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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think driving 10mph is too slow?

93 replies

Hulabalu · 20/05/2025 20:04

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/16/speed-limits-should-be-cut-to-10mph/

per the above article, there wil be “less deaths if we drive at 10mph”. No sh*t! There will be less deaths if we stop using cars and go back to horse and cart. This is the reversal of progress. Maybe the invention of the wheel was too dangerous!
There are already too many 20mph roads , even dual carriageways in non residential areas. It’s too slow! You can’t get anywhere. London has gotten ridiculous!

OP posts:
Chiseltip · 21/05/2025 09:22

Flossflower · 21/05/2025 09:09

I don’t think cyclists have to abide by speed limits.

They should though, this morning the papers are reporting two people killed by cyclists. Enough is enough! When is the government going to do something about dangerous and killer cyclists!

Chiseltip · 21/05/2025 09:21

This plea is from a hobby group, it's not government policy.

And it wouldn't work in any case as it's not possible to drive for any length of time at less than 10mph.

What we actually need in the UK, which is normal in many other countries, is a Jaywalking law. That would save many more lives and significantly reduce pedestrian casualties. The law should be that it's illegal (punishable with significant fines, like other countries do) to cross the road anywhere other than dedicated, marked pedestrian crossings. Step off the kerb and get hit by a car, the pedestrian is legally at fault for the accident. That law would have a dramatic effect on road safety, and make people switch the fuck on.

Instead we have hoards of zombies, iPhone in one hand, Starbucks in the other, with headphones on and their eyes locked on their phone screens, blindly wandering into the road without so much as a glance to check for approaching bikes or cars.

TizerorFizz · 21/05/2025 09:11

Many manual cars would be in 1st gear for 10 mph. It’s not a sensible idea. Not sure if 20 mph has reduced deaths but dc not knowing road safety and rules of the road is a contributory factor. Since when did dc play on roads? Reducing to 20 in school mornings and after school is fine. After that, 30 is sensible on major roads. Side residential could be 20 but traffic needs to flow on through routes. Actually sticking to 10 would be a nightmare!

Flossflower · 21/05/2025 09:09

MoreChocPls · 20/05/2025 20:15

It’s an absolutely bloody stupid idea.

bet cyclists won’t adhere to the speed limit either!

I don’t think cyclists have to abide by speed limits.

BallerinaRadio · 21/05/2025 09:08

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 08:09

It's an interesting report

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Determining_Safe_Speeds.pdf

The key issue is the impact speed and the change in momentum (remember school physics). So trying to reduce the speed of a collision is good - improved braking systems and automatic braking detection systems - which would brake for you would be great to reduce the overall impact speed.

However, vehicles are getting heavier, which affects the momentum.

It talks about the angle of collision as well.

You've read the report?! Hang on now we just pick and choose the bits out of context that suit our agenda around these parts!

Read the report honestly... 😂

BallerinaRadio · 21/05/2025 09:07

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 20/05/2025 20:07

Yes it’s insane- we have one road near us that changes from 30 to 20mph simply because half of it falls under a different council. Me and many of my friends have had clean licences for 20+ years, 20mph zones come in and bam we all get done. I had to do a speed awareness course for 24’mph. It’s a money making scam end of.

It sounds like you and many of your friends need to be paying more attention to the road signs

MumbleBumbleAppleCrumble · 21/05/2025 09:05

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 20/05/2025 20:07

Yes it’s insane- we have one road near us that changes from 30 to 20mph simply because half of it falls under a different council. Me and many of my friends have had clean licences for 20+ years, 20mph zones come in and bam we all get done. I had to do a speed awareness course for 24’mph. It’s a money making scam end of.

when I was first starting to learn to drive my father, who had done some competitive race car driving in his youth, told me that driving fast is not the aim or the skill one needs to master, it’s being able to do it slowly that takes real skill. Once you get that down then you can start getting faster.
Living in a small country town, I find it extraordinary the number of people who seem to have one speed - usually about 40 mph - which they stick too wherever they are. Too slow on an A road and far too fast in built up areas.
it never ceases to amaze me the number of terrible drivers we have on our roads.
it seems many of those same dreadful drivers are also the very same that blame anything and everything but their own incompetence for fines and such.
if you are unable to drive at 20mph then I suggest you stop or you get a few extra lessons. It’s not the speed limit that’s the problem here.

Alexandra2001 · 21/05/2025 08:56

Love51 · 21/05/2025 08:44

Are there many road deaths caused by cyclists? There's loads of places near me where floral tributes mark where someone was killed, and every single one of them was by a car. There have also been a few deaths involving motorcycles, the death has been that of the motorcyclist, not a random child.

Yes drivers who want to do as they like, always seek to blame someone else, horse riders, pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists... they are all so hard done by .... not!

Considering the costs they cause us all, they all get off extremely lightly, esp when they kill someone.

Love51 · 21/05/2025 08:44

MoreChocPls · 20/05/2025 20:15

It’s an absolutely bloody stupid idea.

bet cyclists won’t adhere to the speed limit either!

Are there many road deaths caused by cyclists? There's loads of places near me where floral tributes mark where someone was killed, and every single one of them was by a car. There have also been a few deaths involving motorcycles, the death has been that of the motorcyclist, not a random child.

Copperoliverbear · 21/05/2025 08:42

definitely too slow and dangerous.

