Can you get nicked by the cops for driving at 80mph?

[kimba]

Never mind that anyhow Holly11, get back on the dog topic you started and offer us all some more info, it all got a bit heated and the only thing anyone really agreed upon was that we needed more info from yourself.

 

Please read your topic and drop us a comment or two in Please

[AJ sheffield]

yes, it's called the speed limit

 

those who regularly exceed it will eventually be caught

 

Not really.

[dosxuk]

"Can you get nicked by the cops for driving at 80mph?"

 

Short answer - yes.

 

Long answer - it depends. If you're doing it on a clear motorway, along with other traffic, almost certainly not. If you're doing it in a 20mph limit outside a school, or through roadworks on a motorway, quite probably yes.

[Rampent]

"Can you get nicked by the cops for driving at 80mph?"

 

Short answer - yes.

 

Long answer - it depends. If you're doing it on a clear motorway, along with other traffic, almost certainly not. If you're doing it in a 20mph limit outside a school, or through roadworks on a motorway, quite probably yes.

 

Is this working?

[JarvisS8]

Is there a speed you can go at where the cops will leave you alone

 

I flew past a cop car on a Honda fireblade 900cc doing 160mph a good few years ago they didn't chase me. Catch me if ya can

[kimba]

I flew past a cop car on a Honda fireblade 900cc doing 160mph a good few years ago they didn't chase me. Catch me if ya can

They probably just waited for the call to come cordon off the road while they scraped you up.

 

160 mph ?

sod that, my brain would not work at those speeds, hence me never having been on a plane.

[Rupert_Baehr]

As others have said: "It depends".

 

Do you know how fast you were going? (As opposed to "how fast your speedometer says you were going?")

 

AFAIK EU law allows that "a functional speedometer may over-read by 10% + 2 units and under-read by 0". (I was told that, I can't cite a regulation.)

 

(Most) modern speedometers could be pretty accurate, but I've found that although those fitted to American cars tend to tell the truth, those fitted to European (including UK) spec cars tend to over-read somewhat.

 

I have also been told (by a British traffic policeman) that - where road and weather conditions allow - then unless they have been told to 'crack down' on speeding, where the speed limit is the 'National Limit (60mph for single-carriageway roads and 70mph for [most] dual-carriageways and motorways), they tend to allow drivers to exceed the speed limit by about 10% + 2.

 

If you're exceeding the speed limit, you could always be stopped. You might (good weather, good road conditions, light traffic) get away with 68mph on a single-carriageway 'A' road or 79mph on a dual-carriageway or Motorway - but don't rely on it!

 

There has been talk about increasing the UK speed limit on motorways. I'm not sure that's a good idea.

 

The speed limit on motorways in Germany (other than in areas where there is a posted lower limit - and at this time of year, that's a lot of the motorways) is 130Kph - but it's an 'advisory' limit. If you see a sign which says '120' that's a mandatory limit. If you see a sign which says '130' that's an advisory limit. You are permitted to drive as fast as you like - but if you are involved in an accident and you are driving at more than 130KpH (and you survive it) the assumption will be that you are at fault and the onus of proof will lie with you.

 

Some drivers travel at speeds considerably in excess of 130Kph. - 250Kph is (most of the time) the fastest you will encounter, but there are one or two cars which go faster than that.

 

Drivers here tend to be aware that they may encounter traffic in faster lanes which is going considerably faster than they are, so they use their mirrors, use their indicators, give right of way to traffic overtaking and increase speed to match the traffic in the faster lane before they move into it. Once they've overtaken the traffic in the lane in which they were travelling, they move back into that lane.

 

The UK has similar rules, but they're rarely observed. - If UK speed limits were increased to match those in Germany tomorrow, the accident rate would probably increase dramatically.

[DT Ralge]

And in Germany cops work with speed/space camera technology. If you choose, on unlimited stretches, to drive at 200kmph you must have (200 divide by 2) 100 metres of space ahead of you (and so on). If you don't, a fine comes your way. The less space you have, the bigger the ticket.

Why don't we have that technology over here?

 

Of the 12000 kms of Autobahn. 45% is unlimited. In 2008, of all the deaths on

these motorways 73% of them happened on these unlimited stretches. Read into this what you will.

 

80mph over here in most circumstances doesn't get pinged but don't count on it - take other things into account as well: manner of driving, weaving in and out, tailgating, use of lights and horn, seatbelt usage, condition of vehicle, lights present ... Etc

I sat with one driver who was mightily miffed about being pulled over and ticketed for doing 81 (her speedo was probably reading 84-85), on an empty, REALLY empty motorway first thing in the morning (7am). On asking, that had given the cops a hard time about being pulled in such circumstances.

What she forgot to mention was that it was New Year's Day morning and, yes, they breathalysed her too but she had not touched a drop. She still got the ticket, though, probably because of her attitude. She still hadn't "got it" when telling me the story.

[alchresearch]

There is serious talk about putting the speed limit up to 80 on our motorways.

 

Most people accept that it is safe to travel at that speed on them anyhow.

 

Its probably safe to do 90 and more. The problem is the flawed bit of the car between the driver's seat and the steering wheel.

 

They fail to keep a respectable distance from the car in front, fail to indicate, use their mirrors and maintain their car (does anybody perform regular checks on lights and tyres any more?)

 

Until driving attitudes change I don't think we'll ever see any speed limit changes in our favour, and that's really sad for the minority of us who can drive responsibly.

 

I saw a really nasty crash on the M53 yesterday. A woman in a Mini pulled out straight into a biker, knocking him off and him sliding across lanes 2 and 3 straight into the central reservation.

 

Her simple failure to check her blind spot caused serious injury, a closed motorway, huge delays around that junction and all the surrounding A and B roads, yet she'll get nothing but an increased insurance premium for all that misery.

[Conrod]

. . . .. I have also been told (by a British traffic policeman) that - where road and weather conditions allow - then unless they have been told to 'crack down' on speeding, where the speed limit is the 'National Limit (60mph for single-carriageway roads and 70mph for [most] dual-carriageways and motorways), they tend to allow drivers to exceed the speed limit by about 10% + 2..

That's spot on.

 

Unless there are hazardous conditions or your driving somehow attracts attention for being eratic or inconsiderate, the Police won't bother you on a motorway if you're doing around 10% over the limit. Add to that your speedo will be indicating 5-10% above your actual speed, and you can see about 85 on the speedo without much risk of being bothered. They will however generally get a bit uppity of you nudge over 90.