parked cars, the narrowness and the blind bends which are also very narrow. 20 is a sensible speed for that road.

Or when you have done that for 10 miles on an empty motorway then it says end.

I have travelled all over Europe and there is a set speed limit.

If there is traffic then people slow down naturally.

I am sure our multiple speed limits adds to.the congestion.

For example I go on a certain stretch of the M25 regularly. Have used this stretch of motorway for years

Sometimes it was congested (usually due to the time of day)

Since they have brought in the changeable speed limits it is either always congested or has the speed limited. I have never reached 70mph what ever time of day.

But you aren't allowed to go a steady 50. Usually it is 40 or 30 then 40 then 50 then down to 40. I spend a lot if times on motorways

I just find it so.frustrating at every gantry there can be a different speed limit and the reasons they give are always bullocks.

shrug

Generally managed motorways do seem to improve traffic throughflow in my experience. And when the vast majority of traffic is obeying the indicated limit, it just becomes impossible to speed - even if you wanted to. Which also happens on camera covered A roads.

I'd much rather go a steady 50 than 70-20-70-20 for a long journey. Better for me, the car, the environment and the road.

I just find it so.frustrating at every gantry there can be a different speed limit and the reasons they give are always bullocks.

If horses are running free then I want to see horses running free, if there is debris in the road then I want to see the debris not change speeds to 50 then 40 then 30 then 40 then 50 then 60 then 50 then 40 etc on a clear motorway with no.one in sight for the 10 miles till I have to get off.

I always thought the people putting their brakes on to slow down on a motorway actually caused jams

I was hit by a car earlier this year and I am so, so grateful that the driver was doing 20, in a 20 zone. Her being conscientious meant I walked away from the accident with some minor scrapes and aches, rather than broken bones or worse.

Watching cars speeding up and down the road outside my house now, makes me feel almost physically sick.

Although I spend most of my time on motorways flicking the cruise control up and down as every gantry now seems to display a different speed limit

The Ford S-Max I had last year changed automatically

I can speed in dd's car as her speed limiter just turns itself off it you put your foot a little heavier on the accelerator.

Always use my cruise control. I have arthritis in my knees so it is easier.

I do a lot of long journeys on motorways and not having to put any pressure on the accelerator is so relaxing.
Although I spend most of my time on motorways flicking the cruise control up and down as every gantry now seems to display a different speed limit

Also when I was going through the 20mph zone I knew I was doing dead on 20mph so the police behind me couldn't catch me out.

Definitely cruise control. Would now never consider a car that didn't have it. Makes driving so much easier.

Horses for courses ... having driven a lot in the US, I loved CC, but only really get to use it on long motorway drags. I wouldn't mind but it's adaptive and supposed to follow the car in front. But there's no point in engaging it in town.

Speed limiter is much better. And it works fine - it will cancel if you really boot the gas, but I've never needed to do that. Maybe I'm not driving right ?

Definitely cruise control. Would now never consider a car that didn't have it. Makes driving so much easier.

Dd has a speed limiter and it is shit.
It never works. Slight pressure on the accelerator and it turns itself off.

Oliversmumsarmy - apparently that's one of the effects of lowering the speed limit. I guess if roads are too slow and congested people choose to walk or cycle

But if you live that close to your destination then you would probably walk anyway if you don't plan on carrying a lot but for most people we are driving miles to get somewhere else. No good getting out of your car and walking through the 20 mph zone if you have a further 20 miles to go or you have a load of stuff to carry

Even if you wanted to leave your car and walk there are no parking spaces so you are forced to drive.

Always amazes me when people say use public transport.

I would have to drive to the train station or bus stop and when I get there the station car park is always full or there is double yellow lines around the bus stop.

If people want you to get out of your car and walk you have to give them somewhere to park the car in the first place and not assume everyone comes from within a mile radius of the area or works in an office so will only be carrying a light briefcase or handbag

it's dangerous to drive too slow. It's not dangerous to go at the speed limit, regardless if it's "slow", the danger is the anger of the arseholes behind you!!

Any slower and I'd be aware I'm probably pissing off the driver behind.

So what? They can get pissed off, the one going at the speed limit is in the right.

If we know deaths increase in 20 zones but the local government keeps doing it, I will be more dubious about their other decisions

But why do deaths increase in a 20 zone? Supposedly because some drivers are not sticking to it and attempting to overtake the cars that are? Which is entirely the speeders fault.

I was driving recently in a 20mph zone. I had my cruise control set to 20mph.

Cruise control or limiter ?

Despite cruise control being the feature I specifically wanted most when I ordered our car I hardly use it, whereas I use the limiter from start to finish.

Driving at 20 mph is quite difficult if there is no apparent reason (e.g. school road) and it feels like a 30 mph road.

I'd probably do 25 mph (as per my speedometer), which in reality is probably about 21-22 mph. Any slower and I'd be aware I'm probably pissing off the driver behind.

I disagree with your stance that reducing the speed limit to 20mph doesn’t save lives

But that assumes that everyone within that zone will stick to the limit. Of course being hit at 20 is "safer" than being hit at 30. But lots of people don't stick to the 20mph limit for various reasons - either it's a road that's been changed to 20 for no apparent reason, or they just don't much care.

20mph zones also tend to have more foot traffic - children, dog walkers, cyclists - meaning a crash is more likely just because it's busier.

An arbitrary speed limit of 20mph won't automatically make a road safer - there needs to be other factors at play too.

Oliversmumsarmy - apparently that's one of the effects of lowering the speed limit. I guess if roads are too slow and congested people choose to walk or cycle.

I stick to it but I do find it hard - I have a good feel for when the car is doing 30 so it's fairly easy to keep to a 30 limit, but keeping to a 20 increases my mental load while driving because I'm always having to check.

That may change though as 20 limits become more common.

Wasn't widespread 20mph zones all over London one of Boris's bright ideas, some years ago? Like many things, was it imposed because it made him look good, rather than anyone thinking it through?

I was recently driving at 20mph, as the signs said, in a bus lane (it was allowed at that time). I was overtaken, by a bus. The irony! And whenever I doggedly followed the speed limit, I was tailgated, flashed at, overtaken dangerously, and remembering my driving instructor telling me (on the same roads, before the 20mph speed limit came in) it's dangerous to drive too slow.

It's much more complicated than that. Of course someone hitting someone at 30 is worse than 20.

It was you that said it wasn’t

You established that lowering the speed limit doesn’t change the rate of crashes which means it doesn’t increase the number of crashes

At a lower speed there is a higher chance of survival if hit by a driver

I disagree with your stance that reducing the speed limit to 20mph doesn’t save lives

Why would doing 20mph in a 20mph zone make you think of alternative transport

Anything that deters cars is good or at least getting people thinking about alternative forms of transport