Fast driving on public roads

[geared]

Who decided 70mph was the number anyway??

What was the reason behind it??

 

IIRC it was introduced in the mid-60's, back then it must have seemed like a fantastically high speed.

 

I remember having an old mini way back when, you daren't go much above 60 in that otherwise it felt like it'd fall to pieces.

[DT Ralge]

Who decided 70mph was the number anyway??

What was the reason behind it??

 

IIRC it was introduced in the mid-60's, back then it must have seemed like a fantastically high speed.

 

I remember having an old mini way back when, you daren't go much above 60 in that otherwise it felt like it'd fall to pieces.

 

70-80 is quite normal and easily achieved, even by smaller-engined cars.

In a straight line, these vehicles have stability.

Ever tried braking and steering at speeds above 40 mph?

[ghost rider]

yeh that's the problem

 

But I reckon (as a layman, so don't request proof/evidence and all that gubbins) that 100mph in a modern rep mobile with all the safety features is safer than 70mph in a 1970s Cortina

 

On another matter that's 4000 people who are all licenced with registered vehicles. That in itself counters the argument that licencing cyclists and registering bikes will improve things, but that's another thread

 

I actually did over 100 mph in a 1970,s cortina when i was young and foolish on the M1.That would have been about 30 years ago and i am not proud of it now.I also did it in a mk2 escort as well,and a 3 litre capri.The thought of something going wrong never entered my mind when i was young.I am now the one complaining about young drivers driving too fast.

Edited February 25, 2016 by ghost rider

[DT Ralge]

I've always wondered that. Tests must have been done since then? Clearly reaction time probably hasn't changed much, but I've never really understood why that was included anyway. Reaction times are so subjective and will change all the time for each individual. When I'm a bit sleepy after a long day at work there is no way my reactions times are as good as they were in the morning, so I should leave more space to the car in front. It could be argued that having any form of arbitrary measurement like speed limits or braking distances actually encourages more accidents as people blindly follow the guidelines whether they are fit for purpose at that time or not.

 

The figures are based on a 0.66 second reaction time.

More recent research (Transport Research Lab) concluded that this figure could reasonably be much closer to 1-second.

 

---------- Post added 25-02-2016 at 20:07 ----------

 

Who decided 70mph was the number anyway??

What was the reason behind it??

 

IIRC it was introduced in the mid-60's, back then it must have seemed like a fantastically high speed.

 

I remember having an old mini way back when, you daren't go much above 60 in that otherwise it felt like it'd fall to pieces.

 

In the mid-sixties, the 70 limit was introduced where the road had been unrestricted I.e. where there had been no limit previously.

[lottiecass]

Modern vehicles are fast,my truck will do 100mph and its 14 yrs old,I would think most cars will do 120 mph,but no chance of doing it for any distance without being nicked and I don't risk it now.

[monkey104]

If a slow driver pulls out of a junction and hits a vehicle,that isn't down to slow drivng,its down to the slow DRIVER. Slow drivers arnt slow drivers because they are more capable, they are slow drivers because they are often LESS capable.

 

I would have thought that if a vehicle pulls out of a junction and hits another vehicle it has failed to give way, not anticipated the speed and distance of oncoming traffic, or not seen oncoming traffic.

Exiting a junction at speed, Hmmm I will have to look that one up in the Highway Code.

[Cyclone]

Who decided 70mph was the number anyway??

What was the reason behind it??

 

IIRC it was introduced in the mid-60's, back then it must have seemed like a fantastically high speed.

 

I remember having an old mini way back when, you daren't go much above 60 in that otherwise it felt like it'd fall to pieces.

 

Not fantastically high, given that the thing that prompted it was a road test of a race prepped car at something like 180mph.

[Eric Arthur]

Not fantastically high, given that the thing that prompted it was a road test of a race prepped car at something like 180mph.

 

It's fantastically high when most people are driving cars like an Anglia or Minx though. My first car topped out at 78 mph according to the manufacturer, and it went slower if you wound the windows down! Now I don't have a car that tops out at less than 165 mph.

 

All cars stop a lot sooner these days, and they don't try to leave the road at the slightest corner, which is probably more pertinent. I think we could probably cope with a higher motorway speed limit now. Do they still have those out of date stopping distances on the back of the Highway Code?

[SnailyBoy]

It's fantastically high when most people are driving cars like an Anglia or Minx though. My first car topped out at 78 mph according to the manufacturer, and it went slower if you wound the windows down! Now I don't have a car that tops out at less than 165 mph.

 

All cars stop a lot sooner these days, and they don't try to leave the road at the slightest corner, which is probably more pertinent. I think we could probably cope with a higher motorway speed limit now. Do they still have those out of date stopping distances on the back of the Highway Code?

 

What do you think the limit should be?

[runningman1]

If you want to speed, just wear a Niqab or a mask and the rozzers won't be able to do anything