To think it’s better to drive at 31 than 25?

[xla]

When I was learning to drive my driving instructor told me it was always better to be five miles an hour under the limit than one over. I’ve been driving three years and it seems like most people actually seem to subscribe to this method of thinking?! I drove into work this morning and spent most of it sat at 24/25, despite the roads being clear, and at one point was actually undertaking people because otherwise I would be driving at 20 miles an hour. On a 30 road! Surely I’m not alone in thinking this is insane?

Yabu, especially in the context of 30 mph limits which are usually for the safety of pedestrians and other road users. The energy of an impact increases with the square of the speed.
However, there are people who don’t seem to realise speedos always read high and therefore think they’re going faster than they really are. Likely that’s the source of your annoyance rather than ‘nervousness’.

"I’ve never been done for speeding. I’m talking the occasional 31 by accident"

"I’m in a small town, it’s very common for people to do this. Mainly because they’re all 75+ and can’t see over the steering wheels anymore"

You are very casual about the fact you are not paying attention to your speed. Maybe that's why you have so much time to peer into all the other cars and so accurately assess their ages and bodies.

You sound impatient and careless. Two things that never bode well to be behind a ton of moving metal, that you want to move even faster. Sometimes people drive slower than you, sometimes there are (gasp!) even slower road users - horses, tractors, cyclists. Deal with it.

I don’t think you can be sat doing 20 and knowing it’s 30. It’s not a residential road, it’s just a 30 because the road designers are apparently stupid

Occasionally I’ll hit 31 because I’ve gone downhill and I always brake.

But perhaps I should drive at 20 everywhere. That’s clearly safer!

And there we have it!

Slip road slow coaches are one of my biggest driving bugbears! Thanks for making it dangerous for all the cars behind you, dickheads!

New vehicles will bing at you if they think you’re over the speed limit … they don’t allow for the speedo over reading.

Given that the majority of cars now have a speed limiter as part of the cruise control settings, if people really struggle with the concept of regulating their speed they could just whack their speed limiter to 30mph (or other speed limit) and then drive to the road and traffic conditions safe in the knowledge they won't go over the speed limit.

I was quoting you!
You said you resorted to undertaking.
I keep getting the voice of Michael Winner in my head telling you to calm down dear.

Undertaking people on a 30 mph road? That sounds insane. Be patient. It will barely make any difference to your journey time if you're a bit slower and it would definitely minimise the damage if there was an accident. Impatience is a major cause of accidents.

I was taught to drive by an ex police driving instructor and was told to always drive to the speed limit if conditions allow. Driving slowly can be just as dangerous as speeding.

Interesting. My car measures quite a bit under but we have two 17 year old vehicles that are pretty much spot on.

Well actually, it IS safer.

Not my experience at all.

I tend to drive at the speed limit in speed limited areas, based on various detector displays and how that compares to my own speedo, i.e. 31 on my speedo is 29-30 on detectors, 42-43 is 39-40 etc.

I am almost always being tailgated by people wanting to go faster, particularly in 20 & 30 areas.

In particular coming into and leaving speed limited areas, most drivers dont slow until into the limited areas and increase speed before leaving it.

We have a real problem locally with temporary 50 signs for roadworks that aren't there, interspersed with national speed limit repeaters and some people driving in the 50s and others in the 70s. It has been that way for months and can be terrifying if trying to stick to 50 and cars are flying up behind.

I don't really know what point you are trying to make, but it is objectively safer to be driving 25 on a 30 road than it is to be driving 31.

I wouldn’t advocate 25 or 31 on a flowing motorway, but there is so little downside to going 25 on a 30 I can’t believe you’re this mad about it.

20 on a motorway is safe?

They were driving at 20. That’s dangerous.

They’re suffering from thinking it’s a target rather than a limit. ‘Thinking’ may be overgenerous…

Try driving round Nottingham or derby, there's loads! some are 30mph, some are 40mph

Its a limit not a target
As for other people driving slowly causing other people to do dangerous things that is utter nonsense - if you drive dangerously that is on you not someone driving at 25 in a 30 zone.

If you are going to the place on the left fair enough, if you are intending to cut back out to go to the place on the right then a bit more iffy, often the right lane traffic closes up near the split and cars then have to try to force their way in.

It’s absolutely on someone driving at 20 down a clear, dry, 30mph road.

Obviously (though maybe not obviously enough) I was not referring to motorways, but to the 30mph roads the OP was talking about. (Although if everyone drove at 20 on a motorway it actually would be safer! It would also be very annoying.)

I was staying left (and coming off), but there was people behind me and I’m not going to slam my brakes on to stick to 20 on a clear road