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50 limit
A1 - 22/4/09 at 09:20 AM

seeing as its almost certainly going through, does anyone else feel like actually doing something about it rather that just moaning in that oh-so-british way?


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 09:23 AM

Yes... we could do something...


But this has not been a democracy for a long time.... millions marched in protest to the wars.... Millions marched in protest to the fox hunting... Millions were IGNORED!

I am a law abiding person... but if they start to take the wee wee..... I will fight back... road signs and cameras will start going missing....

I can see a time when everyone has lots of points on their license.....

I dont understand why the govermnent has to meddle in our affairs? So 3000 people die every year on the roads.... so what? Yes its not nice etc... but its going to happen regardless!


cd.thomson - 22/4/09 at 09:24 AM

I'm currently trying to figure out a way I can get a hemp bag of manure delivered to number 10 with a letter:

"Hi Gordon, thought you'd like your blulhsit back. We'd like our country back, congratulations on being such an undesirable leader that even my generation wants an election."

ETA: I agree with Tegwin, I heard theres a bill on the cards which will make it illegal to grow old. 100% of individuals who are old will eventually die and the policy makers want to try to cut this figure.

[Edited on 22/4/09 by cd.thomson]


Mr Whippy - 22/4/09 at 09:37 AM

setting fire to one with an old tyre looks great fun I'll have to give it a go, I've got so many lying around

when I was a kid, we use to set fire to the stolen (not by us and they were wrecked before you start complaining ) dumped cars in the local quarry, oh the good old days

[Edited on 22/4/09 by Mr Whippy]


andyharding - 22/4/09 at 09:40 AM

The answer is easy, the "man" wants us to be slower, safer drivers so that's what we do. Organise a national campaign where people driver everywhere at 20Mph and bring the country to a standstill....


thunderace - 22/4/09 at 09:42 AM

50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....


coozer - 22/4/09 at 09:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I am a law abiding person... but if they start to take the wee wee..... I will fight back... road signs and cameras will start going missing....

So 3000 people die every year on the roads.... so what?


Well said that man, if there are no road signs you can wriggle out of it.

Government figures for 2008 show 3,500 people died in hospital from 'errors'... MRSA, mistakes by doctors/nurse etc. What they doing about that?

There's bound to be tons of 'other' things where more people die that we don't get to hear about too much.

Will Cameron make any difference? For example will he repeal these daft laws on behalf of the people? will he get rid of all the pointless traffic lights on roundabouts?

When I go to the ballot box I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any choices I feel will make a difference?

Riddler


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 09:50 AM

quote:

When I go to the ballot box I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any choices I feel will make a difference?



And that... right there is the utterly scary thing!!! I feel a similar way.... Change for changes sake might be a good thing though....

I dont understand why the gov have to keep changing things?... it works fine as it is..... so why fiddle? stupid lot


A1 - 22/4/09 at 09:50 AM

a head on at 50 would be just as bad...think of all the bikers killed at 30.its a risk that you take by getting in a car.

i was thinking what andyh said, organise loads of people to drive really slow, like walking pace, on all the main roads in the country...
then stop and kill every ''safety'' camera we pass


coozer - 22/4/09 at 09:55 AM

quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....



I'll take me chance mate, I understand your liberal nanny state opinion there but its not for me. I want to be free to make my own choices, what ever they may be. Going off your rant there we should all stay indoors and not get out of bed!

Was once in hospital with my beloved granny, loved her to bits, she was ace. She had a little problem with an aneurysm that had been troubling her for a few years and needed some attention now.
The conversation went like this...
Doctor:
"She's got an aneurysm that could burst any time Sir, she's 94 so we won't be operating"

Dead by the morning she rests in peace now going to the same place as her daughter, my mother, who suffocated slowly from Motor Neuron Disease a few years before.

So, I'll take me chances on the road at 60mph, if I have an accident that's my fault then I deserve to die thanks.

Its bad driving, not speeding that kills...


jimmyjoebob - 22/4/09 at 09:55 AM

The government could so easily reduce the number of deaths on the roads by improving the roads where they know the current design to be dangerous. Instead, they choose the cheaper option and put in draconian speed limits.


dave1888 - 22/4/09 at 09:55 AM

quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....


