Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

Not true. The officially quoted stopping distance at 50mph is 53 metres; at 60mph it's 73 metres. In the event of a threatened head-on collision, you have an extra 40 metres in which to come to a standstill, if you're both doing 50, than if you're both doing 60.

Having said all that, why do you choose head-on collisions as your example of why the reduced limit wouldn't work? I suspect on rural roads there are lots of other things more likely to cause an accident (like skidding off on corners, something that happens around here very regularly).

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

Is this all a primer for when HMG starts "road pricing" ?

50mph on free roads, 70mph on paid roads.

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

Another excuse for car drivers to moan about how hard done by they are!!!

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

why cut it to 50mph???

If they want to save lives set it a 20mph and be done with it.

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

Really ? Says who ?

The majority of national speed limit roads I drive on can easily be driven at 60mph, in fact quite a few would be fine at 70mph.

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

because most fatals ( i stand to be corrected if you can find data to the contrary ) are head on collisions because one vehicle is on the wrong side of the road

as to the stopping distance thing that is normaly again useless as most of these tend to happen on blind bends and or dips so neither one get a chance to break

which takes me back to if they want to reduce deaths then making visability better is the way to go that is getting rid of hiden dips and changing layout to reduce blind bends or just alter limit at that point

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

The majority of fatals (number of incidents wise) involve one car going off the road and hitting something substantially more solid than a flimsy metal box. In car vs largish tree there is only ever going to be one winner.

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

think the figure i read ( cant find them at the moment ) related to number of deaths

but those type i bet are where the car is doing well over the 60 mark anyway ( i could be wrong ) so i doubt a 50 limit will change those either




they dont like put these stats in one place do they lol had about 40pages open to diferent ones and still cant find the set i am after :(

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

First of all, if the driver keeps to the speed limit, they won't get fined, it's as simple as that.

Secondly, how do you work out that this will "probably cause more shunts as cars box together on long journeys?"

---------- Post added at 17:29 ---------- Previous post was at 17:28 ----------

How?

---------- Post added at 17:31 ---------- Previous post was at 17:29 ----------

Begs the question really.....

---------- Post added at 17:32 ---------- Previous post was at 17:31 ----------

Quite, but isn't it better that every we year we make safer drivers?

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

same thing can be said of drivers who speed though they risk their lives a fine and the safety of others for a few seconds off their journey

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

These incidents are more than likely caused by excessive speeds.

---------- Post added at 17:39 ---------- Previous post was at 17:34 ----------

Now that is silly, isn't it? If the cars that follow get progressively slower, they will be farther and farther apart. Most traffic jams are caused by excessive speeds. When these cars ALL stop being one another that is what is called the "concertina" effect. If the cars are slower, as is the reason for the variable speed limits on motorways, the effect is greatly reduced.

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

@nidge yes they do have traffic jams in Germany

http://tamaraingermany.blogspot.com/...ion-day-1.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccieb/2830418177/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...autobahns.html

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

no and no

the offical stats show its not speed causing accidents

see http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics...atbritain20071

downloads the stats from article 4 downloads on the right side side

accidents because of speed are not the major factor

and traffic jams are not because of excessive speed i have never seen a study show that

the variable speeds on motorways are there to keep excessive amounts of traffic moving by speeding them up more often than not

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

I was referring to the incidents described by Rob M:

Which I am sure, if you had read the post correctly, you would have noticed.


How about this one?

M25 Controlled Motorway-Case Study

Re: Road speed limit cut to 50mph ?
 

that was introduced as the study says to help stop people hitting the back of stationary trafic beause of congestion it hope that it would impact shokwaves too but that wasnt why it was put there

its intention was overall to increase speed to relive the congestion

and ends with

Quote

No attempt has been made to validate the results reported. Users of the guidance are encouraged to assess the robustness of the results presented and the likely transferability of the case study to their own local environment.

Unquote

and in real terms has no relation ship to National speed limited lanes where a fifty uncontrolled limit would not be deployed intelligently when needed it would just be!

most lanes can be driven at 60 where they cant they should have thier speed reduced but the lanes i know where such a reduction woud be valid need much more than a 10mph drop

if i my beso bold if anything was going to be done it shouldbe that 60 should be stay as it is 50/40 be put in place by councils where needed and where no center line can be painted due to width a 30 limit be imposed

i think the police here will most likely agree with that