To think it's not big or clever to be caught speeding?

[SoftKittyWarmKitty]

Or indeed to be speeding at all, whether you're caught or not?

Prompted by someone on my FB (sorry!) who posted a status practically bragging that he'd been caught doing 95mph on the motorway but 'got away' with only 3 points. A good half a dozen people replied with comments along the lines of 'oh, you're so naughty' and one posted to say that this bloke is lucky as when he'd been caught doing 105mph he was fined £400 odd quid. Somewhere in the middle of all this the OP admitted that he's already done a speed awareness course so must have been caught speeding previously. Clearly the course works then .

Am I being unreasonable to think that being caught speeding isn't a fucking badge of honour?

[SafetyBubble]

.
At 70 mph this is nearly 100 metres and is a three second gap.





Need we say more?

[BrittaPerry]

I used to know someone who was generally accepted as the cars and driving expert of his friends. The group of friends all worked at various rural pubs in the kitchens. One had just got a new car, and asked his car expert friend, who had popped in for a pint, to take it for a spin, so he did.

He was driving on a route that he drove every day and hardly ever saw anyone else on the roads. He was driving well as far as he saw it, but fast - he was putting the car through its paces, after all. He was slightly tipsy, he had had about two pints, but had driven like that loads and felt ok.

A family car was on the same road, also going too fast. Mum, dad and two kids. The kids were messing about and wouldn't put their seatbelts on, the dad was driving and turned round to tell them off, straying on to the wrong side of the road for a couple of seconds.

At least thats what was guessed was happening inside the car. Nobody will ever know, because everyone died when the car expert whizzed round the corner, far too fast, into the family car going a bit too fast on the wrong side of the road.

I bet everyone thought they were a good driver. Individually, those things had happened countless times, but you never know when your bad driving behaviour will come up against someone elses bad driving behaviour.

[MurderOfGoths]

"Surely Redbindy isn't for real? Why would anyone brag about doing something that increases the probability of killing someone else and perhaps theirself too?"

People do. Unfortunately I'm related to one :(

[natation]

Surely Redbindy isn't for real? Why would anyone brag about doing something that increases the probability of killing someone else and perhaps theirself too?

[Pantah630]

bureni it depends on how the engine develops power. Technically you are only restricting the top end but if you've a high revving, ie gixer 6, motor that only produces power higher up the rev range and has little torque, you affect acceleration too. A v twin, which has much more low down torque, even in the low capacities, only affects the top end, with no acceleration loss. That's why if you're on a restricted licence it makes more sense to ride something like an SV650 than an R1. I'm assuming that this would translate to cars as well but am no engineer, so fine to be corrected, a diesel and petrol motors produce power differently, you can feel it when you drive. You don't get v twin cars any more but there are v6, v8, v12's, generally the cars with greater power, I don't think restriction would affect them in the same way but then it's rare you see someone stuffing a Ferrari on a motorway, one of the safest places to drive in the UK.

Strange the Government haven't yet seen fit to put the same restrictions on car drivers, I'm assuming the car lobby wouldn't let them get away with it. From January anyone under 24 will have to jump through many hoops to get on a larger capacity bike, with at least 3 tests or wait till they're 24 and go the direct access route.

BTW it's inappropriate speed that kills not speed itself. inattention is the biggest killer on our roads "sorry I didnt see you" translates as "sorry I was too busy texting, tuning the radio, doing make up in mirror, shouting at kids, am so safe inside my steel cage I don't need to look" delete as apropriate. I may sound bitter but that is an excuse used daily on our roads, compulsory riding of a motorcycle or push bike on the road for 2 years would make all of us that drive cars better, and more aware of other road users and hopefully fewer deaths.

LalyRaw so sorry for your loss, its hard to loose anyone but senseless accidents are incredibly hard to come to terms with. I don't know how you coped at such a young age, or how you're still coping. :(

[sashh]

I'm in the slow lane doing 70 on an empty road and some prick is in the middle lane doing 60, so I have to either undertake or pull out into the fast lane to overtake them. I'm never sure which is safer

You are only undertaking if after passing the car you pull into the middle lane (or outside if you do it in the middle lane).

If you are driving at the same speed before during and after passing then you are not undertaking.

