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Original poster

Learner doing 25mph in a 30

137 replies

Hullabaloo9 · 03/04/2022 13:35

I'm taking my son out driving to consolidate what he learns on his professional lessons. We drive round residential areas at non peak times.

Is it acceptable for him to be driving generally at 25mph on residential 30mph roads?. I encourage him to go a little faster but with lots of road parking etc he says he only feels confident to go at that speed at the moment. Are we a total nuisance or is this OK? Xxx

OP posts:
PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 03/04/2022 16:40

@whynotwhatknot

One thing my driving instructor did say to me though was he really didnt like parents taking them out inbetween lessons as all teir knowledge wasvoid and were giving out wrong info which had to correct in the next lesson
That's a handy technique to sell more lessons. Grin

Driving in a way appropriate to the conditions is what you should be doing, which is why driving under the speed limit on a straight clear road is bad, but driving under the speed limit on a road with poor visibility and potential for car doors to open/children to run out is good.

Country roads... it varies. I learned to drive somewhere with narrow, windy country roads with high hedges, and my driving instructor told me to mentally knock 10 miles an hour off the speed limits, 20 in some stretches. A lot have now been adjusted down now to make it safer.

Takeitonthechin · 03/04/2022 16:43

Absolutely 30 is the maximum speed limit you can drive on that particular road, doesn't mean you have to drive at 30mph same with 40.... 50.... etc

GrunkleStan · 03/04/2022 16:45

I failed my 1st driving test for going too slowly, doing 30 in a 40 zone.

However I would suggest that if there's parked cars on both sides of the road then 25 is fine.

SushiShopSearch · 03/04/2022 16:51

30 mph is the absolute maximum he should be doing. If he needs to go at 20 mph then he should...you need to teach him to drive at appropriate speed.

Ginandcrispsarebliss · 03/04/2022 17:00

25 mph in a built up area is definitely sensible and where my parents live it is a 20mph zone because they live next to a primary school.
I was stuck behind a elderly driver, driving 20mph on a 50 mph road. So dangerous as other drivers were trying to over take. Just as bad as driving to fast. I live in the country and so many accidents happen.

whynotwhatknot · 03/04/2022 18:10

Not really @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams it ended up him redoing everything he had taught them as they were getting into bad habits their own fault

OneTC · 03/04/2022 18:10

Can't believe there are people itt telling OP to make sure her DS gets out of their way.

Well I can because it's a Mumsnet driving thread

mathanxiety · 03/04/2022 18:39

Even 25 in the circumstances you describe is a bit fast. Your son is being responsible.

Fwiw, I live in a community where the speed limit is 25 on residential streets. Doing 30 would be crazy. So dangerous with children playing in front gardens, riding bikes, etc, especially on summer evenings.

Jules912 · 03/04/2022 19:35

A lot of residential roads around where I live have cars parked on both sides so you either have to do weave round them, pull in if you meet someone coming the other way or frequently both. I'm lucky if I can safely do 20 never mind 30.
I was not impressed with the person doing 40 on the M1 for no readily apparent reason though!

DearlyBeloathed · 03/04/2022 20:08

@whynotwhatknot

Not really *@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams* it ended up him redoing everything he had taught them as they were getting into bad habits their own fault
So students shouldn't do any extra driving with anyone? That's bollocks. It really benefited me!
melj1213 · 03/04/2022 20:11

@OneTC

Can't believe there are people itt telling OP to make sure her DS gets out of their way.

Well I can because it's a Mumsnet driving thread

Why wouldn't people tell the OP that she should have her DS to be aware of the traffic behind him and to pull in if he is causing a queue of traffic to build up, so that they can pass, since that is what you should do as per the Highway Code?

Rule 169: Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. “Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

Theunamedcat · 03/04/2022 20:12

It's a speed limit not a speed demand

I have areas I won't go above 20 in despite them being 30 due to cats kids and the occasional OAP jumping out into traffic I literally came around a blind bend to find someone parked in the middle of the opposite side of the road and was walking very VERY slowly across the road (he looked like he was in pain so he wasn't walking fast) fortunately I wasn't going fast

Imsittinginthekitchensink · 03/04/2022 20:15

@GrunkleStan

I failed my 1st driving test for going too slowly, doing 30 in a 40 zone.

However I would suggest that if there's parked cars on both sides of the road then 25 is fine.

I did too. The feedback was something along the lines of needing to drive in tune with the rest of the traffic.
AffIt · 03/04/2022 20:20

My OH has recently passed his test (at the grand age of 44!) and I insist that he wears P plates when driving my car.

I find that people are a LOT more tolerant of a learner or new driver than they would be of anybody else. I'm sure you do, but ensure your son is always using L plates and then P plates for 12 months after passing his test.

And yes, 25mph in a built-up area is fine - I am a very confident driver with 25 years of experience and, as others have said, 30mph is a limit, not a target.

