Any tips for keeping under the 20mph speed limit?

[FrydayFish]

I've been caught doing 27mph in a 20mph zone so will probably have to do a speed awareness course (which is better than a fine and points on my licence).

I'm not here to debate the rights or wrongs of these limits, just wondering if anyone has any tips for staying under 20.

Is there a satnav I can download which would tell me if I was exceeding the limit?
Any other suggestions?

Surely that’s what your speedometer is for

Practise

stay in a low gear

Why can’t you just obey the speed limit? You no how fast the car is going and what the limit is. I don’t really understand.

Same way you stay within any speed limit, pay attention to your speedometer

Do you not have a speed gauge on your dashboard?

Most GPS apps will show the speed limit e.g. GoogleMaps. But you’ll still need to stay under the limit…

If you're unable to read the speed on your speedo you probably shouldn't be driving at all.

Leave home with plenty of time to spare so you don't feel rushed.

Try using your speedometer, it'd the big round numbers thing on your dashboard. If you can't read one and you can't control your speed then you have no business driving.

Did you ever see the advert with the little dead girl where she says that if you hit her at 40mph there's an 80% chance she'll die, whereas if you hit her at 20mph there's an 80% chance she'll live.

It's 20 for a reason.

You keep looking at the speedometer.
You should be doing that already. Just keep flicking your eyes to it and adjusting accordingly.

Eyes in front, check speedometer, back to road, scan pavements, road, speedo, check rear mirror, road, side mirror, speedo, road...

It should be a constant checking of everything. Obviously the most time spent watching the road but these quick flicks should be happening regularly.

Do you drive a car with a gearshift? Change down to second gear, that'll do it

Google maps shows your speed on the app as you go. On some versions it shows the speed limit too, then your speed goes red if it ticks over the limit.

My car also has cruise control (2012 manual Vauxhall) but it turns off when you break, so not suitable for a 20mph zone as you'd be breaking far more often than on a dual carriageway.

My old car, Ford Edge had a limiter function where you couldn't go over the limit you were in but could override it by pushing through the acceleration. I thought it was genius. My apparently superior landrover Discovery only has a basic limiter ie set it to 70 and you can't go over it but it's pretty redundant in day to day driving going between multiple speed zones.

Um, what? The same way you stay under every other speed limit.

Cruise control?

My cruise control can be used at 20mph and above. But only useful if it's a long stretch where you don't generally have to stop and slow down.

As everyone else said

Plus, cruise control function

How long have you been driving?

Most posts unhelpful. I'd like a gizmo OP. Or I'm hoping that as cars develop more and become more automated, then next step on from say cars that park themselves, will be ones that just drive, to the speed limit, naturally, and you only have to brake or put foot on accelerator, as you wish/see fit, according to traffic and conditions. Hope thats soon. I imagine it will be. Bet you Are Elon Musk is already working on it.

Stay in 2nd gear for 20mph
Stay in 3rd gear for 30mph

etc.
Not always the best and smoothest way to drive, but it’s a handy nudge to keeping to the speed limit.
And pay more attention!

Yes, you can get apps that make the most hideous noise if you go above speed limit. I use them when I'm driving late at night in average speed camera zones. I think mine is called speedometer.

Who wants to drive in second gear? Surely that's not advisable for the cars performance. Health of car battery and engine etc?

And for goodness sake, do not stay in second gear for 20, 3rd for 30. You'll go through petrol like no one's business.

I don't even drive and my initial thought was "look at the speedo thing"

If you don't know where or what that is you probably shouldn't be driving.

Don’t do this. It’s a terrible suggestion and will cost you loads in petrol as well as being not very mechanically sympathetic.

TomTom satnavs show thé speed limit and it changes to red when you exceed it. Or cruise control.