From the highway code:

Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

[Meglet]

Yanbu. I saw someone boasting about being let off doing 40 in a 30 as she said she flirted round the police officer . Obviously she won't mind people going at 40 outside her childrens school then.

[MurderOfGoths]

One of my relatives was boasting about how she'd been stopped doing 60mph on a 30mph road and got away with it with no points or anything. Then a week later she posted a status about drunk driving killing people with the note of "everyone look at your driving!!1!!"

DH told her she should look at her own, and pointed out speeding kills too.

At which point it became a massive family argument.

[parno]

I will hold my hands up and admit I have been caught speeding. Sucked it up as I was in the wrong, but it really irritates me the attitude that it is ok to speed. I'm pretty sure if those individuals who drive at ridiculously excessive speeds were to lose a loved one due to a speeding driver they wouldn't be laughing then or patting the driver on the back with shouts of nice one, shame you got caught.

[Tiredmumno1]

This is the accident that January was talking about further up the thread - bbc news

Absolutely awful, and just shows what can happen and will happen at such ridiculous speeds.

[EugenesAxeChoppedDownANiceTree]

YANBU - it's only ever just been annoying for me.

[SledYuleCated]

Bureni Can you explain this to me like I'm a small child?

Would the restriction be at top speed? As it was explained to me, there are occasions when you may need to accelerate out of a dangerous situation to provide a collision. Only momentarily, so yes, whilst that would be speeding, it would actually be preventing an accident ad therefore would be preferable. If you were doing the top speed, which was 70 and therefore not speeding, you wouldn't be able to do that.

Admittedly, I struggle to see that these occasions are frequent enough to outweigh the benefit of speed restrictors, but still an interesting point in the debate.

Also, the sort of cunts people who find 120 funny are the ones who would also find deactivating the restrictors funny. I know of several people who have done this wih bikes.

[SoftKittyWarmKitty]

LalyRaw that's truly shocking, I'm so sorry . I hope the driver was suitably punished, but somehow I fear not.

Iceaddict believe me, he's not embarrassed in the slightest.

[Iceaddict]

Oh no it's awful. I got flashed yesterday and I feel sick! I don't know what the hell I was doing it was a road I drive daily and I must have been doing 34. Haven't even told dp yet, its definitely nothing to brag about. I do around 200 miles a week and although I drive to the speed limit I don't generally break it. Maybe the person is embarrassed and making light of it by discussing on FB

[Lilithmoon]

LalyRawr

[bureni]

If you accelerate when you are at top speed then you are going to be speeding and breaking the law hence the reason why lorries are restricted to 55mph max on any U.K roads.

[SledYuleCated]

But how do you then accelerate if you're already travelling at top speed? I am admittedly not any kind of expert, is there a way of accelerating and speeding up if you were already doing a flat out 70?

[bureni]

Sled, speed restrictors have no effect on acceleration only top speed.

[LalyRawr]

Redbindy Please tell my parents and brother how safe it is to drive at 120mph, how you can still brake safely, not endanger lives and how much fun it is.

Oh no wait. You're about eleven years too late. Some cunt speeding down the motorway decided it was also fun and killed my entire family in one fell swoop.

I was 14.

But it's ok though. The driver had fun. That's all matters isn't it?

[SledYuleCated]

Restricting cars to RW upper limit prevents them from being able to accelerate out of danger, which is sometimes necessary.

[bureni]

thetramp..a restriction on speed would prevent speeding which is illegal and the cause of most accidents on U.K roads, that imo is a good hinderance. My first touring motorcycle was restricted to 33 bhp by the previous owner until they had gained enough experience to ride the bike at full power, this is a legal requirement that should also be forced onto car drivers until they have gained enough experience as the way the law stands there is nothing to prevent a 17 year old boy racer from sticking a set of L plates onto a really powerful car with the usual results a few weeks later.

[uptheamp]

most lorries etc keep to the slower lanes though, just thinking about having to move from fast lane or overtake at speed where a restriction on speed would be a hinderance. I have driven cars with restrictors and generally think they are good though, just don't think it will ever happen.

[bureni]

uptheamp, you can restrict the speeds as motorcycles and lorries have had speed restrictors in the U.K for years now so why should cars be any different.