To be annoyed at driving 91 mph on a 70 mph road.

[Jupitertomars]

On a 70mph road with myself in the back as 7 month of DD was crying so 5 year old is in the front.

I was furious. OH rolls eyes when I shout "wow!! Slow down! Your going 91 mph!!"

Then give him death stare.

He replies "stop looking at me like that. I'm not going to crash."

It makes me so frustrated as he just doesn't take it serious.

I know it's common to go slightly over the speed limit but this was too far for me. It's really annoyed me but I don't want it to ruin our day out.

Another one here who thinks that speed is not the evil that everyone says it is. Yes, agreed, an accident at speed will be more serious than one at a slower pace, but speed ON IT'S OWN doesn't kill. Inappropriate speed on a bend, someone pulling out in front, component/tyre failure, tiredness, distraction - there's always another factor at play. I admit to speeding - a smidge over the limit on a long straight, dry day etc. However, I'm always amazed at the safe as houses drivers, holding me up at 45mph on a 60mph that then continue at the same, nice safe 45 mph in the towns and villages around me.
Driver eduction, a harder test that teaches better skills, compulsory skid training....these are what's needed. An awareness of how the laws of physics apply to your car would help too - so many drivers skid off on my local roads as they realise they're too fast in the bends, and hit the brakes half way round.
Oh, and while we are at it - see those levers on either side of your steering wheel? They're indicators. Using them means I know where you're going, which always helps - speeding or not!

No-one does 70 past junction 26 and if you're doing 90 along there then you're a liability.

I'd not do 90 there but never had any issue doing 70. The variable cameras never seem to be set above 50 though. Funny that.

Can I just point out that it isn't 'slow, middle, fast' lanes on a motorway. It's 'left, middle, right' irrespective of speed, good land discipline means you return to the left lane when the overtake is complete.

but if that car had that kind of accident at that kind of speed - despite the lower speed limits, they clearly don't work - so what should we do?

• lower them more? - no the person ignoring 50 and doing the ton is not going to see 40 there and think oh I had better slow down? And why disrupt everyone else because of one / a few idiots?

• look at driver education? possibly, for some that will help - esp. those who are unaware of the impact or consequences that can arise from being out of control... where else do we give people access to powerful machinery after a fairly rudimentary test and then require no further training or testing ever - some countries require a retest every 5 years, perhaps that could work... who on this thread has read the latest version of the Highway Code / has read any version since passing their test - probably very few...

• accept that there will always be some idiots around - this sadly is the only realistic option - it doesn't matter what you do, how much training, what speed limits are - there will always be idiots - so to build your approach to roads and traffic management based on the behaviour of the rare idiot would be silly - you base it on the norm...

I've already said that the speed limits help with pollution
And I have already answered that - yes reducing speed limits reduces overall fuel consumption and therefore pollution... but

• the logical outcome is to have a speed limit of 0 and no pollution!
• as you have to accept some pollution it is then about differences at different speeds
• lowering speed limits would give less pollution over the whole journey - but an increased concentration of pollution in the area of the lower limit as proportionally the vehicles will spend longer in that zone - so it can be counter-productive...
• modern car technology reduces pollution far more than lowering speed limits - if you really wish to reduce pollution you would ban / crush all cars over a certain age as being less efficient - you would also ban engines over a certain size etc. - it would have far more effect, but politically would be more of an issue...
• but a move to modern cars would reduce localised pollution, but increase environmental impact from the manufacturing and recycling processes - there is far less environmental impact from my classic RR with a big petrol V8 than scrapping it and building a new car with all its plastics - (ref. study from I think Stanford Uni a few years back where the Jeep was proved to have less environmental impact than a Toyota Prius on a full life cycle).
• if you really want to tackle pollution you would look at job locations / manufacturing processes and transportation and ask why we don't have more localised field to kitchen consumption of food / less nationalised warehousing for distribution / more people working from home or locally - all of which are the real issues in pollution and congestion...

So the reality is the pollution is a total red herring in this discussion...

My DH does 40 in a 30 zone and it irks me. When I mention it he just sets his jaw.

It's not your DH's driving so much as the other eejits on the road so it's no good his saying he won't crash. A country road will have agricultural vehicles turning off and on to it especially.

Tittygolightly
I regularly do 85-90mph with my 6 year old in the car. Speed doesn't necessarily = dangerous

I will remember this when I am next at the Coroner's Court.

Also try explaining your thoughts to the bereaved relatives that have lost someone due to negligent and dangerous driving

Where did I say 90 was my normal speed?

