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Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:48 pm

SPEED LIMIT CALL IS 'MISLEADING': CAMPAIGN

Insurer calls for 40mph on rural roads

Calls for 40mph
Calls for 40mph
In calling for a blanket 40mph speed limit on rural roads, insurer Direct Line is misleading the public, according to road safety campaign Safe Speed.

Safe Speed refuted the insurer's claim that a 'high number of fatalities now occurring on country lanes', and said: "contrary to the sensationalist headline claim, very few drivers 'use the road like a racetrack'."

Safe Speed issued the following statement:

The first critical mistake is to use figures that apply to all rural roads ranging from high specification dual carriageways to low specification country lanes. Clearly different issues apply to such widely different road types. High mileages are being driven safely on all road types by the majority of drivers. Calling for a 40mph speed limit on rural roads without qualification, is not a valid road safety suggestion - it's a PR stunt.

National road safety trends are extremely disappointing, but rural roads are not especially bad.

The absurd claim that 'one third of crashes are caused by speeding' was debunked years ago. The truth is that around five per cent of crashes have 'exceeding the speed limit' as a contributory factor, and often 'exceeding the speed limit' plays no part in crash causation.

Most speeding is the result of drivers recognising a suitable and safe speed from the immediate conditions. In order to drive safely we all carry out ongoing subconscious risk assessments. When hazards threaten we slow down. When they do not we speed up.

Far from being a problem, this behaviour is absolutely vital to road safety. We must have drivers who adjust their speed to suit the hazard environment. Since the risk assessment process is subconscious, it isn't surprising that drivers are largely unable to properly explain their behaviour.

Campaign founder Paul Smith said: "A 40mph blanket rural speed limit is neither necessary nor desirable. Unnecessarily slow speed limits reduce respect for worthwhile speed limits, deskill driving and can cause dangerous frustration and inattention.

"We have had 'speed kills' road safety policy for over a decade with widespread speed limit reductions and mushrooming speed cameras. Despite the self-congratulatory claims from Department for Transport and the camera partnerships, these policies are an abject failure with road deaths and road crash hospitalisations stubbornly failing to fall. The system is only supported by tortured statistics and oversimplified arguments. The 'slower is safer brigade' have yet to explain why it isn't working after over a decade.

"The authorities must stop denying reality. 'Speed kills' road safety policy has failed comprehensively. We must return to psychologically sound road safety policies based on skills, attitudes and responsibilities. We'll see no improvement in road safety until we do.

"You can't measure safe driving in miles per hour."

Post by **Shug** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:51 pm

"You can't measure safe driving in miles per hour."

That is the quote of the century...

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:34 pm

Isn't that enforced around here anyway by Azure blue Vaxhall Agila 1.1? It certainly fisking seems to be!

Heard stories of some dodgy motorway driving round here too. Car sitting on empty m-way in the middle lane at 70, another car approaches doing +70 in the left hand lane to overtake. middle land drive pulls out infront as overtaker is speeding and that is illegal. If he was doing 70 then he wouldn't have had to brake.....

If someone tries that on me they will be in for a shock!

If he had moved a little faster officer his face it wouldn't have hit my footpump while I was airing it by swinging it around my head....

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:19 pm

theres always people like that around. Try the M8 in rush hour.....the outside lane is a Q

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:31 pm

How many times have you been flashed when you do a perfectly safe overtake of a person who is driving at sat 45mph on a country road ? You have done the driver training are at full concentration and have checked for junctions , oncoming vehicles , road conditions , suitable stretch of road , checked your mirrors and indicated past . The mong with bad eyesight bimbling along looking at the nice hills and singing along to Classic FM thinks he is the safer driver as he is going slow .

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:35 pm

tenkfeet wrote:How many times have you been flashed when you do a perfectly safe overtake of a person who is driving at sat 45mph on a country road ? You have done the driver training are at full concentration and have checked for junctions , oncoming vehicles , road conditions , suitable stretch of road , checked your mirrors and indicated past . The mong with bad eyesight bimbling along looking at the nice hills and singing along to Classic FM thinks he is the safer driver as he is going slow .

I used to commute to Edinburgh up the A68 every day.....with you on that one.

Even more annoying though is the dumbasses that drive at 45mph on the open road and then sail on through the villages at 45mph! Those are the dandies they should be after

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:00 pm

Or the guys who race pass you at 120 tuts on a streach of dual carriagway, but are too frightened to overtake anything when the road returns to single track.

The A1 south of Berwick seems to be their road of choice.

GilesM · Post by **GilesM** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:20 am

There was a women from Direct line on Radio Scotland at about 5 ish yesterday evening, she had to be the most ill informed person I've ever heard on the radio, but she spoke with total confidence, total bollcoks.

Anyway, get in there and screw up the poles, try link below:

http://motoring.aol.co.uk/article.adp?i ... 4609990001

Giles

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:25 am

Cast your vote
Is the speed limit too high?
Poll results are: Votes Percent
Yes 2531 40%
No 3822 60%

Should the speed limit on rural roads be reduced?
Poll results are: Votes Percent
Yes 2601 41%
No 3752 59%

Total votes for this poll are: 12706

Thats my vote cast

kowalski · Post by **kowalski** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:52 am

i like how they have highlighted the 'correct' answer to help out...

if you delete your cookies in the 'internet options' then you can vote again... just incase you ticked the wrong box 1st time round or something... hehe

MacK · Post by **MacK** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:58 am

This sort of thing stems from the fact that people think the limit is a target speed and not the highest allowed limit.

If the road is not safe to travel at 60 along then don't do it!

There are plenty "country lanes" in Scotland where the road is safe enough to travel well over the limit, and plenty where even half the limit can be too fast, depending on conditions, traffic levels weather etc.

As Andy says too, it's the numpties (good word that

) that cruise along at the same speed, through towns, villages, open countryside that annoy me too. And the ones like Derek said appear afraid to overtake on perfectly safe sections of two lane stretches on the A1 and A9 etc..

And another one I see a few times are the people who can't drive when it's dark!! The minute they leave the street lights they're fumbling around trying to put main beams on then can't/don't put them of when traffic is approaching. They then speed up when there is a stretch lit beside houses for example and then slam on the brakes when the lights stop

/and relax/

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:16 am

My other pet peeve, obviosuly not an issue when Lotus propelled, is the w***ers who speed up when you pull out to over take.....they need to be rounded up, put in a field and shot...........

Or the dandies that boot it down the straight and doddle the corners, although some of them have been known to make it on track also

Those rants are back to my first car days , oh and the AMP3 Smart Car, although I can understand people not wanting to get scalped by it. Last trip to see my folks it got past 28 cars on the jaunt to Earlston.....hilarious! Thank god the limiter was removed

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:28 am

That's their survey well buggered then. Is that the survey thay are all quoting from? I bet they hated the fact that it was stil running when it hit the papaers. Ooh look, the majority of people think it is all fine, but this government will undoubtedly look to the minority over that majority...

I feel like my human rights have been violated, compensate me, I am a ginger so must be special...