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?

If you are speeding then no. Sorry you can't be driving well. Because you didn't plan enough time or just don't think the rules of the road apply to you. It's contradictory. If you were a good driver you would have the understanding that YOUR driving isn't just about what YOU can react to. EVERY driver needs to be able to react to the speed of all the other drivers on the road. If you cannot understand that means speeds need to come down to the 'average' ability to deal with hazards then you are without a shadow of pretending too stupid to be driving anyway.

Your speed affects the response of others. Which causes accidents. That is not the fault of someone driving at the safe limits of the road, their car etc. If you don't understand you are not just driving for yourself please chuck your car keys in the nearest available bin. Because your driving is literal rubbish.

@SmellyWellyWoo

Do you use lanes correctly on motorways? Do you keep left unless you're overtaking? If you're getting cars flashing you a lot it sounds like you're lane hogging which is dangerous and a huge problem.

This is often a much more dangerous issue than speeding. I would rather drive alongside every car doing 80mph on the motorway than the above.

@Onlyforcake

If you are speeding then no. Sorry you can't be driving well. Because you didn't plan enough time or just don't think the rules of the road apply to you. It's contradictory. If you were a good driver you would have the understanding that YOUR driving isn't just about what YOU can react to. EVERY driver needs to be able to react to the speed of all the other drivers on the road. If you cannot understand that means speeds need to come down to the 'average' ability to deal with hazards then you are without a shadow of pretending too stupid to be driving anyway. Your speed affects the response of others. Which causes accidents. That is not the fault of someone driving at the safe limits of the road, their car etc. If you don't understand you are not just driving for yourself please chuck your car keys in the nearest available bin. Because your driving is literal rubbish.

Not sure who that was directed to but as I’ve stated the times I tend to be on motorways and driving over 70 there are very few others on the road. So nobody has had to react to my speeding because apart from lorries and the odd other car I have pretty much the whole motorway to myself.

I’ve an advanced driving licence and a track licence too. My use of speed and handling of risk, I’d proffer, is likely to be rather better than the average driver.

(I drive to the road conditions. Traffic = not ideal to exceed 70 because they are far less likely to be paying as much attention as I am. Wet/poor visibility = not a good idea either.)

I am not a driver, but when I was young I was told drive to the speed of the drivers around you.

As long as it's not above the speed limit.

It's fascinating how peoples respect for the law disappears when they get behind a wheel.

At the end of the day, you can't stop people picking and choosing how law abiding they want to be. In much the same way they can't prevent you from judging them.

I think it was something like if everyone is going at 80 and you are going at 70, you will cause an accident.

Happily, I am disabled and can never get behind a wheel to check this.

Last time I checked the speed limit was 70.

I'm not advocating a zero tolerance approach to enforcement as there are times when you need to put the foot down (usually some middle lane hogging idiot who will NOT move to lane 1 regardless of how clear it is) but when you see some of the F1 wannabes hammer past you there is no way they can be safe doing this.

You aren't Louis Hamilton, no matter how good the car is. The speed limit is 70 because we're only human.

However you are driving a big lump of metal which doesn't stop on a sixpence at 100mph.

The selfish wankers who drive like it's a race track/ignore red lights when you're crossing the road/undertake on slip road hard shoulders/sit in the middle lane at 65 and so on should be penalised heavily.

I think it was something like if everyone is going at 80 and you are going at 70, you will cause an accident.

Tell it to the court ....

I'm not advocating a zero tolerance approach to enforcement as there are times when you need to put the foot down

Not according to the instructors on the SAC I was on.

If you use it properly you'd have plenty of time to see a hazard and slow down and change lanes.
(re Smart motorways and driving in nearside lane)
This is a very optimistic view - what about the vehicles in front of you who pull out at the last minute and have obscured your view? Or those who slam dunk crash into the broken-down vehicle with you 3 car-lengths behind? You'd need to be travelling at a much lower speed than 70 to pull out safely to avoid anything stationary in that lane.

You're probably driving in front of my ex husband

@Billandben444

If you use it properly you'd have plenty of time to see a hazard and slow down and change lanes. (re Smart motorways and driving in nearside lane) This is a very optimistic view - what about the vehicles in front of you who pull out at the last minute and have obscured your view? Or those who slam dunk crash into the broken-down vehicle with you 3 car-lengths behind? You'd need to be travelling at a much lower speed than 70 to pull out safely to avoid anything stationary in that lane.

Ok then if everyone uses it properly.

People die on smart motorways because of people who aren't driving safely or carefully. People also die because they don't get out their bloody cars when their car conks out in a live lane. I've seen SO many people still sitting in their cars when theyre broken down on the motorway.

If you're driving in the left hand lane, you're going to be driving, most of the time, at 55/60mph because there are going to be HGV's etc etc.

Most areas of the motorway are pretty open. If you see a hazard, you have plenty of time to slow down and/or move over, if you're driving properly.

I do a lot of motorway driving, on smart motorways and others.

I've seen cars break down in lanes 3 and 4 and nobody hit them because everyone's paying attention at the time.

I don't get this idea that because cars have gotten better we should drive faster. People still have reaction times, they still drive too close to the car in front of them, swing out without checking blind spots etc. It's not all about how good your car is...and what if your brakes aren't quite as good as you expect them to be because they've worn down just a little bit further than perfect?

@Pazuzu

Last time I checked the speed limit was 70.

I'm not advocating a zero tolerance approach to enforcement as there are times when you need to put the foot down (usually some middle lane hogging idiot who will NOT move to lane 1 regardless of how clear it is) but when you see some of the F1 wannabes hammer past you there is no way they can be safe doing this.