Everybody who drives a car think they are a fucking marvellous driver, and the fact is that most of them are average at best. Your husband is being an utter prick driving at that speed. There is no accounting what other motorists will do, and if you crash at that speed, you'll not only kill yourselves & your child, but probably everyone else involved. Refuse to take your child in a car with him, otherwise you are complicit.

What if he'd had a tyre blow out?
Speaking from experience these are hard enough to control at 70mph (and some people often can't) never mind 90+

The legal limit is 70mph for a reason

As for the "I'm not going to crash"...I would presume everyone who was seriously injured or killed in an accident that was the result of their own speeding thought exactly the same

YANBU

He's a knob.

Your husband needs to give his head a wobble ! He needs to realise that if he has a crash it is not just himself in danger but others also ! I lost a very good friend due to a reckless driver driving head on into her car killing her instantly 😢 She was only 18.
Please give your husband a talking too as it won't just be his family grieving if the worst was to happen x

im bothered about country lanes being 60 does anyone know why this has never been changed

people go way too fast round blind bends

"im bothered about country lanes being 60 does anyone know why this has never been changed

people go way too fast round blind bends"

That is a great example of people thinking speed limits fix things rather than just proper driving.

If people go too fast round blind bends a speed limit isn't the way to fix it. people actually learning to drive and read the road is rather than pandering g to the lowest common denominator and making everyone drive at less than 60 everywhere when going faster than that is perfectly safe in many places.

Speed was a factor when my childhood friends were orphaned by a driver doing 20 miles over the speed limit - the day before their youngest child turned 18.

People wittering on about how great they are at driving at speed seem to forget that there are lot of terrible drivers driving on the roads too.

Where I am I regularly encounter people who change lane with no warning, brake suddenly for no earthly reason, swerve in an out of their lane because they are texting or checking their phone, driving at 25 mph on a 65 mph road, ignore red lights, drive drunk, drive high, and drive at 60 with their landscaping crew sitting on the floor in the back of their pick up looking completely miserable.

Anyone can drive at 120 mph on an empty, smooth road (provided you don't suffer a tire blow out or a major mechanical failure), unfortunately the roads are not empty and someone who drives worse than a hyperactive kangaroo is sure to join your lane just when you least expect it.

I think speed limits on motorways could be increased to 90mph with the usual caveats about adjusting your speed for road conditions.

Most modern cars are more than capable of safely achieving that speed and braking systems and safety features have vastly improved since the 70mph limit was imposed. Motorways are not like normal roads with their junctions, two-way traffic, pedestrians and twisty turny bits so higher speeds make sense.

But no government is going to suggest it, because it will be unpopular, irrational though that is, as this thread shows.

limitedperiod

Two problems with that

a) You will still have the same number of bad drivers on the road
b) How will the speed freaks prove how awesome they are if every mere mortal can drive at 90?. They'll have to drive faster

Going above 70 in appropriate conditions is a lot less dangerous than middle lane hogging, tailgating, distraction from children/phones, tiredness, needing the loo, driving a car with worn tyres or brakes......... all of which cause accidents more regularly than speed.

But going at 90mph with all those things is more dangerous than going at 70mph. You might be the worlds greatest driver (congrats) but there are plenty of morons around you

IME people who drive fast, also tailgate, because they are impatient and frustrated with others. They also join junctions without giving way and nip across two lanes at once. They have delusional idea that they are on a race track, and if that's the way they get their jollies, then there's plenty of recreational driving places to go to.

Government released figures that 1/2 of drivers drove at 80mph on motorway rather than 70mph.
Half!
That backed the argument to raise the limit from 70 to 80, which isn't currently being pursued.

But .... all those horrified at such speeds of op dh or titty, are clearly not that half then!!

It's not speed freaky to want to drive at 90mph on a motorway in good weather when the weight of traffic allows. I don't think that makes you a bad driver. Obviously, tailgating is not a good idea but it is not a good idea to act as an unofficial traffic cop either. On motorways I move over to the left when possible.

I don't speed, mainly because of speed cameras, but also because on the occasions I do my one particular long distance motorway journey I find it more comfortable to do about 65-70mph in an appropriate lane.

When I'm driving it takes about 20-30 mins longer than when my husband is, so it'll take me 3hrs 30mins when it'll take him just over 3. A lot of the time difference is taken up, not on the motorway, but when we come off it for about 20 miles and national speed limit applies except in the villages we pass through. He knows the roads, because he grew up there, and I don't, so he drives faster than me.

We're equally good in urban traffic and I'm better at parking than him.