| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 12:48:35 PM | I want the law changed......
WHY, at 5.30 in the morning, does someone have to drive at 30mph ?
I understand the relevance of the limitation in peak hours: 0700 till 1900, say - but after that, when there is next to no traffic and/or people around - why can't the 30mph restriction be not applicable?
The UK is the most heavily traffic restricted country in Europe, with street furnishings and road markings treating motorists like imbeciles - denying people their natural instincts to observe and drive safely under the circumstances.
The accidents happen regardless !
So.. let's argue the toss about being free to drive as per road conditions, accordingly, from 8pm till 7am .
Do you ignore speed restrictions when there is no obvious danger to all ? | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 12:54:52 PM | | So you wouldn't mind if a bunch of chavs in their chavved up Clios with their huge exhausts and flashing blue under lights turned up to turn your village in to a race track then? | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:00:01 PM | I must agree with Fernilee here, as a shift worker and often leaving for work between 6 and 7 before the school/rush hour traffic builds up I am often driving along deserted roads... I can quite happily and safely drive along at between 40 and 50 on residential roads at this hour without pedestrians stepping out.. Especially on dry roads when stopping distances are muchly the same as 30mph..... I am not a maniacal driver speeding along without able to stop in an emergency, but I must agree, the UK seems to be so heavily policed RE motoring/driving in general it kinda treats us all like dunces who would kill unaware pedestrians at the first opportunity!!
Many European countries have higher speed limits, or no speed limits at all! As does the USA.. In Britain it seems, car users are penalised and restricted at every opportunity :(
I am not condoning speeding nor the potential risk to life, all I am vouching for is better and more lenient traffic laws/restrictions... | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:06:03 PM | Used to have to go to work at 4.30am and stop at red traffic lights on a big roundabout for no reason, nothing else about so why? Surely traffic lights should be switched off during the early hours too?
Completely agree, with original poster. It's all down to appropriate speed and not taking it to extremes like chavs in clios, just a bit of common sense shown. | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:10:15 PM | Everybody thinks they're a brilliant driver and so speed restrictions shouldn't apply to them especially in this case but this just isn't so. And even if you are good, what about those who aren't. How do you control/monitor them?
How about the time an unexpected incident occurs - they do happen no matter what time of day.
Rules of the road are there for protection of all and are a necessary evil.
Leave earlier. | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:17:12 PM | the law is a joke.. its all about the black and the white.. and the t's and the c's
I once got 3 points on my licence for driving past a school at 35 mph at 5.00am sunday morning after my night shift at the papermill and didn't pass a single soul during the whole journey home! But I was deemed to be irresponsible and dangerous by going 35mph on a long straight stretch of road with perfect visibility to the left and the right.
No leeway for common sense whatso ever.
vvvvv
Yes Fernilee it is worth trying to change stupid laws.. should be lifted to 40 mph at least during the night.. most def! Kudos to you. Fight the system! Rebel and fight against the robots that control track dominate and run our lives. | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:19:53 PM |
I can quite happily and safely drive along at between 40 and 50 on residential roads at this hour without pedestrians stepping out.. Especially on dry roads when stopping distances are muchly the same as 30mph
20 mph stopping distance is 40 ft (12 m)
30 mph stopping distance is 75 ft (23m)
40 mph stopping distance is 120 ft (36m)
50 mph stopping distance is 175 ft (53m)
60 mph stopping distance is 240 ft (73m) roughly................. | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:23:24 PM | thanks all.... it's not jst me then... common sense is robbed of us with un neccessary restrictions... how much further are they going to police our driving?
talk4england - I set off for work at 5.30 in the morning for a 6am start - it's a 15 min journey.... I don't need to leave any earlier. but at that time of morning surely there is no plausible 'need' to drive at dribble speed on a totally empty and straight piece of highway ? Are we conditioned so much nowadays that we always think big brother is watching us?.. I won't think like that, I tell you!!!
And driving at 40 mph isn't classed as speeding - hardly that..... but what the under-speeders do is force other drivers to act out of frustration and overtake sooner than they should...
by the way... it's illegal to under-speed too.
Is it worth lobbying the minister of transport to have the 30 mph limitation changed to : between 0700 and 2000 ? | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:26:06 PM | Have to agree with the reply about boy racers etc. If speed restrictions were lifted gives people more of an excuse.
Maybe how alert people are is took into consideration aswell? My dad works nights and has things to do in the day as most people he works with do alot of them work two jobs. He is knackered when he gets home at 5:30am - 6:00am I wouldn't fancy him driving too fast on "safe" roads.
It's really not that much of a pain driving within the laws... I accepted the fact I would have to do so when I decided to drive. At work I have to be in at 7:30am so if it's further away I set off earlier seems to work! | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:29:37 PM | So you wouldn't mind if a bunch of chavs in their chavved up Clios with their huge exhausts and flashing blue under lights turned up to turn your village in to a race track then?
what's that got to do with the price of fish? Chavs wouldn't be up at 5am like I am ! think about it!
Samantha Jayne... ( Sammie!!! ) *hi-5*... you know what I'm talking about .. !!
I'm a good and careful driver, had just one accident ( skidded in deep snow) in 18 years of driving.
.. but those 'granny-grandad' drivers give me a bit of road rage I have to admit !!  | |
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cargy
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Joined: 10/13/2006
Msg: 15 | |
| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:30:06 PM |
all about the black and the white and the t's and the c's
Tis true but, quite often "they" can fall foul in their reliance on these... 'cos if they are expecting you to conform to the letter of the law, they have to as well!
