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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think cars should legally have speed limited to 70mph?

221 replies

clairemcnam · 23/02/2019 14:52

The upper speed limit in the UK is 70mph. So why does the Government not just pass a law saying that all cars should have a speed limited so that is the fastest it can go? Sure I know some people would disable it, but in general it would stop most people going faster than 70mph.

OP posts:

Original poster

clairemcnam · 25/02/2019 18:44

Maybe read the actual conversation then?
FFS

OP posts:

Kazzyhoward · 25/02/2019 18:47

God no. Just look at the chaos and congestion caused by lorries that have speed limiters fitted.

headinhands · 25/02/2019 18:48

Op driving threads always go the same way. You drive at the limit and you're a danger to everyone including the drivers safely doing 90 who tut and roll their eyes.

Whisky2014 · 25/02/2019 18:49

I have. But I've also just searched your username, see you've only started posting in the last month. All with "do you care about x" "do you think x" all hypothetical "what if" bollocks. The Lloyds smirking thread...that was ridiculous. I cant interact with you. Everything you write about is completely pointless.

Original poster

clairemcnam · 25/02/2019 18:51

Sorry my threads and comments are not sufficiently profound and meaningful enough for you.

OP posts:

Gronky · 25/02/2019 18:57

A couple of statistics that, to me, suggest such a device would be of little help:

-Only 16% of fatal road accidents have exceeding the speed limit recorded as a contributing factor.
-Only 6% of fatal road accidents occur on the motorway.

In other words, the number of fatal accidents where the driver was exceeding a speed limit of 70mph are vanishingly small. I realise the data is slightly incomplete, as there are also dual carriageways where the speed limit is 70mph but I still believe it is sufficient to give a fairly robust indication.

Source

Gronky · 25/02/2019 19:00

I just wanted to add: if you were to implement a 'smart' system, where location information is combined with a database of speeds, you'd be creating an enormous liability in the event a device malfunctioned due to GPS inaccuracies. The first person to be seriously injured or killed because their car erroneously deduced that the unrestricted motorway they were traveling on would cause a legal fuss that would, at the very least, cost the government millions and, at worst, kill the career of any ministers who supported its implementation (which is why you're unlikely to see any serious government support).

inabeautifulplace · 25/02/2019 19:15

Gronky, those two statistics could also mean that 100% of fatal accidents on the motorway have exceeding speed limit as a contributory factor!

My favourite statistic is that 100% of all accidents have speed as a contributory factor, because physics ;)

Gronky · 25/02/2019 19:25

Gronky, those two statistics could also mean that 100% of fatal accidents on the motorway have exceeding speed limit as a contributory factor!

This is as deep as I could dig down into the data, bear in mind these are statistics for all accidents, rather than the aforementioned fatal accidents.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743097/ras50003.ods

In 2017, 3% of all accidents on the motorway had exceeding the speed limit recorded as a contributory factor, compared to 5% for A roads, 6% for B roads and 6% for 'other' roads.

My favourite statistic is that 100% of all accidents have speed as a contributory factor, because physics ;)

Ignoring cases of accidents caused during vehicle maintenance (e.g. being crushed by an engine) or stationary operation (e.g. carbon monoxide poisoning), that would seem to be an argument against vehicles in general rather than one in favour of any universal electronic speed restriction systems.

Al2O3 · 25/02/2019 19:28

We should stop to remember just once in a while that the world is a sphere.

Therefore, if one drives faster and faster and faster and faster....eventually one goes full circle and at such great speed it is possible to drive right up ones own backside.

Therefore, while speed is OK, one should always know when to put the brake on Boobiliboobiliboo

Gronky · 25/02/2019 19:30

Therefore, if one drives faster and faster and faster and faster....eventually one goes full circle and at such great speed it is possible to drive right up ones own backside.

I'm more concerned about what happens well before that, driving at just 1/3c (speed of light) is enough to make a red light look like a green light.

Al2O3 · 25/02/2019 19:37

driving at just 1/3c (speed of light) is enough to make a red light look like a green light.

