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.

Depends on what you're driving or if you're towing anything NSL is lower than 70 for things other than cars and motorbikes.

You do realise that speed limits are more or less arbitrary numbers plucked out of the air? Exceeding them, while illegal, doesn't automatically result in death and destruction.

When was it optional to obey the law in the UK ? For the little people that is, not our lords and masters.

@LoudBatPerson thanks, as I've already said, I've been awake all night in severe pain, and have taken extremely strong painkillers. I'm feeling rather drowsy and I'm currently sitting in an upright position in bed (lying down is difficult) although I'll probably get an hour or two of sleep in this position if the pain eases.

I'm not riled up by this thread in itself, but I'm frustrated that my replies aren't as clear as they would normally be, but again, that will be the pain/meds so entirely down to me.

(The dual carriageways definitely have barriers, until they become single carriageways, mostly just raised kerbs with grass and/or a small barrier, but the ones close to the local schools have 12ft chain link fencing to stop the children crossing the road)

I do 60-70 but it depends on the conditions. The other week I was driving along a very dark dual carriageway with no street lights and no cats' eyes at about 45! Interestingly nobody passed me, so clearly they couldn't see either. Fortunately it was a short stretch of not more than about 2 miles and then I got into a section with street lights.

If it was very wet, or I was worried about ice, I'd probably do 50ish while I assessed the conditions and how difficult they were.

And I go by what my speedo says, not some guesstimate based on hearsay.

Exceeding them, while illegal, doesn't automatically result in death and destruction

It doesn't but it intimidates others into driving faster than they want to. If the limit is 70 people should stick to 70 (with the odd exception to get past someone). If everyone is doing 90, then you don't feel you can do 65. If everyone is doing more more than 75, 65 is fine.

I agree that speeding does't cause accidents, it makes them worse. But it's easy to measure and it's less easy to spot the idiots on their mobile phones.

no more than 75! Not sure how that became more more!

I never speed. Absolute honesty. I set my limiter on the car.

There’s been 2 things in my life

One. Friends dad was working on a motorway that had speed restrictions. Some twat went the normal 70. Instead of the 50 speed it had in it. Hit the barrier. Which caused instant death to my friends dad. Had he of been going 50. The police reckon he’s of survived easily. It was the 20mph more that killed him. Think of that for those that go 80–90 on a motorway. Regardless of how ‘well’ you think you drive

Secondly. My father was a police officer. His first ever call out was to an old lady. Who had a first aid kit on her boot rack (before the days of heads on seats). Ironically she rear ended a car in front. The first aid kit hit her in the back of the head and also killed her instantly.

Thirdly. I had an accident on a 30 mph road. I had to do an emergency stop. Guy behind me didn’t stop. Hit my car. But because of the way he hit my car. I ended up flying over. Rolling 5 times. Landed on my roof. Took 6 hrs to cut me out of that wreckage. At 30!!!!! A woman (sadly I wish to this day she hadn’t told me this) told me that she’d been walking with her two daughters. Seconds before my car hit the pavement. If she was 3 seconds later. My car would of killed all of them. This wasn’t my fault. But that grief would NEVER of left me.

My father has seen his fair share of horrific accidents. Decapitations. People not wearing seat belts. My uncle is a fire fighter and also had to cut many people out. Including kids who have died due to negligence on the roads. Or a drunk driver hitting them

It might never be you. But trust me. Please kee to the speed. It does more than you think going that extra 5mph.

I’m actually horrified how many of you blatantly say you go over the limit.

The people who say. I go 80. Which really is 70. If you take into account blah blah

Bloke in the news tried that. Didn’t work.

@Retroflex I didn't see those posts, as I have been posting in-between various jobs, when I saw emails saying I had been mentioned.

Had I seen them I would certainly taken them into account, and would probably have realised sooner that we were indeed saying the same thing.

I sincerely do hope you feel better soon.

You lot must be fucked when you pull off the ferry/chunnel at Calais and encounter continental speed limits.

It's the bellend behind the wheel that causes the accidents and injuries due to piss poor driving.

I ended up flying over. Rolling 5 times. Landed on my roof. Took 6 hrs to cut me out of that wreckage. At 30!!!!

Indeed. The sooner all speed limits are reduced to zero and reverse banned, the better.

It's anger that tends to cause accidents. The faster you go, the more you deem people doing NSL are ''in your way" and can lead to rageyness and poor decisions.

70-90, depending on conditions and volume of traffic. I have lots of additional driving qualifications and a fast-Ish car. I leave huge gaps between traffic.

"I have lots of additional driving qualifications" - I bet you did not admit to happily exceeding the speed limits when you were gaining these qualifications!

@PhoneLock

Nice....thanks for belittling my horrific experience

I was pointing out the damage that can be done at 30....now imagine if that guy had hit me at 90.....

"I'm not sure that driving at 80 on a NSL dual carriageway does kill and maim many people in comparison to driving at 70 on a NSL dual carriageway."
Its probably the difference between going to prison or not though isn't it if you do crash, if you survive death that is. The outcome will be worse at 80, than 70.

"TabbyMumz

Calm down a bit."
What a strange thing to say?! I'm totally calm. Never been calmer, what would lead you to say otherwise?!

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

really? I've never heard that before

You lot must be fucked when you pull off the ferry/chunnel at Calais and encounter continental speed limits.

That comment made me think of this ...

"PhoneLock

I ended up flying over. Rolling 5 times. Landed on my roof. Took 6 hrs to cut me out of that wreckage. At 30!!!!

Indeed. The sooner all speed limits are reduced to zero and reverse banned, the better."

Phone lock.. that's an awful post.

You'll be stopped by the Police for doing just over 50 on a dual carriageway

I hope not, the one I often drive on is uphill and short and it takes my little car until a downhill bit to get above 40mph.

"You lot must be fucked when you pull off the ferry/chunnel at Calais and encounter continental speed limits."
So we should drive like absolute nutters and put ourselves and others at significant risk and drive illegally just on the off chance at some point in our lives we might have to drive on the continent.. which I've never yet had to do.

You'll be stopped by the Police for doing just over 50 on a dual carriageway

A lot of dual carriageways around here are 40mph limits.

I encounter speeding drivers every day. Why has this shocked anyone?

.. . However, I refuse to run careful calibration tests with SATNAV & phone & who-knows-what-else-devices to find out what my (so-called) real speed is on the speedometer. If it says 70, I'm believing it's 70.