This means that if they've fouled up in the wording of a traffic management order, a parking ticket, or got the lines and signs wrong.... they can't do ya!
Last year, at Chideock in Devon, it was discovered that the 1980's Traffic Order setting out the 30MPH limit was measured from a road called "Seatown Road" (not surprising really as all the locals called it "Seatown Road"). Unfortunately the proper name for that street was "Duck Lane", the council's road name-plate stated it was "Duck Lane", and all relevant maps called it "Duck Lane".
Problem was there are two 30MPH speed cameras in the village that the Dorset Safety Camera Partnership has earned a fortune from. Unfortunately, thanks to the wrong roadname, the 30 MPH speed limit doesn't exist. This means that every single motorist ticketed by those two cameras are entitled to their fine back and the penalty points taken off their licences.
Here endeth the lesson! | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 1:35:15 PM | Ok, I am not the most educated on foreign driving laws but I DO know that Germany for instance has more lenient driving laws (autobahn anyone?) and that in America your more likely to be lifted for possessing an illegal gun than for driving offences... It is BLATANTLY obvious that speed restrictions are in force to make money for our greedy money grabbing government... Hello?! Wasnt there a study by some independant group recently that stated that all of these speed restrictions/cameras hadnt made a nacho of difference to death rates on the roads...
Yes if you drink and drive u will more than likely kill yourself and someone else, yes if u decide to be a moron and drive at 90mph in a 30mph zone u could lose control and kill urself/someone else... BUT if there is a clear road, no other traffic good conditions, I dare say going at 40/50mph wouldnt make that much of a difference..
Ye Gods.. Jeremy Clarkson should fckin definately be our Minister for Transport!!! | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:32:06 PM |
It is BLATANTLY obvious that speed restrictions are in force to make money for our greedy money grabbing government
I don't think its obvious since speed limits were in place long before camera technology and have BLATANTLY saved thousands of lives.
all of these speed restrictions/cameras hadnt made a nacho of difference to death rates on the roads
Probably because too many stupid people still exceed the limits.
Yes I am somewhat 'angry' because my Gran was killed by someone speeding along a 'clear road' as she was crossing. | |
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Tyke
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Joined: 3/27/2007
Msg: 18 | |
| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:35:24 PM | The UK has the lowest death rate in europe for car accidents, lower than Japan, lower than Australia and lower than the USA. In 1964 we had about 8000 deaths and today it's down to about 3000 deaths per year. That's 5000 more people alive per year. The Transport Research Laboratory estimates that for every 1 mph reduction then there is a 5% reduction in accidents. I dare say doing 40/50 mph wouldn't make much difference in how quick you got to work. You'd maybe save a minute or two, but those blood stains are so hard to shift, face it.
I'm amazed at some people's attitude in this place. Maybe it's a general thing with brits and that's why Lollipop ladies have to have spy cameras to catch people spitting at them as they've been delayed for that bare knuckling minute instead of letting you just run the little blighters down.
Adeus | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:41:28 PM | I think its either because
a) they are still over the limit
b) dont want to get pulled over coz theyve just got last nights undies and a pair of heels on!
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:42:30 PM | The law should be the same regardless, there are other factors that affect the likelyhood of crashing at night, tiredness,boredom, lack of the same visibility of daylight. If you add some speed into this equasion it means that, just that one person who you didnt see till the last minute because its 5am and no one should be out and about who isnt paying proper attention because theyre drunk to stumble infront of your car, you react slower because you're tired and going too fast, and bam they're dead...
Autobahns are safer, but you cant drive at 100 through a town in Germany. Germany has appropriate speeds for appropriate roads. | |
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cargy
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Joined: 10/13/2006
Msg: 21 | |
| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:46:53 PM | The Transport Research Laboratory estimates that for every 1 mph reduction then there is a 5% reduction in accidents
(I highlighted the word estimated here)
hmmmm... well, that's simple enough... let's just reduce the speed to zero then!
Failing that, perhaps a man with a red flag? | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:52:30 PM | | To be honest, you cant have one rule for you and then another for the rest of us. The whole point of speed limits is that they are there for your safety! If the limit was lifted to 40, then everyone would be saying 'why not lift it to 50?' and so on. And yes, if boy racers thought they could go faster on roads they are normally restricted on they would be up at five in the morning or maybe 9 at night, a you so realistically suggested! | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 2:56:14 PM | "Ok, I am not the most educated on foreign driving laws but I DO know that Germany for instance has more lenient driving laws (autobahn anyone?) "
Germans do drive a lot faster on autobahns, however when there is an accident, the ambulance crews who attend are equipped with shovels and bins as well as the latest lifesaving equipment.
if the speed limit was 35, people would want to drive at 36, if it was 40, they would want to drive at 41 or more. is it such a hardship to stck to speed restrictions? it would sem so, therefore Im inclined to agree with the current restrictions, speed does kill and it doesnt matter what time of day it does so | |
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| 30 mph at 05.30 - what's that all about?
Posted: 5/27/2008 3:02:07 PM |  Especially on dry roads when stopping distances are muchly the same as 30mph
If you really believe this find an empty road and stop as quickly as you can at the same point, starting you braking at different speeds at the same point. That takes your thinking distance out of it as you know when you are going to have to brake so will be easy for you prove your claim, If you do prove it what car do you drive as I want one!
The next stage would be to have a passenger select somewhere for you to brake and see how much furhter you travel, this gives you the effect of your thinking distance, generally accepted in the driver training industry to be 1foot for each MPH , so at 30 mph thinking distance is 30 ft, at 40 mph = 40ft.
Will be very interested to hear your results.  | |
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