Oooh, I know. I got off the Severn Bridge only yesterday having got from Fishguard to Bristol in just four seconds and got pulled over. How shocked I was when the police pulled me over merely to congratulate me for driving so carefully. They said I had avoided some low speed 'cold-collision' and I got a commendation from the Chief Constable the very next day.

havingtochangeusernameagain · 27/03/2019 08:02

Ah well it seems like the EU is doing exactly this - and the UK government has said that it will align standards with the EU, so it will happen here too.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/automatic-speed-limits-planned-for-all-new-cars-7lrfkzv3d

TeddyIsaHe · 27/03/2019 08:10

But, the limiter can be overridden if necessary by pressing hard on the accelerator. So basically pointless?

SmallFastPenguin · 27/03/2019 08:11

A friend of mine got caught doing 40 in a 30mph zone. She went on a speed awareness course and was told that this is a lot more dangerous than doing 80 or more on a motorway since statistically more deadly accidents happen at lower speeds in built up areas.

Vulpine · 27/03/2019 08:21

I keep to speed limits in general but then i'm not a speed freak - if you're in that much of a hurry just leave earlier.

PregnantSea · 27/03/2019 08:34

This is a terrible idea. Speed limits might change, people can drive at whatever speed they want on private land, people can drive faster than this when they go to other country's, there might be an emergency...

And most importantly the vehicle belongs to the person who bought it, not the government. Who are you to suddenly decide that the functionality of their vehicle has to be reduced and the resale value needs to be dragged into the mud? What if someone wants to sell it abroad or something? Also it doesn't stop people from breaking the law - there will be easy workarounds for people who want to speed.

There are honestly so many good reasons not to do this that I'm really surprised that you would even suggest it. How about the government install cctv in all our houses so that crime can be dealt with immediately? It would stop all the criminals and there's no downside, right?

Backseatonthebus · 27/03/2019 08:58

I agree that the volume of traffic makes driving more dangerous now.

Does it? Not in terms of fatalities, which have fallen by about 3/4 since the 1960s.

Also, motorways are the safest roads, by limiting speed that doesn't address where most accidents take place, which is on lower limit roads. I would prefer money to be spent on reducing those accidents in other ways eg average speed cameras, road improvement, driver education, drink/drug driving checks etc. That makes so much more sense.

Also, we drive in Europe regularly but if my car is limited to the UK speed limit, I will not be able to drive at/near the limit of many European roads. What would you suggest in our situation?

nometal · 27/03/2019 09:15

"Also, we drive in Europe regularly but if my car is limited to the UK speed limit, I will not be able to drive at/near the limit of many European roads. What would you suggest in our situation?"

I was wondering this. If the auto speed limit camera is set up for the UK in MPH, I'm going to get from A to B very quickly while driving on the continent. Conversely, our roads are going to be clogged with foreign vehicles crawling along at 62% of the posted speed limit.

MarieIVanArkleStinks · 27/03/2019 09:19

OK this is completely unrelated to the topic at hand, but what's the meaning of the biscuit emoji? (A genuine question, as I see it everywhere but have never seen an explanation as to what it's actually for).

I'm taking it it's not a compliment!

Dramatical · 27/03/2019 09:19

was wondering this. If the auto speed limit camera is set up for the UK in MPH, I'm going to get from A to B very quickly while driving on the continent. Conversely, our roads are going to be clogged with foreign vehicles crawling along at 62% of the posted speed limit.

I'm baffled by this. MPH is MPH and unlikely to be any different regardless of where you drive.

headinhands · 27/03/2019 09:24

I kind of put more faith in the experts on this sort of thing. I do love hearing from angry Jo Bloggs whose job as a brick layer means he's the real expert and a panel of clever people are talking shit.

bridgetreilly · 27/03/2019 09:27

But, the limiter can be overridden if necessary by pressing hard on the accelerator. So basically pointless?

Temporarily over-ridden, to allow for emergencies. But not to allow for people driving at a steady 90mph on the motorway.

bridgetreilly · 27/03/2019 09:29

Oh, for heaven's sake, read the actual article.

Cars will not be set to a specific mph limit. They will have a camera linked to a GPS system so that they will be limited to the actual speed limit on the road where you are driving. Which will work whether you are on the continent or in the UK or anywhere the GPS can find you.

Backseatonthebus · 27/03/2019 09:32

The OP wasn't talking about the article though, she was suggesting an actual speed limiter on the car.

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