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

Most cars on the road aren't new.

We also have the rules of the road set up to allow an average level of competence in driving, not just extra special competent drivers. We don't have several types of licence and two sets of rules. We've gone for 'passed your test, off you go'. So our driving rules have to accommodate that level of competence.

Other countries do have different rules. Some of their rules might be better, some might be worse. But they aren't in place here. Things like the autobahn work as everyone is driving according to the rules of the autobahn, with minimum speeds and an expectation how the outer lane is used. You cant just do the same in the uk where those aren't the expectations.

The 70mph limit was introduced in 1967 and was commensurate with vehicles of that era, but it is out of touch these days.
Other places (Germany for example) have higher (80) or unrestricted motorway speeds which I think is far more in-line with 2024.

Personally, there is nothing more frustrating than people in the middle or outside (dont call it fast!) lane blocking traffic by trying to overtake at 70mph and leaving everyone sitting behind them unable to progress while they wheeze their way past for the next 5 minutes.

(Yes, i'm comfortable breaking the motor/dual carriageway speed limit.)

@CantHoldMeDown you sound quite proud of breaking the law regularly. You might be Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris, but there are speed limits and regularly exceeding them is breaking the law.

Some of the modern features are a bit dodgy though.

I have something called lane assist that wrestles the steering wheel from you and tries to pull you back into the centre of the lane when you go outside it.

It doesn't work all the time though, and sometimes it tries to wrestle the steering when it shouldn't.

I would say it is 95% OK. But if that 5% happened to happen at a time when the car was already in some sort of difficult situation I think it could prove quite problematic and maybe cause an accident to be worse.

IMO there is still no substitute for a competent alert driver and some additional safety systems might lull people into a false sense of security.

I can see how some people might want to turn stuff like lane assist off. Stuff like traction control and ABS harder to understand (most cars of course don't allow you to turn off ABS) and traction control can normally be turned off in unusual conditions.

Watch this for evidence, proves a point, and this was 9 years ago even. My car has automatic accident prevention as most new cars do even.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=lWmEbbPlQ_c

This gets so tiresome. Bad driving is not exclusive to the drivers of those cars.

I’m going to France soon and in dry conditions the speed limit is 80 and when wet it reduces to 68 - we drive at these limits when traffic volume allows.

Shouldn't be there for more than a few seconds though

Driven for 22 years with no speeding or jumping red light convictions.

Me too, doesn't mean I've never done either though.

Is there a correlation between not knowing the laws of the road and also not being able to actually read the opening post?

None of the first dozen or so replies managed to notice that the op said she was overtaking when she was in the right hand lane.

I'm pretty sure insurers pay out all the time for accidents where the speed limit was exceeded, or speed was a contributing factor, so that sounds like scaremongering to me

@Tattletwat

There was a post earlier with someone boasting about turning all the modern safety features off on the car as they don't need them.

Arrogance hardly covers it.

I dont think so. I think there will be less congestion as they will talk to each other and plan speed to support traffic flow. Bit like variable spped limits.
Plus less breaking to rubber neck accidents on the other side of the barrier.
Plus they will actually do that zipper thing when lanes close rather than the slower thing that people do where they get cross with people using both lanes then refuse to alternate..

To be honest, our speed limits are crazy when you think about places like Germany and the autobahn and how advanced modern cars are now, yet we are still using the same limits that were introduced decades ago, and they're lowering them in places all the time now.

Wow!

I agree with you OP that there are some drivers who speed down lane 3 (fast overtaking lane) and drive dangerously close when you are already in that lane overtaking traffic in lanes 1&2.

Some people’s comprehension of your OP and the laws of the road are…confusing, to say the least!

Be careful what you wish for. Autonomous vehicles will end up being slower and roads more congested. That will increase journey times for everyone.

@AngeloMysterioso

I’m not going to spend 45 seconds dithering behind cars doing 60 in the middle
lane on the off chance someone a mile behind is doing 90. If I want to overtake and the right lane is clear, I move out.

If they're a mile behind, you'll be in and out of the overtaking lane before they get to you, even at 90! Unless you're doing 70 and the car you're overtaking is doing 69!

I'm actually really looking forward to autonomous vehicles after reading this

So, if no action will be taken, is it actually illegal ;)

Yes, and if you have an accident and survive it the insurers won't be turning a blind eye.

You're hard work.

You don't ever answer properly, you just answer with demands of proof of what you've said and can't give a straight reply.

It's weird...I'm done.

I agree OP. Sometimes I have to go the smidgest bit over 70 to over take, but then someone’s behind me going 80 mph flashing me to move. There’s no need to be doing 80 in a 70 speed limit and you’d get done for that!

😱