Not with you on this one will it make much difference (i wait to be informed) I agree slower speed more chance of survival but surely cars are more safer now than in the past. I would wager that most fatalities on our roads are caused by inexperiance and/or stupidity, by lowering the limit to 50mph only increases revenue for the law. If you want to reduce the number of accidents you need to educate its the only way.


Mr Whippy - 22/4/09 at 10:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....



Considering the cars are tested at 35mph, reducing the speed by 10 ain't going to do very much if head on crashes are 100mph.

I don't speed, no really I don't, gave that nonsense up long ago. What I do find though is when the limit is slower than the roads appear to need, for example on the way to work there are dual carriageways limited to 50mph on straight runs or 30mph on good A class roads, what actually happens is people get annoyed and overtake those who are sticking to the speed limit, most of the time in a dangerous manner. So the speed limit only served to increase the risk of the worst kind of crash i.e. head-ons

The fact that the speed limit was lower than they were prepared to stick to means that an even lower limit will do nothing but make the situation worse. The best thing is to review each road and put a limit that meets that particular stretch and proper road signs to indicate the hazards.


nstrug - 22/4/09 at 10:05 AM

Not sure it will make much difference - many of the NSL country roads that this will apply to, you would be hard pushed to do 50, let alone 60. I live on an NSL road, but if you do any more than 30 on it you're going to end up in a hedge or up the arse of a tractor.

Nick


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 10:28 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nstrug
Not sure it will make much difference - many of the NSL country roads that this will apply to, you would be hard pushed to do 50, let alone 60. I live on an NSL road, but if you do any more than 30 on it you're going to end up in a hedge or up the arse of a tractor.

Nick


Sounds like you have some weird roads down your way!!!

Majority of the roads here and into wales are nice wide A/B roads...potential for lots of fun.... You could quite easily do 60 *cough* on them provided you actually slow down for the corners and anticipate hazards such as tractors etc.... But I guess thats the problem isnt it....many people will just drive and not realise that you cant take a corner at mach3....


idl1975 - 22/4/09 at 10:29 AM

What about the person you run into? Do they get a vote, or do they just have to take their chances as well?

I think Mr Ace might be suggesting not that you stay in bed, but that travelling at a safe speed (whatever that is) might be appropriate, if only to avoid doing a Prince Naseem on some poor bugger.

None of this is, of course, directly relevant to whether a 50 limit will do anything much about the safety of NSL roads, which it probably won't, as (a) the limit isn't policed on 97% of our NSL roads, (b) prevailing traffic speeds for cars are under 50 on most of those roads and (c) as hitting stuff at 50 mph is still pretty dangerous, the effect on risk of any speed reduction is going to be very attenuated.

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....



I'll take me chance mate, I understand your liberal nanny state opinion there but its not for me. I want to be free to make my own choices, what ever they may be. Going off your rant there we should all stay indoors and not get out of bed!

Was once in hospital with my beloved granny, loved her to bits, she was ace. She had a little problem with an aneurysm that had been troubling her for a few years and needed some attention now.
The conversation went like this...
Doctor:
"She's got an aneurysm that could burst any time Sir, she's 94 so we won't be operating"

Dead by the morning she rests in peace now going to the same place as her daughter, my mother, who suffocated slowly from Motor Neuron Disease a few years before.

So, I'll take me chances on the road at 60mph, if I have an accident that's my fault then I deserve to die thanks.

Its bad driving, not speeding that kills...


Benzine - 22/4/09 at 10:31 AM

There's a vid on youtube somewhere (can't find it atm) where a group of people do an experiment with the motorway. They get 3 cars to drive side by side at the speed limit. After a few miles the tailback was looooong

Edit: found it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B-Ox0ZmVIU

[Edited on 22/4/09 by Benzine]


smart51 - 22/4/09 at 10:38 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Will Cameron make any difference? For example will he repeal these daft laws on behalf of the people? will he get rid of all the pointless traffic lights on roundabouts?



The greasy weasel has already said that the conservatives will abandon the ID card scheme. He seems to have no policies of his own and is willing to take up whatever will win him votes. Generally the Tories are against excessive rules and legislation, it seems unlikely that they would bring this in.

