To wonder how so many people are comfortable breaking the speed limit?

Sorry that meant to say that if you don't pay it then you will get a criminal record. Autocorrect.

This is true on mine also.

But few people have the presence of mind to indicate when they are in an emergency situation. And you might argue that is taking up valuable processing time which could be put to better use.

Last time I took emergency avoidance from someone in front doing something silly, I wasn't doing "mirror signal maneovre". I was getting the hell out of the way.

@Tryingtokeepgoing You have misunderstood what that blog is saying. It says if you don't pay the FPN then it won't obtain a criminal record but the actual act of speeding is a criminal offence, which is why the FPN is given in the first place.

It's essentially an incentive to get people to pay as opposed to being prosecuted.

@Tryingtokeepgoing The initial act of speeding is a criminal offence.

"Speeding is a criminal offence in the UK and can have serious consequences; drivers should always be aware of the speed limit on the roads they are travelling on. The police has the power to issue penalty points, fines, driving bans and even imprisonment for those who exceed the speed limit and cause dangerous situations or accidents."

Taken from a solicitors website.

And the conclusion is that the many, many 'speed doesn't matter, driving to the conditions does' people don't drive to the conditions either.

Much as you might like that to be the case, if you accept and pay the FPN it is not and you wll not get a criminal record

https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/blog/2023/01/motoring-conviction-criminal-record/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20caught%20speeding%20and%20pay%20the%20Fixed%20Penalty,recorded%20as%20a%20criminal%20conviction.

I agree. I'd certainly be in favour of re-tests every 5 years for everyone and maybe every year for OAPs.

But it still wouldn't solve the problem of unlicenced drivers or those who get "friends and family" to sit their tests as look-a-likes unfortunately. Perhaps we'd need to move to fingerprints or retina ID checks instead of photos!

It also wouldn't solve the problems of people who can "fake" driving properly in a test, but then drive like morons on the roads again afterwards.

But yes, it would be a step in the right direction. Passing a test once maybe decades ago certainly doesn't make a driver safe today!

Well that's either made up or a stupid salesperson, as anyone in the UK who has a car with that level of automation (and I've had a 2 Mercs, a Tesla and a BMW with that tech) knows, if you don't interact with the car periodically then first it bongs, and if that doesn't work it will then slowly bring the car to a halt, haxard warning ligjts on.

Now, that's not ideal in the outside lane of the M25, but its an awful lot safer than having a heart attack in a car without that tech, where the outcome will either be the accelerator flat to the foor, and / or the steering when yanked to the left or right, and not stopping until it ploughs into another road user and causes a huge accident!!

See my earlier comment about how many people actually slow down in poor visibility.

@Tryingtokeepgoing It is very much a criminal offence otherwise the police would not get involved.

Is that what you tell your kids as you wave them off in their first car?

They obviously wouldn’t mind, because it’s just a bit over, and I’ve learnt today from idiots are us on this thread that speed limits are just guidelines!

I must have missed that amendment to the Highway Code!

Are you saying you do 155mph on the motorway?

But at one level it's perfectly rational. Speeding is not a criminal activity, just an offence under the Road Traffic Act. The reason most people don't speed excessively is becuase they value their driving licence. The police have published the speeds at which they will take action. It's perfectly logical therefore not to exceed those limits, but to drive faster than the posted speed limit

It's not a fast lane.

Although I do get frustrated with people using the overtake lane to drive I when the left hand lane is empty.

@redalex261

Speed limits are not a “guide” or “common law” - they are statutory.

Lots of things are against the law but are barely ever enforced.

It's actually illegal to be "drunk and disorderly" or "drunk and incapable" but very unlikely to lead to an arrest unless you're causing a lot of trouble to others, i.e. fighting, damaging property, etc but then you get arrested for another reason! But, in theory, there will be loads of people coming out of pubs and clubs on a Saturday night (or Sunday morning) who are technically breaking laws and facing arrest, but only tiny numbers ever end up in a cell. In fact far fewer than a few decades ago, when the police were a lot more likely to arrest for being drunk. The threshold has increased over the years as to what constitutes requiring an arrest and what doesn't. Basically "scope creep".

Some of these comments are truly frightening!

Road safety isn’t about what you think should be, it is about the Law and what is, and no morons the speed LIMIT is not a guide! FFS you can see why so many are killed on the roads each year!

I don't think going on what the police allow is an acceptable or appropriate yardstick. There are many crimes the police won't enforce for whatever reason, some which harm others, but that doesn't mean it's still not the law or that we should break it. It's there for a reason.

Judging by the appaling driving and parking round our local schools, yes, the rules of the road are constantly broken,. Then there's the appalling lane discipline on our motorways. The laws around drug use are flaunted widely, and there are plenty of posts on here about how 'misuse' of self checkout or any other way of getting 'one up' on a big corporation is acceptable to many

Have you ever stuck a stamp on an envelope upside down? Drank under the age of 18? Parked on a double yellow to nip to a postbox or similar? Eaten or had a swig of water while driving?

Do people causally break the law in any other sphere of life? - in the main no. A law is a law - you cannot pick and choose which you will abide by.

Drug taking & many will take drugs and not even acknowledge their role in the criminality associated with drugs.

An average means speeds above and below. S
o if the average is 70, people should be able to drive above that speed at 80 as per other countries, in the same way as restricted vehicles top out at 60.

70 mph is NOT slow - it is the speed limit and no-one should be exceeding it in any lane. Never - not under any circumstances.

Do people causally break the law in any other sphere of life? - in the main no. A law is a law - you cannot pick and choose which you will abide by.