You aren't Louis Hamilton, no matter how good the car is. The speed limit is 70 because we're only human.

However you are driving a big lump of metal which doesn't stop on a sixpence at 100mph.

The selfish wankers who drive like it's a race track/ignore red lights when you're crossing the road/undertake on slip road hard shoulders/sit in the middle lane at 65 and so on should be penalised heavily.

Have you checked how many drivers thing they’re doing 70 but are actually doing 63 due to the

Not convinced about speedometer and 10% margin

Sat nav more accurate perhaps

@justonanote

Sorry but I've come back and loads of you have said you regularly do 80 to 85?! What? Why?

I must be thick because I thought the speed limit was 70 for a reason. Why are you all so happy to regularly break the speed limit? Even if you aren't getting caught?

Is there some unwritten rule I'm not aware of that 85mph is completely fine?

Those asking about which lane I get flashes at, not an overtaking one!

"I must be thick" Oh give over with the faux innocent crap. Yes it is an unwritten rule that going 80 in the outside lane is pretty normal.

I'm also calling bullshit on being flashed for going 70 on the inside lane, as its usually full of lorries or caravans going even slower. Maybe you've got a brake light out or a problem with your car which is why people are flashing you?

There is a motorway up here in Newcastle called the central motorway where the speed limit is 50 and two dual carriageways crossover. If you know you know. Fucking nightmare and just dangerous when little shits try and speed through and cross over. I swear there is a bump on there at least once a day.

Places like that where you need to use every single mirror at the same time, then yes you shouldn't exceed the speed limit. A nice straight, open, free flowing motorway? No reason to dawdle at 70

Yes, re. driving in the inside lane, I don't imagine you're getting flashed there, more likely trying to backtrack after admitting to lane hogging?!
The inside lane is usually mostly HGVs, with speed limiters. Most drivers will also have cruise control on to make sure they're not going above a certain speed. Your tachograph also records speed and some companies are meticulous about their drivers keeping to the speed limit. If I flashed a car driver and it wasn't to let them know they were safe to overtake me if indicating to join my lane, 99% of the time it was to say "you're crawling along the middle lane, move over"!

I suspect you are being flashed because you too are ignoring the rules of the road and sitting the overtaking lanes. People seem to think that if they are doing the legal limit then it's okay to sit in those lanes, it's not.

A nice straight, open, free flowing motorway? No reason to dawdle at 70

Completely agree.

And people especially shouldn't be dawdling at 70 in the outside lane, or at least only for as long as it takes to pass the fool in the middle lane dawdling at 65, and then tucking back in front of them.

The more I drive on a motorway the more I notice people cannot or will not change lanes. Whether it's the ones crawling along at 60-65 in the middle lane, or doing 70 in the outside lane - in both cases typically oblivious to the queues of motorists behind them, and to the fact they are either going slower or at the same speed as the lane to their left! If you're scared of driving in the nearside lane fine, but then keep your speed up to a minimum of 70.

A nice straight, open, free flowing motorway? No reason to dawdle at 70

That sounds too much like "they left their doors and windows open, so I helped myself, no reason not to steal"

The more I drive on a motorway the more I notice people cannot or will not change lanes.

I'm one of those. I hate changing lanes so stick to the left even if I'm behind a lorry. The only exception is if I'm between two lorries at which point that seems far scarier than moving out to overtake. Agree about slow people hogging outside lanes though. They're the only reason I worry about moving into the middle lane. I've only driven on the motorway 5 times and my first experience was a BMW pulling into the middle lane to undertake and hurtling towards me seconds after I pulled out. My little 1l engine can't match the acceleration of a BMW so they tailgated me until we'd both passed the person on the outside who must have been doing 70mph max.

Not sure what makes you think that there are other driving rules I ignore with gay abandon. I’m actually a bit of a stickler for the rest including being in the right lane, indicating at roundabouts, parking considerately, giving way etc.

but you didn't like it when the other driver took your wing mirror off due to not following the rules and giving you priority

you seem to think you get to choose the rules you follow and can break the law but when other do this its not ok

@woodhill

Not convinced about speedometer and 10% margin

Sat nav more accurate perhaps

If you drive along with your sat nav showing the speed, you'll see that it is almost certainly reading a good few mph slower than your speedo is saying. not as much as 10% but maybe a good 5mph at motorway speeds - so if your speedometer says 70, you might only be doing about 65. This is pretty universal - I've done it in three different cars and the effect is always the same.

And people especially shouldn't be dawdling at 70 in the outside lane, or at least only for as long as it takes to pass the fool in the middle lane dawdling at 65, and then tucking back in front of them.

I regularly overtake lorries overtaking lorries in the middle lane - they aren't fools and no I will not tuck in quickly in front of an HGV, its a silly thing to do. You must give room when moving back in front of the vehicle you've overtaken. Added to which I won't be driving over 70mph, you might not like it but its the speed limit and I don't want to kill someone or lose my driving licence.

If you drive along with your sat nav showing the speed, you'll see that it is almost certainly reading a good few mph slower than your speedo is saying. not as much as 10% but maybe a good 5mph at motorway speeds - so if your speedometer says 70, you might only be doing about 65. This is pretty universal - I've done it in three different cars and the effect is always the same.

Since using digital speedos (about 15 years now) I've noticed a consistent 2mph variation, no matter what the speed. So 30 on the speedo is 28 irl, and 70 is 68.

(I've also noticed the "your speed is ...." displays read slightly under too).

That said for 2mph I really CBA to faff about with the limiter. Also it's nice to have a little leeway for hills that speed you up a bit.