I just got pulled over for doing 32 in a 30

Whilst agreeing there is a balance between practicality and safety, there is some science in it. I think there should be the option of more graduated (so for example 25mph), and also in some cases a lower speed limit in one direction than the other (say when entering a town or village as there is more chance of a pedestrian ahead).

I also think the lower speed limits especially 20mph should not just be a sign by the road, but some other measure to lower speed (speed hump or cushion perhaps).

If he had time when travelling behind you, to spot you going too fast and pull you over, I'm going to suggest that the 32 that you were doing at the point that you noticed him, was less than you were doing when he first spotted you and made the decision.

I had to go on speed awareness course. The guy doing it told me that the speed they prosecute at can vary. If its a known hot-spot they are more strict.

Finally a sensible response

You can either speed and face the consequences or not speed and don't. Up to you, love.

So you pay attention to the road but not your speed as well 🤣 Hopefully you know you should do both.
You were speeding you were given a verbal warning, not sure why you feel you should be exempt for this. Yes it was only 2 miles over the limit, but it was over the limit. Do you believe that you shouldn't be stopped until you were 3,4 5 or more miles over the limit?

Shaking? Really? You need some form of resilience training because that’s not normal.

The same police officer will be pulling people over who are doing 40 or 50. It's not like he's been sent out specifically to catch people who are doing 32, FFS.

Yes they can. I was pulled over by two male coppers because my license plate was allegedly "dirty". I've got natural long blonde hair and I think they were hoping to oggle a nice bit of totty. Once they'd pulled up alongside (lights on and siren going), they realised I'm an old biddy in her 60's. One turned to the other and said "you lose mate". They then told me to clean my license plate whilst smirking their heads off. The whole thing shook me up to be honest as it wasn't long after Sarah Everard. For the record, my license plate wasn't dirty at all.

I was speed-van caught at 32 in a downhill dip in a 30 stretch. Got a letter, attended the speed awareness course online.

Because I was speeding according to the limit. Not because anyone was on a power trip 🙄

I thought there was a 10% margin of error allowance? Think the police officer must have been having a dull day.

The posters saying that doing 32mph is x% more likely to kill in a collision than at 30mph, and there’s y% more kinetic energy etc are no doubt right. But it’s all beside the point.

Speed limits are arbitrary in the sense that they’re chosen to be round numbers and applied with wide degrees of latitude.

Why not fix the limit at 28mph or 37mph? Going at 30 or 40mph would then bring statistical higher risk than the lower speeds. You could just go down until you get to, say, 5mph and eradicate all appreciable risk.

The latitude is that councils fix speed limits without any real knowledge of whether they’re justified or not. The usual decision is between 20 or 30mph. There’s no science in it, just choice.

The reality is that it’s a balance between practicality and safety. And that slight breaches of a speed limit happen everywhere, all the time. A 2mph excess is so small that it brings the system
into disrepute to act on it.

Or her speedo is accurate and she was actually going 32.

I would hope you were taught to occasionally look in your mirrors and at your instruments as well.

30 is the limit, not the minimum.

😂 you get taught to be aware of what's behind you and at the sides of you too.

I don’t believe this at all, speedometers are designed so that they will not display a lower speed than you are travelling so if your car was showing 32 you would be travelling slower than that.

He was enjoying watching you squirm.

Not true. Most new and recent cars show exactly 2 miles over the speed the car is actually doing on the speedo.

Well, it is.

You should also be aware of what's behind you and around you. We are taught enough to pass our test, but there is far more to safe driving than that. It's interesting to keep learning how to improve your driving e.g. by having advanced lessons.

I don’t think it’s kind to call the OP a twat. However, I think she must have stopped ‘shaking’ now, having posted so many responses.

Was it Traffic Police? The OP doesn't state that at all. Regular police pull motorists over quite frequently. Most Traffic Police operate on the motorways or major trunk roads and as this was a 30mph zone, it obviously wasn't either.

Did the police officer say you were doing 32? I just wonder if you were doing more than that. Or perhaps they saw something else suspect? It does seem a bit drastic to pull you over, but I guess they had every right to do so.

Of course it’s total overkill. What a twat.