Don't like the Tories or Labour? Vote LibDem! Why not? They only lose elections because people don't vote for them. Give them a go. Nick Clegg, it is said, has an annoying habit of being right on political matters. Wouldn't that make a change.


hampshe - 22/4/09 at 10:39 AM

The government are just a bunch of muppets, it's the people pulling the strings that need a reality check.
Target areas that need reduced speed reduction such as built up areas, schools etc, leave the open stretches of A roads and motorways to run properly.
(When do you ever see a speed camera outside a school?)


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 10:41 AM

quote:
IDL975 said

I think Mr Ace might be suggesting not that you stay in bed, but that travelling at a safe speed (whatever that is) might be appropriate, if only to avoid doing a Prince Naseem on some poor bugger.



Yup... so training required then... not blanket reduction in limits


off-road-ham - 22/4/09 at 10:43 AM

Hi, does anyone on here remember when the speed limit was 50 on roads and 60 on duel carrageways.


Mr Whippy - 22/4/09 at 10:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by hampshe

(When do you ever see a speed camera outside a school?)




ehem ohhh let me think...never?


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 10:45 AM

When was that then?..... I didnt think you could get a cart horse to go that fast?!?!?!?


smart51 - 22/4/09 at 10:45 AM

Here's a suggestion? Are you capable of writing a reasoned and polite but persuasive arguement? Can you find the email address of your local Labour MP? Would you like to suggest that they may lose votes at the upcoming election if they do this? If plenty of people do this, you can turn the party against an idea. Policies can be dropped if you tackle them before they become law.


02GF74 - 22/4/09 at 10:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by off-road-ham
Hi, does anyone on here remember when the speed limit was 50 on roads and 60 on duel carrageways.


was that in the early 70s during the Suez oil crisis?


Mr Whippy - 22/4/09 at 10:55 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
There's a vid on youtube somewhere (can't find it atm) where a group of people do an experiment with the motorway. They get 3 cars to drive side by side at the speed limit. After a few miles the tailback was looooong

Edit: found it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B-Ox0ZmVIU

[Edited on 22/4/09 by Benzine]


I'm surprised the British police don't do a similar trick with unmarked cars and leave the last outer lane clear, then just film and prosecute every car that passes them

There's no way I'd have pass them anyway as it looked so suspicious. The 55mph limit is a real drag though having been there, don't know what idiot thought that up. Some roads are 70mph though.


coozer - 22/4/09 at 11:02 AM

Well, me point was I'm quite healthy and capable of making me own desisions, don't need any one telling what or how to do things. There's a nice off camber curve near me that nearly tips the car over at 40mph but it has a 60mph limit. Get it?

Me mam and granny both needed help from the authorities but they stood back and did jack shit.

Bad government policies and bad driving on the road!




quote:
Originally posted by idl1975
What about the person you run into? Do they get a vote, or do they just have to take their chances as well?

I think Mr Ace might be suggesting not that you stay in bed, but that travelling at a safe speed (whatever that is) might be appropriate, if only to avoid doing a Prince Naseem on some poor bugger.

None of this is, of course, directly relevant to whether a 50 limit will do anything much about the safety of NSL roads, which it probably won't, as (a) the limit isn't policed on 97% of our NSL roads, (b) prevailing traffic speeds for cars are under 50 on most of those roads and (c) as hitting stuff at 50 mph is still pretty dangerous, the effect on risk of any speed reduction is going to be very attenuated.

quote:
Originally posted by coozer
quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
50mph it ok have you ever seen the mess when a car hits a van head on on a country road and seen the poor traped 14 year old kid in the front bleed to death you wont ever forget its last words,i have watched people die a number of times and its not fun a head on at 60mph ,im sure if any of you seen one you wouldnt be so keen on keeping it 60mph.what if its your wife or kids....



I'll take me chance mate, I understand your liberal nanny state opinion there but its not for me. I want to be free to make my own choices, what ever they may be. Going off your rant there we should all stay indoors and not get out of bed!

Was once in hospital with my beloved granny, loved her to bits, she was ace. She had a little problem with an aneurysm that had been troubling her for a few years and needed some attention now.
The conversation went like this...
Doctor:
"She's got an aneurysm that could burst any time Sir, she's 94 so we won't be operating"

Dead by the morning she rests in peace now going to the same place as her daughter, my mother, who suffocated slowly from Motor Neuron Disease a few years before.

