The best way to stop most road deaths

[LiftedDisco]

Phew... have just read the entire thread and am now going to add my "When I'm Prime Minister..." bit...

Firstly - speed limiters... NO!  The comment about driving in a catatonic state is just so accurate - cruise control, aircon, comfortable chair, favourite music on CD... it's just asking for trouble as I nearly discovered one day driving a 12m motorhome and we'll gloss over the fact that you can spin a captain's chair round a fair way before you realise that you also need to steer.  Ooops - the phrase "I only wanted to get a soft drink from the fridge," soooo nearly entered the book of classic excuses!  :oops:  [-X

Question though (and yes, I do have a Class 1)... why, when the highest speed limit for trucks is actually 60mph, did they set the governed speed to 56mph?  The danger now is caused by the lack of a speed difference when overtaking, thereby exacerbating the speed difference between trucks and passing cars, vans etc.

And so to speed...
It is an unfortunate fact that owing to greed and/or incompetence successive governments have decimated our public transport system to such a degree that it is now uneconomic, unpleasant and frequently in the wrong place.

So.. if I lose my licence, I stand every chance of loosing my job (witness the publican advert on telly), following which I will probably lose my house and (no sense of drama here...) my wife and children... (??? :dance: )

The unfortunate fact is that speed cameras are a fund raising project - my biggest gripe is that it is frequently unclear what the prevailing speed limit should be as I travel throughout the country.  When you drive in Europe, they have clearly posted limits, with repeater signs - it seems to be down to the budget and the whims of each Highways Authority on how well areas are signed.

I would prefer to see LSP and his colleagues dishing out a stiff talking to or tickets as required - educate at the point of the crime and keep the traffic police out looking for all the other idiots who help foul up our driving days by tailgating, phoning, applying make-up or with unsafe loads.

Back to the cameras though - given that they are here for the duration, have clearly posted speed limits (with equally clearly defined scales for fines) and time bound reductions outside schools (20mph... any transgressions and your fine is doubled...  [-X )

If you should end up at (say) 10 fines, then the 10th fine is the sum of ALL fines to date and you spend a week on a driver training programme, split three days witnessing video footage of the carnage caused by speed and bad driving and four days litter picking along our roads and motorways wearing lurid hi-viz - the sight of this 'community service' might also help alert others to the risks of speeding.

Imagine getting home and telling the wife that you had just blown the holiday budget on a speeding fine and that you wouldn't have the time to spend with the family anyway...  I'm not saying it's perfect, but you would keep your job, the camera based fines would fund LSP and his ilk who would patrol our roads to keep us from further foolery and lurid hi-viz is just not your colour...

Like I say... when I'm Prime Minister...

 :-#

[LiftedDisco]

It's a worry... particularly as the tacho test involves a 'calibrated' check!

I understand that 'sat-nav' speed is the correct one...

[Thrasher]

Sat nav is not very good at working out speed if you are on an incline/hill ....it has to do with 3d nav - and they are getting better, but are not that good. So *never* trust a sat nav reading. In basic terms if you go up a steep hill - some sat navs work out your speed on distance travelled - i.e. for example say 1/2 a mile, but you've also gone UP as well .. ans it doesn't know. Simple trig....

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Sat nav is not very good at working out speed if you are on an incline/hill ....it has to do with 3d nav - and they are getting better, but are not that good. So *never* trust a sat nav reading. In basic terms if you go up a steep hill - some sat navs work out your speed on distance travelled - i.e. for example say 1/2 a mile, but you've also gone UP as well .. ans it doesn't know. Simple trig....

I'd have to agree with that. We have a satnav fitted to the response car as well as speed check system which runs off a direct drive from the propshaft.
The satnav is mot as accurate as that, but more accurate than the standard speedo. Mind you, the sat nav doesn't like high speeds. I had to go on a blue light run down the motorway a few days that involved high speeds. The satnav got confused as it couldn't keep up. Poor thing! :D

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

The satnav is mot as accurate as that, but more accurate than the standard speedo. Mind you, the sat nav doesn't like high speeds. I had to go on a blue light run down the motorway a few days that involved high speeds. The satnav got confused as it couldn't keep up. Poor thing! :D

So you was speeding then did you get your points for it
[/quote]

Bit difficult really. I tried to give myself a ticket, but told me to 'sod off'. This resulted in an arrest, which was somewhat difficult to explain, especially as I was trying to fight and and handcuff myself. Fascists!
I am now at the home for Officers who are mentally bewildered.

[Chris Putt]

Being a young driver, just thought Id chuck in my three pennies worth...........

