To ask what speed on a dual carriageway....

[WannaStay]

Hi all,

I want to ask you, what speed do you do down a dual carriageway that is NSL? I mean you personally.

I know the limit is 70mph.

I do stick to 70, because it was drilled into me by my dad. I am sure I have broke the speed limit at some point in my driving life, if only briefly, think we all have.

But back to it. What speed do you do? Also what speed do you think is acceptable max? My DH does 80 and thinks most do so.

Also I am asking what speed your speedometer says. I know they are out some what but just to keep it simple, for me lol.

I do 70 max too, although I often feel like the only one. My partner is the same. I also think 70 is the acceptable maximum! I don’t understand why people speed.

60-70 I suppose, depending on traffic, conditions etc. I’ve definitely exceeded 70 but not sure I’d argue it was ‘acceptable’- you could be prosecuted for doing 80.

If you’re doing 70 on your speedo you are really doing 63-64.

I do 70 but that is on gps so shows 77 on my speedo.

Normally 75-77 on the speedo, so in reality just slightly over 70.

Surely it depends on the conditions?

70 else you are breaking the law.

Some dual carriageways do have lower signposted limits. You follow them.

It's not hard to work out.

60-70 and very rarely over this but it has happened on longer trips when it’s easy to get speed blind. Nowadays with my new car I always set the speed limiter to make sure I keep to the legal limit. Very useful, particularly on long slow speed stretches or in towns

I was told by a traffic cop that relying on your GPS rather than your speedo is risky. Does it really matter if your actual speed is 66 rather than 70. What will you lose if it is. Everyone else's speedo will be showing approximately 70 too.

Whatever the queue in front is doing. About 5mph usually with rare busts of 20. On the bus wondering why all the people from my town travel in separate cars to the same destination as me.

I keep my speedometer at about 75 because I know my speedo under reads and if it says 70 I am actually doing about 65.

most speedometers under read.

My DH says the same thing about sat nav, that it's better then the speedometer.

I just could not do it, if my car says 70 I go with that, I'm too chicken to risk sat nav lying to me lol.

I also sometimes feel like the only one doing 70. I don't care if people want to do more, just asking out of interest really.

My little puttputt car doesn't like going 70, so mostly I go about 65. Main DC I drive on has RABs every 1.5 miles so not much point in going fast.

70 or under. I don’t speed.

I set my speed limiter to 75.

On dual carriageways I will tend to be a bit under this as, at least in my area, the dual carriageways tend to be quite busy with juntions bringing traffic on and off very frequently with very short slip roads.

On the motorway (M1) generally I am driving up to the speed limiter.

The dual carriageways near me are so short and crowded it virtually impossible to go over 60.

Depends on the speed sign on the road if there is one, what other traffic is doing, you may have to slow behind a large HGV if no one will let you out, common sense.

Last time I was on the M25 the speed limit is 70 however due to the level of traffic and the overhead speed signs 40 or stopped.

What you don’t do is drive too close to people in front of you to try to force them to speed up or you will end up dead

Sat navs/GPS are not correct. The speedo on your car is correct. A speed camera will capture you at the speed that shows on your car speedometer

It depends on the weather and road conditions. Motorways I'll hover between 75 to 80 normally. DC I'd do no more than 70 if conditions allow.

It:s only 70mph if there's a central barrier between the dual carriageways! Look for the unrestricted signs. Otherwise it's 60mph if the four lanes are only separated by stripes of paint, sensibly.

Hearsay suggests that you will often be allowed some leeway amounting to an extra 10% of the stated limit, but don't count in it. I sometines let my speed creep to 80mph on the motorway if conditions are good and I estimate that is probably about 77mph lowing for typical speedo calibration. I get away with it (so far!) and I've been driving for 50 years and never had a speeding ticket. I've been close to bring breathalysed once, though, because I dithered at a roundabout late at night taking a random 16yo home. My DD2 generously offered him a lift home from a concert an hour from home. He only lived an extra 30 miles from us!

Got to the roundabout and asked, "Which way for your place?"

"Oh, either straight on or left," "Yes, but which?!" "It doesn't really matter."

Cue flashing blue lights in the mirror. They were sweet and quickly realised I was a responsible mum of teenagers. It was a good job they had nothing that measured exhaustion!

70-90. I often speed but I am scrupulous about stopping distances and adjust my speed for weather conditions.

It:s only 70mph if there's a central barrier between the dual carriageways!

Erm, it's only a dual carriageway if there is a central barrier between the lanes

75 on my speedometer, which is 70 in real life.

In reality though most of the dual carriageways near us (and there aren’t that many) have a 50 limit and working speed cameras so I never go over 50 there (by my speedometer) which is probably about 46/47 in practice.

Depends on the type of dual carriageway, the conditions, and traffic, I'll usually do 70-100. People round here frequently slow down to 45 on a section that narrows to one lane and goes over a roundabout, when it is still perfectly safe and legal to do 70.

Depends which vehicle I'm driving. My lidl lorry has, according to the lorry specific satnav, a 60 mph speed limit.

I don't speed irrespective of what I'm driving.

*little, not lidl...