So, I'll take me chances on the road at 60mph, if I have an accident that's my fault then I deserve to die thanks.

Its bad driving, not speeding that kills...


flak monkey - 22/4/09 at 11:02 AM

quote:
Originally posted by off-road-ham
Hi, does anyone on here remember when the speed limit was 50 on roads and 60 on duel carrageways.


Never happened did it?

NSL used to be 70mph back in the day. When motorways first came about they were derestricted, no speed limit until a few spoiled it for the rest of us.

I agree with others though, things like this will continue to happen and be passed unless enough people get up and make a stand. Unfortunately this needs to be a majority, and with 40million drivers in the UK thats a lot of people to get the message out to! I am actively encouraging everyone I know to protest the planned NSL cut. But its all very well someone saying they want to do something about it, but you can guarantee that 90% of people wont.

David

[Edited on 22/4/09 by flak monkey]


off-road-ham - 22/4/09 at 11:08 AM

1974: New speed limit to curb fuel use.

I think it is the gov trying to put spin on it to keep some loby group happy.
If they were to say it was on eco grounds it would be difficault to argue against.
Reducing death - ~I don't think so because somany people are killed because someone does something stupid, probably driving at a speed beyond their cars, and their, ability thus a collision occurs.


flak monkey - 22/4/09 at 11:08 AM

The other big issue here is the plan to fit a lot more 'specs' average speed cameras on all the major A roads to 'police' these changes rather than rely on the common sense of traffic officers to do it. The new generation of cameras can track average speeds for up to 10miles quite accurately enough, which would mean only needing to fit one camera at every junction on the major roads affected by the changes.

It is quite blatently a rediculous idea. People drive at 50 in a 60 now to 'be safe' incase theres a camera round the corner. I can just picture everyone driving at 40 in a 50 for the same reason....imagine the conjestion!


smart51 - 22/4/09 at 11:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by off-road-ham
Hi, does anyone on here remember when the speed limit was 50 on roads and 60 on duel carrageways.


Was that in the '73 oil crisis?

My dad remembers the national speed limit being 70 on all roads before being reduced to 60 on single carriageways in 1978.

Have you noticed it was a labour governent who introduced the limit, a labour government who reduced it and a labour government who want to reduce it again?


A1 - 22/4/09 at 11:36 AM

aye-cause labours just another word for nazi. theyre slowly but surely taking away all freedom of thought or actions.
just think of how many times a day youre told you cant do something...


ashg - 22/4/09 at 11:46 AM

quote:

Considering the cars are tested at 35mph, reducing the speed by 10 ain't going to do very much if head on crashes are 100mph.





it wont be 100mph it will be 50mph. if both cars are going 50mph and hit each other the speed of the crash will be 50mph not 100mph as they cancel each other out.

simple physics.

and lowering the speed limit to 50 wont make any difference. people will still speed and people will still do silly things and crash

investment in improving the country roads is what is needed


cd.thomson - 22/4/09 at 11:49 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg

it wont be 100mph it will be 50mph. if both cars are going 50mph and hit each other the speed of the crash will be 50mph not 100mph as they cancel each other out.

simple physics.



err, what?


bigbravedave - 22/4/09 at 11:54 AM

The problem is the line after national speed limit... "where safe to do so" alot of avoidable accidents are under the national speed limits but above a safe speed for the conditions layout etc.

If you blanket 50mph on rural roads, most people drive at 50 mph half asleep because well... its a 50 limit, it must be safe to do well... 50. why look out for all the hazards.......crunch!


dhutch - 22/4/09 at 11:56 AM

quote:
The fact that the speed limit was lower than they were prepared to stick to means that an even lower limit will do nothing but make the situation worse. The best thing is to review each road and put a limit that meets that particular stretch and proper road signs to indicate the hazards.

Well thats the thing isnt it.
- Of this preposed 3000 that where killed on nsl 60mph roads, i would bet that atleast half where at the time breaking the speed limit.

After a bit of a wakeup call having recently been got doing 51 in a 30 on my own road (an straight section of streetlit a-road ringroad at 11 at night for what diffence it makes) i have since then stuck 100% religiuosly to all speed limits for the last 2months, and crikey its something everyone should try once in a while because there not very fast compaired to the speeds most drive at.


