To wonder who all these people are, speeding?

[justonanote]

Or more to the point, how they think they can get away with it, or clearly do all the time?

I do a lot of motorway driving and I see so many cars doing over 80!

See also dual carriageways near me. People do 80+!

I'll be in a lane sometimes doing 70 and I have cars behind flashing at me to speed up

My question is do people not get done very much for speeding? I wouldn't really think to speed anyway but surely the strong possibility of a fine or more is a deterrent? Do people just not care?

@backtobusy

Someone who is willing to speed on a motorway is willing to speed anywhere

This is total nonsense.

I don't speed in urban areas as there is much more to go wrong and speed has a much higher impact if it does.

Well it's not as I see many speeding through towns. Very easily identifiable as well because of the speed signs that show you how fast they are going. It's never 20/30.

Usually everyone on mumsnet says they never speed, even on motorways. Suddenly everyone on here is admitting they do. How long until people admit they speed, even on a rare occasion, through a town?

There's actually a few good groups on fb showing speeding drivers through town. Usually ending in crashes. They don't care, as long as they don't get caught, they don't care.

They’re flashing you to move over not speed up. Trundling along in the middle lane without overtaking is dangerous, illegal and shit driving.

I regularly drive at 80, but I'm meticulous about driving with significant gaps, and to the conditions and visibility.

I've even been on a speed awareness course, due to getting caught out by frequently changing variable signs. I was nowhere near another driver - in fact, I was the only person on the road.

Whereas the absolute idiots I saw driving close together without lights on in thick fog on the way to the course were not penalised in any way.

I was a LOT less likely to harm anyone by driving at 59 in a 50 (that I believed to be a 60), than by some clown tailgating in about fifty yards visibility.

Well it's not as I see many speeding through towns. Very easily identifiable as well because of the speed signs that show you how fast they are going. It's never 20/30.

Some people who speed will speed anywhere.
This doesn't mean that all people who speed on motorways speed through towns.

When I lived in a village the worst speeders were the 40 miles an hour brigade who drove at a steady 40 through every speed zone from 60 to 30.

That doesn't mean I think everyone who drove at 40 in the 60 zone would drive through the village at 40. Just a notable number.

@backtobusy

Someone who is willing to speed on a motorway is willing to speed anywhere

This is total nonsense.

I don't speed in urban areas as there is much more to go wrong and speed has a much higher impact if it does.

However Insurance actuary statistics ("facts") bear that assertion out. Speeding is a predictor of bad driving and accidents.

@backtobusy

Well it's not as I see many speeding through towns. Very easily identifiable as well because of the speed signs that show you how fast they are going. It's never 20/30.

Some people who speed will speed anywhere.
This doesn't mean that all people who speed on motorways speed through towns.

When I lived in a village the worst speeders were the 40 miles an hour brigade who drove at a steady 40 through every speed zone from 60 to 30.

That doesn't mean I think everyone who drove at 40 in the 60 zone would drive through the village at 40. Just a notable number.

As I say, I bet its a lot more than you think. Maybe not everyone, but it's a higher percentage than is admitting it on here.

People think that because cars have gotten more advanced that that makes them safer, and it does in a way. But just because the cars brakes are better doesn't mean your reactions are. Your reactions are still slow in comparison. Your perception of needing to stop and then actually stopping the car is a fairly big difference between 70 and 80.

Now if you did unluckily get into an accident at 80mph, and you somehow survived that (not sure how possible that is to be honest), how would you feel if you had killed other people? I mean you're going to feel like shit even if you were doing 70, but at least you weren't breaking the law then and did everything you could to prevent it. At 80, you were breaking the law which they'll probably be able to tell, so you'll also lose your licence possibly, could be jail time for killing someone etc.

I also don't fully trust anyone on the road, and someone who says 'I judge the conditions of the road and decide if its safe to do 80'. You might think you do, you could also be wrong. I mean you are already breaking the law on one thing, how can I trust that you know what you're doing?

@ISpyCobraKai

justonanote If you regularly drive on Motorways surely you notice that 80 is a normal speed? Driving at 80 is often just keeping up with the traffic, unless you want to sit behind a stream of lorries.

This. I drive mostly on a dual carriageway and if I didn't drive 80 I would get stuck in the wrong lane or flashed, undertaken or have someone up my arse.

It's not right but it's the reality.

As probably the most advanced driver on this board - I won’t say more as that would definitely be outing ☺️😳 - here is how I drive.

20 (or less if conditions require) in 20s
30 (or less …) in 30s
40 (or less …) in 40s
50 (or less …) in 50s

Anywhere between 59-70 on motorways - generally sticking to left lane and doing 59 because in an EV (or mine at least) you really notice range dropping if you exceed that. It barely makes a difference to the journey time.

And finally - on national speed limit single lane 60 roads - I drive only to the conditions. This can mean much lower than 60 or much higher, depending on how open and what you can see.

I'll be in a lane sometimes doing 70 and I have cars behind flashing at me to speed up

If your speedo says 70, chances are you're doing 65 MPH at most, so not wonder people want you to speed up. Plus they'll be wanting you to move over, because you must be in lane 2 or 3 because if you weren't, they'd just overtake you.

I've recently done an advanced driver course and tbh, it was ridiculous. Hours and hours of driving around in second gear and slowing down on approach to green lights, seemingly to give the lights sufficient time to change to red and then green again so you could carry on.

@ivykaty44

According to the Money Advice Service, driving at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than driving at 70mph.

So if you fill up 50 litres for a trip and drive at 80mph you’d literally waste £20 rather than driving at 70mph, slow down to between 55-65 and you’ll save more

For goodness sake don't drive at 55 on a motorway. You'll get mown down by a distracted lorry driver.

@Springhassprung86

They’re flashing you to move over not speed up. Trundling along in the middle lane without overtaking is dangerous, illegal and shit driving.

All of that may or may not be true but its not up to members of the public to "Police" other drivers.

Anticipate slower drivers & over take them if you want too.

Plus of course flashing a driver to "move over" is also illegal.

@MintJulia
Plenty of traffic police drive at 55 to 65, sat on the inside lane waiting for you to come tearing past in your 330i.

[quote Alexandra2001]@MintJulia
Plenty of traffic police drive at 55 to 65, sat on the inside lane waiting for you to come tearing past in your 330i.[/quote]
Traffic officers don't care how you're driving. They drive at a slower speed so they can look out for broken down vehicles or people in distress more easily.

I stick to 70 most of the time especially when smart motorways and cameras are more prevalent. It is easy to go over though

Plus of course flashing a driver to "move over" is also illegal.

They're alerting you to the presence of a dangerous obstruction in the middle lane. They believe you may be too close to it to see it.

Traffic officers don't care how you're driving

Is that what they told you ?

@WindyKnickers

I don't think 80 on a motorway in clear conditions is at all problematic. The police round here focus their energies on speeding in residential rat runs and known black spots which I think is fair enough.

What have the police got to do with it.

Cameras on the gantry’s do their job.

Just reading a lot of the posts about how people do 80mph and there are no policemen to pull them over.

What part of the country are you in because I am in the SE and can’t remember the last time I saw the police. Doesn’t stop you getting a speeding ticket (guy got done for doing 74mph) We have speed cameras on every other gantry. Why would you need to see a policeman before you slow down.

I have lived all over the country and certain areas there did seem to be an unwritten ruling that you did 80mph in a 70 zone.

It went with the high death toll caused by speeding

Cameras on the gantry’s do their job.

And (on motorways) are increasingly using average speeds. When they were fitting smart motorways around Brum there was a 50mph temporary speed limit enforced by average speed cameras. Seemed very effective - everyone slowed down (or had to) entering them.

@Kennykenkencat

Just reading a lot of the posts about how people do 80mph and there are no policemen to pull them over.

What part of the country are you in because I am in the SE and can’t remember the last time I saw the police. Doesn’t stop you getting a speeding ticket (guy got done for doing 74mph) We have speed cameras on every other gantry. Why would you need to see a policeman before you slow down.

I have lived all over the country and certain areas there did seem to be an unwritten ruling that you did 80mph in a 70 zone.

It went with the high death toll caused by speeding

Can you back that up with official stats, please? Motorways are the safest roads if accidents/fatalities are the measure.

Speed isn’t likely to be the sole cause of an accident. Inappropriate speed might be. That could be 10mph on ice. 80-90 on a dry, empty motorway at 2am may be considerably safer.

I’ve averaged 20k miles a year for 20 years. Say half on motorways. The majority at 80+. So let’s say 160k motorway miles at more than 70. And zero accidents.

The one accident I have had was at relatively slow speed a narrow lane (another driver decided to ignore road priorities and tried to squeeze through a too small gap and hit my wing mirror).

@DGRossetti

Cameras on the gantry’s do their job.

And (on motorways) are increasingly using average speeds. When they were fitting smart motorways around Brum there was a 50mph temporary speed limit enforced by average speed cameras. Seemed very effective - everyone slowed down (or had to) entering them.

There's one on the M5 that gets at least 5 people a day during my commute. I mean, there are signs warning you of cameras, big yellow boxes and lines on the road. How much more obvious do people want them to be?!

Motorways are the safest roads if accidents/fatalities are the measure.

A better measure is the cost per accident. Which is massively higher for a motorway smash - no matter how rare - than a lower speed one.

Obviously people aren't that worried about money at the moment though...

There's one on the M5 that gets at least 5 people a day during my commute. I mean, there are signs warning you of cameras, big yellow boxes and lines on the road. How much more obvious do people want them to be?!

It's mildly alarming how many people don't quite get how average speed cameras work. Which will be interesting when the 20 mph zones start being policed with them.

@DGRossetti

There's one on the M5 that gets at least 5 people a day during my commute. I mean, there are signs warning you of cameras, big yellow boxes and lines on the road. How much more obvious do people want them to be?!

It's mildly alarming how many people don't quite get how average speed cameras work. Which will be interesting when the 20 mph zones start being policed with them.

The use of average speed cameras works as a safety measure. I don't exceed the speed limits on roads covered by an ASC. But they don't create as much revenue. So when you see ASC being installed you know it's about safety. Fixed speed cameras are mostly about the revenue.

A lot of my distance driving is now in a motorhome, and downhill with a tailwind, and wearing ear plugs it would still struggle to get to 70mph (the legal speed limit for its unladen weight - speed limits are funny that way). It's a lot easier driving slowly (c.55mph) in the inside lane when you're in a larger vehicle that people expect to be driven slowly. You're big enough to be easily seen, and there's a courtesy between truck drivers, van drivers, and those towing, etc. that means you get let out to pass, get a flash to acknowledge you're clear to tuck back in etc.

I can see why someone in a very small car, that may not be a confident driver in the first place, might take some false comfort from pootling in the middle lane just to avoid playing with the trucks in the inside lane. But if you view pulling out from the inside lane to overtake and tucking back in again after the overtake is completed as a hassle, you're not the safe driver you may think you are.

But if you view pulling out from the inside lane to overtake and tucking back in again after the overtake is completed as a hassle, you're not the safe driver you may think you are.

you have to weigh that against the fact that changing lanes causes most accidents. So repeatedly undertaking a course of action that raises your risks - no matter how safe you are - seems a fine line of risk/reward. Especially as a lot of drivers are incapable of judging distances are either pull out or back in leaving no space behind.