BlackeyedSusan · 21/05/2025 08:40

10mph is only appropriate in limited circumstances. Eg supermarket car parks,

anniegun · 21/05/2025 08:36

Its a typical Telegraph article . Basically it has made it up as no-one is calling for a 10mph limit. This is just to get your grandad angry

Alexandra2001 · 21/05/2025 08:25

Whiteflowerscreed · 21/05/2025 08:18

One road, you’re almost lucky.
Our entire Greater London Town is now completely 20 mph for about a 25 min radius in most directions! Apart from the big A roads.

going anywhere is slow and most roads have cameras.

They even changed the local by pass and dual carriage way (x2) from 40 to 30 and from 2 lanes down to 1 lane. Everything to make driving harder

You mean it makes breaking the law harder......

Alexandra2001 · 21/05/2025 08:24

MoreChocPls · 20/05/2025 20:15

It’s an absolutely bloody stupid idea.

bet cyclists won’t adhere to the speed limit either!

Get a bike if you re jealous?

Bicycles are not subject to speed limits as they have no means to know what their speed is....

However, they can be fined for other offences if they speed, maybe focus on the millions of motorists who do have a calibrated speedometer but cannot control the left foot & who kill 1800people each years, including 300 children..... I

Imagine anything else that wiped out 2 or 3 primary schools each year.. yet no one cares....

10mph speed is ridiculous and is never going to happen... bin it along with other Tory 'press scare stories...

Whiteflowerscreed · 21/05/2025 08:18

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 20/05/2025 20:07

Yes it’s insane- we have one road near us that changes from 30 to 20mph simply because half of it falls under a different council. Me and many of my friends have had clean licences for 20+ years, 20mph zones come in and bam we all get done. I had to do a speed awareness course for 24’mph. It’s a money making scam end of.

One road, you’re almost lucky.
Our entire Greater London Town is now completely 20 mph for about a 25 min radius in most directions! Apart from the big A roads.

going anywhere is slow and most roads have cameras.

They even changed the local by pass and dual carriage way (x2) from 40 to 30 and from 2 lanes down to 1 lane. Everything to make driving harder

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 08:15

mumofoneAlonebutokay · 21/05/2025 08:11

Ugh yanbu

I'm a leftie but sadiq khan is bad for London! Driving at 30 on non built up roads was fine! Driving at 20 on a dual carriageway is ridiculous 🙄

I don't know why he hates cars so much. Weird man.

Unless you're on a residential/school road, what's wrong with 'stop, look and listen'.

Edited

What do you think the OP is NBU about?
What do you think the report is saying?
What do you think the report has said about dual carriageways?

mumofoneAlonebutokay · 21/05/2025 08:11

Ugh yanbu

I'm a leftie but sadiq khan is bad for London! Driving at 30 on non built up roads was fine! Driving at 20 on a dual carriageway is ridiculous 🙄

I don't know why he hates cars so much. Weird man.

Unless you're on a residential/school road, what's wrong with 'stop, look and listen'.

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 08:09

It's an interesting report

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Determining_Safe_Speeds.pdf

The key issue is the impact speed and the change in momentum (remember school physics). So trying to reduce the speed of a collision is good - improved braking systems and automatic braking detection systems - which would brake for you would be great to reduce the overall impact speed.

However, vehicles are getting heavier, which affects the momentum.

It talks about the angle of collision as well.

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Determining_Safe_Speeds.pdf

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 07:57

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 21/05/2025 07:49

What speed would you put on country lanes?

That's a good question.

I think that 60 is too high. We went to Norway and it was 80km/h virtually everywhere (50mph) - bends, blind corners, tractors coming out, cyclists It was slower, but I don't think the effect on journey time is affected too much, especially as you get to villages when you have to slow down anyway.

What speed do you think is appropriate for residential areas?

randomchap · 21/05/2025 07:49

From the link above

We are concerned by the distortion of our research and the damage this has done to the understanding of the public. We ask media outlets to correct their misreporting, issue clarifications, and present this work with integrity.

The way the telegraph has reported on this is just pure unadulterated clickbait. targeting those who don't read past the headline

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 21/05/2025 07:49

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 07:47

What speed would you pick in residential areas to balance speed, safety, reaction times, stopping distance etc?

What speed would you put on country lanes?

cakeorwine · 21/05/2025 07:47

Hulabalu · 21/05/2025 03:55

Yes , why not make it just 5mph everywhere 🤷‍♀️. So much safer !

What speed would you pick in residential areas to balance speed, safety, reaction times, stopping distance etc?

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 21/05/2025 07:37

LaurieFairyCake · 21/05/2025 05:44

20 is fine where I am in London. I have no problem not running over people. It also means that the traffic consistently runs instead of all that speeding up and slowing down.

How many people did you run over at 30mph?

SpanThatWorld · 21/05/2025 06:13

Tomikka · 20/05/2025 20:30

As usual articles in the media on other publications are selective about what parts they quote

The road safety foundation have made a statement about media articles, as below plus the actual report in the second link

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org/statement-from-the-road-safety-foundation-on-recent-media-coverage/

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org/determining-safe-speeds/

The Telegraph has gone from being a serious newspaper to being a source of ridiculous hysteria. It's becoming the Daily Express with semi-colons.

Never let the facts get in the way of a dog whistle.

LaurieFairyCake · 21/05/2025 05:44

20 is fine where I am in London. I have no problem not running over people. It also means that the traffic consistently runs instead of all that speeding up and slowing down.

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