Daniel


Mr Whippy - 22/4/09 at 12:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg
quote:

Considering the cars are tested at 35mph, reducing the speed by 10 ain't going to do very much if head on crashes are 100mph.





it wont be 100mph it will be 50mph. if both cars are going 50mph and hit each other the speed of the crash will be 50mph not 100mph as they cancel each other out.

simple physics.




? your having a laugh yeah?!


dhutch - 22/4/09 at 12:03 PM

quote:
It wont be 100mph it will be 50mph. if both cars are going 50mph and hit each other the speed of the crash will be 50mph not 100mph as they cancel each other out.

Well.

E=M V^2
- Where M is mass (a scaler unit) and V is velocity (a vector unit).

Hence if two cars meet at opersite directions (velocitys).
M*V^2 + M*-V^2 = 0 and nothing moves any further.

However, that still doesnt mean that the closing speed isnt 100mph. Becuase unlike velocity, speed is a scaler and has no directional part. 50mph is 50mph. And 50 & 50 is 100.

Your right that the net result is zero movment. But all that energy has gone in to car bending and people squashing!!



Daniel


hughpinder - 22/4/09 at 12:04 PM

I seem to remember from long past that one of the insurance firms stated that every 10mph you reduce your peak speed by reduces the number of accidents by a factor of 2. I think on an earlier post someone said 27% of fatal accidents occur on the roads affected by this bill, so the number of lives saved per year would be about 450 IF PEOPLE BOTHER TO STICK TO THE LIMIT. Since noone around here seems to bother with the current speed limits I doubt it'll make that much difference. Also, in a standard car its pretty difficult to average 50 down the narrow back lanes I travel on - obviously easy on straighter A and B roads. How many lifetimes will be wasted as extra time sat getting from A to B each year? My journey to work would increase by about 8 minutes per day (45 miles round trip) - thats 1070 extra hours lost over a 40 year working life!
Hugh


richardlee237 - 22/4/09 at 12:34 PM

quote:

it wont be 100mph it will be 50mph. if both cars are going 50mph and hit each other the speed of the crash will be 50mph not 100mph as they cancel each other out.



Reminds me of when I was at University and we proved that the faster you went over a crossroads the less likely you were to have an accident.

If the chances of an accident are dependant upon the time you are within the crossrads(delta t) then as delta t tends to zero the chances of an accident tend to zero. Simple


smart51 - 22/4/09 at 12:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
I seem to remember from long past that one of the insurance firms stated that every 10mph you reduce your peak speed by reduces the number of accidents by a factor of 2. I think on an earlier post someone said 27% of fatal accidents occur on the roads affected by this bill, so the number of lives saved per year would be about 450 IF PEOPLE BOTHER TO STICK TO THE LIMIT.


The department for transport say 200-250 lives per year will be saved by this change, out of the 3,000 or so who die on the roads per year. Compare with 113,000 people who die of smoking and you see that the numbers are quite small.


smart51 - 22/4/09 at 12:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by A1
aye-cause labours just another word for nazi.


I think you mean fascist. The Nazis were also fascist. New Labour aren't quite fascist but they're heading in that direction pretty quickly.


tegwin - 22/4/09 at 04:02 PM

I had a thought on the way home....

The marketing campaign to get the word out about the speed limit changes and physically changing the signs is going to run into the hundreds of millions of pounds bracket........ THAT is a waste of money.... what is the point??!!


rf900rush - 22/4/09 at 04:24 PM

How can two cars passing at 50mph opposed to 60mph make any difference.
Surley one has to be on the wrong side of the road to cause an accident.

Stupidity, not looking, carelessness etc causes accidents !

Hopefully all the sh*t being talked in the houses of parliment will cause a build up of methane gas and blow our current batch of mp's into space or somthing, then we can get a whole new set


dave1888 - 22/4/09 at 04:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I had a thought on the way home....

The marketing campaign to get the word out about the speed limit changes and physically changing the signs is going to run into the hundreds of millions of pounds bracket........ THAT is a waste of money.... what is the point??!!

And who's going to pay for it, muggins of course. presumably they will use the road fund license money after all there not spending it on the roads.