Schmz · 03/04/2022 20:21

@Cosmosgrowinmygarden

It’s a maximum speed not a target 😊
Exactly !!
AffIt · 03/04/2022 20:23

@GrunkleStan

I failed my 1st driving test for going too slowly, doing 30 in a 40 zone.

However I would suggest that if there's parked cars on both sides of the road then 25 is fine.

But that's 10mph below the limit and - where I live, at least - 40 roads are semi-rural. You would have looked incredibly hesitant.

25-27mph in a built-up area, with cars parked on both sides of the road, is fine. 40mph on a motorway is not. This is not about speed limits, it's about adjusting to road conditions.

pinkstripeycat · 03/04/2022 20:30

Muchtoomuchtodo

hybridoaties
Theoretically that's fine. However he could potentially fail his test if he consistently drives under or over the speed limit.
You would fail a driving test for driving in excess of a speed limit but not for going slower speed limit. 25mph in a 30 zone sounds fine to me

I am a driving instructor. You CAN fail your test for going too slow. That said, OP, 25mph in a 30 is fine when learning.
My pupils only start to go over 20mph after around 3 lessons. They forget where the pedals are so have to get used to them and also can’t actually steer at first.

Mummywantsaweewee · 03/04/2022 20:34

@LegMeChicken I know thread isn’t about that, but don’t criticise my dad and my experience as “dangerous”. No need to be a dick.
It wasn’t a main trunk road, it was back o beyond. When a few cars came behind we pulled in. I think I trust my dads judgement with over 25 years experience in the police (inc traffic) and being an inspector over yours tbf.
My point was, as a learner, it’s fine to drive slower than the speed limit while learning. It’s why L plates exist.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 03/04/2022 20:37

@OneTC

Can't believe there are people itt telling OP to make sure her DS gets out of their way.

Well I can because it's a Mumsnet driving thread

Learners aren't exempt from the Highway Code @OneTC.

You are supposed to pull over regularly and allow traffic to pass if you are driving a wide or slow-moving vehicle.

LegMeChicken · 03/04/2022 20:38

[quote Mummywantsaweewee]@LegMeChicken I know thread isn’t about that, but don’t criticise my dad and my experience as “dangerous”. No need to be a dick.
It wasn’t a main trunk road, it was back o beyond. When a few cars came behind we pulled in. I think I trust my dads judgement with over 25 years experience in the police (inc traffic) and being an inspector over yours tbf.
My point was, as a learner, it’s fine to drive slower than the speed limit while learning. It’s why L plates exist.[/quote]
Criticism isn’t rudeness. Why you felt the need to call me a rude name I have no idea, but as pp have also echoed doing 20 in a 60 zone is dangerous.

ChateauxNeufDePoop · 03/04/2022 20:43

In the circumstances described I'd say its fine, especially if he's still a very new learner and I presume your standard family car won't have dual braking. As others have pointed out though once he get's to test time he should be driving at the speed limit, conditions permitting.

2DogsOnMySofa · 03/04/2022 20:49

It's a limit, not a target. However if he starts to be a danger to other road users, like 40 on a dual carriageway then he may fail his test

Mummywantsaweewee · 03/04/2022 20:52

@LegMeChicken where I live tractors do about 20 on 60 main roads all the time. I wasn’t on a main as I’ve already said. We drive about in the country here expecting slow traffic, sheep in the road, etc etc. And erm.. single country lanes are 60’s but good lord, if you go above 20 on some of them you need your head checked! you need to be able to stop in half the distance you can see to be clear!
And criticising someone is rude actually. It was not warranted. 20 in a 60 is only dangerous in some circumstances.
My point was the speed limit is not a target and all learners are going to go under the speed limit until they feel confident enough to drive “normally”, and if me going along a fairly empty 60 road at 20 is alright as a learner on first driving lesson then I’m pretty sure 25 in a 30 is ok for another learner. Just pull over if you hold traffic up.

BogRollBOGOF · 03/04/2022 20:58

My neighbourhood is full of very novice learners going slowly and learning the controls. This is what L plates are for, to warn other road users that a driver is less experienced, less confident and may behave differently to the usual behaviours on the road.

By the time a learner is test-ready they should be confident driving at the speed limit where conditions are safe and clear, and modify their speed accordingly.

I've never gone above 15mph on my own road, too short, with bends and parked cars. You'd be braking hard to not hit the end by the time you got to 25mph let alone the "legal" 30mph Grin

MadisonAvenue · 03/04/2022 21:05

People are arses to learners ! My dd has just passed and the amount of people that have tailgating us while practicing doing thr actual speed limit is shocking!
Everyone was a learner once ffs and should remember this !

As a learner I’m finding this out. I was doing 28 in a 30 on my lesson last week and had a lorry right on the bumper. It made me so nervous.

A few weeks before that I was waiting to turn left out of a junction when a car pulled up behind me, also turning left. They had to wait no more than 30 seconds but obviously thought they’d be stuck on the main road behind a slow learner so overtook me as I pulled out of the junction. Fucking inconsiderate dickhead.

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