The generalisation that young drivers are bad is not wholly true. YES a large proportion of accidents do happen with young drivers at the wheel but like all things this is down to experience. I am of the opinion that a milage limit ought to be placed under supervision before taking a test, taking into account all different fields of driving, or that the pass-plus scheme should be reduced in price and made obligatory.

It annoys me comments like 'youngsters should be banned from tuning or owning higher performance vehicles' Are we not penalised enough with high insurance?!- maybe inspecting these vehicles more effectively and ensuring said modifications get declared would put up premiums enough that they would be discouraged anyway?
I currently drive an H regd BMW 3series (e30 318iS M42) which Im sure a lot of you would consider a high performance car. But I use it responsibly and I also keep up with the relevant consumables and maintenance to make sure it is a safe high performance car.- heres a list of my upgrades:

Ferodo High performance brake pads
Vented Disks
Quality Tyres
Hi output Bulbs in the front


And yes, I know I am unusual in actually bothering to upgrade the most important parts and not your usual saxo VTR barryboy with an exhaust so big you can fit your head in it, big wings, big wheels, a bag of nails under the bonnet and drakes as big as beer mats! and I do drive it quickly from time to time!

I have now had my full license 4 years, and in that time (touch wood) I have not had an accident.- before anyone says 'yes but you probably do no milage' I have averaged 17,000 a year over that time, driving a variety of vehicles, although the largest being a Luton Van. This is reflected also in my social group. We are all motor enthusiasts, and of the 5 of us, only one has had an accident and it wasnt his fault (van cut a blind corner and collided with him).

I think the key is with driving is driving as conditions allow. As we all know there are conditions where there is no way you would even dream of driving on the speed limit, but equally on modern road surfaces, in modern cars with modern brakes and safety technologies it MAY be safe to go faster (empty motorway, clear dry day yada yada yack yack yack) but we shouldnt, as common sense should prevail. Yes the faster we go the more likely our reactions are to let us down, BUT the genralisation that speed kills is not always correct. The issue is behavioural, if we all drive responsibly, appropriately for the conditions and be observant, looking for the clues in the, conditions other drivers/pedestrians behavious a lot of lives could be saved. So, it is driver behaviour and bad decisions that cause accidents. I would also echo the view already stated that there are a lot of complete wrecks on the road, with poorly maintained brakes/tyres, suspension componetry that also contribute, but again people need to be educated to spot these things rather than overlook them. End Of.

Rant Over

[MudPlugger]

Totally agree with you Chris we are penalised enough through insurance, I'm 22 and on my 416 it was £1,600 TPO!

Admitted this was with performance enhancing modifications mainly a K & N which although it made a nice noise it didn't stay on long as it suffered terribly from heat soak, I also had a full stainless exhaust with a 6" by 3" oval back box, sounded lovely and went like stink for a Rover. I have been involved in 3 accidents in the last year alone.

The first was actually my dad driving the Land Rover up to Manchester to drop my grandparents off at the airport, a white van undertook us nearly hit the sign for the sliproad and cut straight back in smashing into the front nearside wing, he then proceeded to accelerate away into the night, never to be seen again after hearing of something similar we looked into it and found that something very similar happened 2 nights earlier, but this incident left a lorry driver dead. Exactly the same thing but 2 days earlier!

My second was my car and me driving someone tried to reverse out of the local Asda filling station while I was waiting in a line of traffic to exit the car park he reversed into my side at around 25mph...he hadn't bothered looking and actually confessed this!

The third was totally my fault, got on an unfamiliar bike didn't familiarise myself with it very well and hit a wall at about 40mph leaving me with numerous injuries two of which will never go away.

[Disco Matt]

My suggestion on the truck limiter thing - if they really are needed (and I think they cause more problems than they solve) how about an over-ride button on the steering wheel that makes an audible buzzing noise? You'd just press this when an extra burst was needed to overtake then release when past, at which point the annoying buzzing would stop.

I say scrap the limiters. I see more lunatic driving from the smaller trucks that don't have to have a limiter than the bigger ones. Witness one almost-local frozen foods firm whose trucks were a regular sight glued to your back bumper at 60mph...

[Bush Tucker Man]

Who aggrees with me that if this goverment pays more attention to reducing the speed down to 70 mph in cars by fitting a speed limiter.

Because it'd be political suicide for the Government of the day, that's the main reason

[wormster]

Hokay,

Hows about fitting EVERY vehicle with a GBFO stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel??

Reckon that'd make people a bit more responsable etc dont you??

(when I rule the world that'll be decree *2 after cheezeburgers for all)

[Chris Putt]

I did wonder when the spike comment would pop up.

Oh well.

[wormster]

I did wonder when the spike comment would pop up.

Oh well.

OPPS  :oops: