What speed do you usually do on the motorway?

[StuntNun]

When driving on the motorway I drive at 70 mph when traffic conditions allow. I'm frequently overtaken by cars going faster than me. So who are all these people driving at 80 or 90 miles an hour and why don't they worry about getting a speeding ticket or being pulled over?

I can drive fast and in fact I do drive well.
I just don’t like driving fast.
I don’t need to drive in the rush hour, so the left hand lane is usually pretty empty. It’s been on the rare occasion that I’ve been overtaken by a lorry, like twice.
The worst on the road are when I am in the right hand lane, having to do 75 / 80 to overtake the middle lane hog and there is someone up my arse because they won’t wait a minute till I’ve overtaken.
I then go back to the left lane, because you get the better drivers, with better lane discipline there.

Depends on the traffic situation, weather conditions and speed limit. If everything is good I drive at the limit. Otherwise I drive according to the conditions and using my 40 plus years' experience.
However, if conditions allow ( and I live in a country where there are some stretches of unrestricted motorway) I will put my foot down for a while.

The cameras on smart motorways are connected the overhead gantry displays. If no speed is shown at all, you can pass at any speed. The cameras are to the nearside of the gantries, big yellow oblong box. The overhead displays are mainly computer controlled, they monitor speeds and flash up as needed.

The cameras on smart motorways are connected the overhead gantry displays. If no speed is shown at all, you can pass at any speed.

No you can not. If no speed limit is shown National speed limit applies, which is 70mph.

When the motorway is busy and there is almost constant traffic in the left lane and middle lane, it's safer to continue in the middle, rather than pull into the left only to pull out again 20 seconds later.

This.
I just don't understand the problem. There is no way you can get away with driving 80 in in second or third lane on my stretch of motorway. All the lanes are full and it takes just a few cars or lorries to block the third lane to the point where you have no choice but to join in the second lane. That's when the 80mph ones go into the first lane. saying you should go back to third lane after you overtake is not realistic. With far too many people doing anything between 60-80 in the middle/first lane, constantly having to take over and go back to third is a pretty bad idea and I find it dangerous. I have no idea what you do in these circumstances where you have to drop kids, join the traffic back and get to work work on time. The only thing I can do is to not break the speed limit.

Santa I hope to fuck I never have to drive anywhere near you
No accident on my record. But I do invite you to drive with me one morning to show you what I mean. Weaving in and out of third lane is quite dangerous. I have seen some stupid mistakes. I think we should have some sort of designated hours for lorries which might take some of the pressure off. I don't know how this can work in practice. Just a idea.

santa

Please clarify what you mean by the third lane.

Lorries are not allowed to drive in the third lane.

Are you confusing lane one, the left hand lane?

If the inside lane is doing c.60 due to lorries being limited and there is a car doing 70 in the middle lane overtaking them, then it not hogging the middle lane. It should, of course, return to the left when it’s finished overtaking.

If the inside lane is doing c.60 due to lorries being limited and there is a car doing 65 in the middle lane overtaking them, and there is a car doing 70 in the outside lane overtaking everyone, then it is not hogging the outside lane. It should, of course, return to the left when it’s finished overtaking.

It is the dangerous idiots who speed in the outer lanes that makes these scenarios dangerous as they travel too fast (illegally) and end up not being able to cope with the drivers who are driving at the legal limit.

Right hand lane = first = for overtaking. Middle = second = for overtaking. Left lane = third = Where you are supposed to drive unless overtaking.
With the kind of traffic you in and around London, we are talking fairy dust if we stick to this third lane.

NO NO NO NO NO

Jesus no wonder you sound like a mentalist in the roads.

The left hand lane is LANE ONE

It is the dangerous idiots who speed in the outer lanes that makes these scenarios dangerous as they travel too fast (illegally) and end up not being able to cope with the drivers who are driving at the legal limit.
Yes that's so true. We really can't deal with the upheaval and cost of building flyovers etc in London and many sections of M25. It is just not practical. But if the load of slow-moving traffic in the left lane is controlled somehow, Ito will help massively. Again, I don't know how to do it. Just a thought.

Sorry for the confusion about the language. Left lane is how I deal with it too (read my posts about lorries). English not my first language

I LOVE it when people whose first language is not English try to insist to native English speakers how to use English. It is breathtakingly rude and shows an absolute lack of self awareness.

Santa, you are completely incorrect. You are using the wrong terminology and your understanding of the rules of British roads is also incorrect. Please read the Highway Code and take some driving lessons.

I drive on the motorways every day, and I drive to the conditions.

If it’s wet, I stick to 60. If it’s very wet, less than that. If driving conditions are good, and traffic isn’t heavy I’m in lane 3 driving at about 85. I drive a BMW M135i, so this speed doesn’t feel fast at all.

On average speed camera controlled sections, I do what the truckers do and stick to 10% over the indicated limit, so 55 for a 50 limit. This is the only time I use cruise control in the U.K.

and traffic isn’t heavy I’m in lane 3 driving at about 85. I drive a BMW M135i, so this speed doesn’t feel fast at all

Erm, it would feel bloody fast if you hit someone/something.

I'm not sure 'sorry my car is a Beamer so it didn't feel fast' is a defence in a court of law

All these people saying their advanced drivers so they can speed "safely".

My DH is a police officer. He is advanced trained, response/blue lights trained, he is tactical and pursuit trained. You can not get someone more trained than he is to drive at high speeds on our roads be it motorway or town roads. He DOES NOT break the law and travel over the 70mph limit, why, because that is the law. Of course he COULD drive faster and safer than 90% of the motorway uses but just because he can doesn't mean he should. The limit is there for a reason and until the limit is increased unless he is on a blue light call he will not speed.

Frankly it's not whether you are a safe driver it's whether everyone around you is a safe driver. The faster you go the slower your reaction speed. You may be super duper driver of the year but silly 19 year old boy who thinks he's Lewis Hamilton suddenly pulls out in front of you and your 90mph reaction isn't quick enough. Now you're dead, he's probably dead, maybe your cars have spun and hit other cars and they're injured, the 8 year old passenger in the car just behind you is dead. However at 70 mph you're stopping distance is reduced by 180 feet!!! You may well have been able to slow before hitting them, if you hit them the kinetic energy will be vastly reduced so maybe this time you survive. But you drove too fast to cope with the idiots of the other drivers.

Vote
I am only trying to explain what "I" mean, not trying to explain English language to anyone. It is obvious you haven't understood what I mean.
As for the rules, if you read my posts, I have explained I know which lane is for lorries and slow moving traffic and how you overtake. I have also explained why I have to use the middle lane at 70 in my commute on M25 or I will never make it to work.
What's rude in it? I don't cross 70.

santa has already apologised for any language confusion.

The issue is that you feel only one lane of the motorway is for overtaking. It doesn't matter what name you give it, you are wrong not to treat the middle lane as an overtaking lane but to stay in it instead of moving to the left lane after you have finished an overtaking manoeuvre.

You said, The middle and outside lanes are NOT for overtaking you dangerous suicidal twat! ONLY the outside lane is for overtaking. ONLY!

Which is completely and utter incorrect, dangerous, and against the Highway Code.

Where I live, a few years ago they raised the freeway speed limit from 65mph to 75mph because people were generally doing at least 75mph anyway, and no one was getting pulled over for it, and the police didn't think it was a particular problem - the freeways are empty and there are very few accidents.

I do 75-90mph in the daytime, 70-75mph at night because I'm more worried about hitting moose. I usually ride behind a big truck at night to try to reduce the risk.

Further south where the freeways are busier I drive at whatever speed seems appropriate for the traffic conditions.

The 70 mph UK speed limit is very low by international standards. In France, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Czech Republic & many other countries the limit is 130 km/h (81 mph). In Poland it’s 140 & in Germany there is no speed limit.

The 70 limit is unrealistically low, which is why so many people ignore it.

Yet where we holiday, the speed is capped at 80kph

The 70 limit is unrealistically low, which is why so many people ignore it.

Incorrect. People ignore it because they are arrogant and think they know better.

All I’ll say is watch those matrix cameras on the M1 j28 onwards (north). They work.

Got done doing 70mph in a 60mph matrix section over one junction (j30-31)

Have been driving for nearly 20 years, in regional / heavy driving roles (think 800 miles+ a week at some points), no speeding fines at all. Normally drive 70-85mph depending on conditions. Obsessed with large gaps between cars and more obsessed with knobheads filling those gaps and cutting in, causing a braking domino.

Annoyed is not the word with this speeding fine as I genuinely feel I drive safely, but clearly l, on this occasion I haven’t, and I accept that (motorway awareness course booked )

I drove along M69 and then north along M1 to Harrogate yesterday. What I noticed was the speed of drivers was very sedate, I was traveling at approximately 65-68 for most of the journey and occasionally down at 60mph on up hill sections.

It was only a few solo cars that passed at any great speed.

The M1 with cameras has greatly changed the culture of speed