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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I the only idiot that sticks to the 20 MPH limit?

183 replies

QuiQuaiQuod · 27/07/2019 19:59

Get cars up my chuff revving, cars speeding past, yet theyre never caught. I go just 1 over and I'd prob get stopped!

But apparently the highway code ISN'T law so why do some people take notice of it and is that why most people do NOT?

and most areas where I live are 20 mph now- its ridiculus and prob causes more emissions!

OP posts:
Sleepyhead11 · 27/07/2019 20:07

As someone with elderly pils, I am really happy to have a twenty mile limit where we live, and really respect drivers for sticking to it.

Igotthemheavyboobs · 27/07/2019 20:09

I always stick to it too. Like you, I bet I would be caught if not.

Sleepyhead11 · 27/07/2019 20:09

Also lost friend in a RTA in 2012, so do feel quite strongly about this

Elphame · 27/07/2019 20:09

It's a statutory limit around me.

The local authority have now admitted that the number of deaths and injuries have actually increased since it was imposed.

transformandriseup · 27/07/2019 20:10

If the limit is 20mph then I would. Our village is going from 30 to 20 later this year and MIL is a parish councillor so can’t get away from it.

orangeshoebox · 27/07/2019 20:10

yanbu
I'm the same and get a lot of aggression from other drivers (why?)

RandomMess · 27/07/2019 20:14

It's the limit in my city. What is frustrating when people stick to 20mph on their speedometer but in reality is more like 16mph - especially when its on the roads that could feasibly be 30mph ones.

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/07/2019 20:14

Speed limits under the engineering standards for the road can increase the amount of accidents. Drivers are mostly fairly good at knowing roughly what a 'safe' speed is for a road. So they will speed when a limit look stupid. And some will stick to it, which increases risk.

I prefer really well policed, signposted limits at certain times, like they do in North America. School kicking out time, 20 mph, big flashing sign. The rest of the time 30 mph. Much more sensible and likely to be respected.

Science and experts, rather than emotion and well-meaning amateurs, should dictate speed limits.

ItsWitchingTime · 27/07/2019 20:20

Yanbu

I detest drivers that ignore the limit. There has been 2 people knocked over and 5 car accidents, one involved a young lad on a bike and another the car was a complete write off. This is down a school road where families with young children live, pcsos have now started visiting during peak hours but the amount of pieple that completely ignore it and whinge is atrocious!

Don't even get me started on indicators and red lights.

BrokenWing · 27/07/2019 20:21

Never seen a road at 20, which is really slow, unless it's near a school at school start/end times only. Obviously keep to it then. Is it a city thing? I don't tend to drive in cities as public transport is often easier/cheaper than parking.

GruciusMalfoy · 27/07/2019 20:29

It's not particularly a city thing. It's very common around where I live (in both villages and towns) to have a 20mph limit on entering residential streets. I stick to the limit.

Bierplease · 27/07/2019 20:34

Here in Edinburgh the whole city is pretty much 20 now, it’s ridiculous as many roads do not require such slow speeds, the majority of people still do 30 and the ones who go 20 frustrate other drivers who try and over take on roads that they shouldn’t.

bobstersmum · 27/07/2019 20:34

Our road is a very wide and straight one, and people like to whizz up and down it. It was made 20 a few years back but hardly anyone abides by it, I took it up with our local police and was told that the 20mph limit can't be enforced only from 30 upwards, so they can't do speed camera traps for it? I took their word for it but not so sure now!

womaninthedark · 27/07/2019 20:36

I stick to the 20mph limit.
I'm finding the 'skid risk' temporary 20mph difficult, though. No-one else seems to give a damn.

KM99 · 27/07/2019 20:37

Lots of 20 roads in my town, including my narrow street. I stick to the limit and of someone gets too close to me I drop down to 15 to annoy them (only if 1 car behind me of course).

Visibility on our road is poor, people drive like twats and we have lots of young children in the area.

BackforGood · 27/07/2019 20:41

What MrsTerryPratchett said.

They've started randomly reducing the speedlimits to 20 on some roads around by me. There is no logic to it, and no time restrictions (eg on school drop off and pick up times).
In truth, when you've been driving on said roads for 30+ yars, it is easy to forget some Councillor has decided that one road is suddenly going to be reduced to 20 for no apparent reason.

Dontgiveamonkeys1350 · 27/07/2019 21:06

I stick to what ever the legal limit is. I don’t understand why some people think it’s one rule for one and one rule for another. You may not like it. But it’s the law

DGRossetti · 27/07/2019 21:14

It will be interesting when they start putting average speed cameras in 20mph zones.

NoWordForFluffy · 27/07/2019 21:18

I've seen a camera van in a 20 zone before, so I assume they can enforce (unless it was catching people doing over 30?).

I do stick to 20mph. No bugger else does.

Our road is 20. Some people come down it at 50-60. Utter fucking arseholes.

millimollimandi · 27/07/2019 21:25

But apparently the highway code ISN'T law so why do some people take notice of it and is that why most people do NOT?

What has this got to do with speed limits? Speed limits are the law hence the reason people get fined for breaking them!

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/07/2019 21:26

You may not like it. But it’s the law

Philosophically, having stupid laws make all laws look slightly untrustworthy. If we know deaths increase in 20 zones but the local government keeps doing it, I will be more dubious about their other decisions.

It's the same reasoning as legalising cannabis. If 'normal' behaviour makes the majority of young people/drivers criminals, changing the law is normally better than rigidly enforcing it. Which is why the police generally don't waste their time on 20 zones or cannabis.

bellinisurge · 27/07/2019 21:27

I do too. Our road is a "feeder road" for a new estate . It's 20 mph. You can always tell who's heading for the new estate because they tailgate you and generally drive like twats. We take bets that they are going to turn off onto the estate. Without fail. Odd because their kids go to the school that is being protected by the 20mph.

DGRossetti · 27/07/2019 21:29

I wonder if 20mph roads are cheaper to maintain than 30 Hmm

danni0509 · 27/07/2019 21:44

I always stick to speed limits.

Lots of 20's round here.

FossiPajuZeka · 27/07/2019 22:27

I stick to 20 in a 20 limit. I am happy my road has a 20mph limit. I am happy that my hybrid yaris makes practically no emissions and burns virtually no petrol at 20mph - soon there will be lots of cars like this. I am happy that the road between my house and my kids school is a 20mph limit because in the event of an accident a collision at 20mph is massively less likely to be fatal than a 30mph collision.
Of course I feel frustrated when I am in a hurry driving through another area with a 20mph limit and wishing I could go at 30mph. But I remind myself that the doors I am driving past contain families like mine who are benefitting from the lower speed limit in many ways, who deserve to live on a safer and less polluted street. I'm a fan.