How fast on Motorways?

[Daim]

The average German Autobahn speed is somewhere around 120 km/h, which means about 75 mph. We have more cars, more traffic, more more more. The Autobahn sections with non-restricted speeds, are getting less and less...

On the other hand, driving lessons ON the Autobahns are essential and part of the driving test. The only reason the Autobahns are "safer" would the correct education of the drivers.

We get daily bulletins of foreigners killing themselves or others on the motorways here, as they don't know how to cope with the speeds... So even more and more sections will be limited.

The average European motorway speed is around 75 mph. GB with 70 mph (in km/h: 120 is European average, GB has 112 km/h) is within the same average area - France has some limits for learners (iirc) of 110 km/h (69 mph). Norway has a lot of limits of 90 km/h (55 mph!).

A higher speed limit requires more law enforcement, more speed cameras, more surveilance, more education, more technical check ups without any tolerances...

[t5_monkey]

We need a two stage driving test here....

like Germany has.

[Daim]

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

We need a two stage driving test here....

like Germany has.

Two stage? Explain... I did my test here in Germany

Written test (theory)
Pratical test (driving)

GB has the same way or am I wrong?

[RUTV70]

Think I'd be inclined to leave things as they are...given the pretty awful "skills" and disciplines that infest the motorways.
In the past I've tramped the UK network for 30 years and all I saw was the "tunnel vision and I'm ok in my sensory deprivation machine" approach.
Motorway joining and exit skills are poor...as is general lane discipline AND knowledge.
There are NO fast and slow lanes etc...there are lanes 1, 2 and 3.!!!..and a hard shoulder to be used in EMERGENCY ONLY.!
An increase in the limit wouldn't alter any of that..only perhaps make it more serious when the "awful" happened.?

Neil

[markt1]

Originally Posted by Bendolfc

Er unless there is significant traffic in 95% of cases there is no need for traffic to move over to allow people to come off the slip road. Joining traffic should adjust their speed as required to join. I've no idea where this recent idea seems to have come from that people should move over because people are incapable of joining a mortuary without help.

The highway code states that your right but personnally i think people that just sit there when theirs a convoy coming down the slip road and make no provision to allow them to join are complete baboons i see this all the time where the M62 joins the M1 south bound all these baboons do is cause absolute chaos.
Heres a little extract from what car for you to mull through i would call it common sense?

Q: I am fed up of being stuck on motorways behind drivers who slam on their brakes at every slip road. They seem to be slowing in order to allow drivers joining the motorway to do so in front of them. Surely this is wrong, what are the rules regarding slip roads?
A Llewellyn

A: First of all, vehicles already using the motorway have the right of way. So drivers on the motorway really shouldn’t be braking as they approach slip roads. In fact it can be dangerous to do so.

Ideally, if you are travelling in lane one and can see vehicles on the slip road you should, if possible, move into a lane on your right, allowing traffic to join the motorway safely and at an appropriate speed.
Does that enlighten you a little?

[SonyVaio]

Originally Posted by Bendolfc

Er unless there is significant traffic in 95% of cases there is no need for traffic to move over to allow people to come off the slip road. Joining traffic should adjust their speed as required to join. I've no idea where this recent idea seems to have come from that people should move over because people are incapable of joining a mortuary without help.

I completely agree that the onus is on the vehicle joining the motorway to adjust his/her speed to merge correctly with the flow of traffic on the motorway. However! It is pure courtesy and if reading the road ahead correctly and using your mirrors correctly you would already know and realise that the outer lanes are free, thus moving over a lane to allow joining traffic to do so more freely and safely would aid the movement of the road network itself.

So while I agree that driving by the book means the onus is on those joining the motorway I think that those on the motorway already should drive correctly and read the road ahead, if this means there is room to move over then you should do so. If traffic is too heavy then yes it is back to the book (those joining).

I do find some people feel it is their right to push out when joining and this does get one a little miffed.

[GMad]

Originally Posted by Clan

One point nobody at all has thought of .....
We still think at the same speed as we did 100 years ago , that is the time for our brains to assess a situation and take action . this has never changed and is the main reason for having a speed limit in the first place .. why would we suddenly be able to react quicker ? So raising the limit to a real world 90 mph will give us far less time to assess and react to avoid the idiots we have around us , therefore more motorway crashes and MUCH more heavy duty serious crashes that even volvos wouldn't survive ..

Not necessarily the case with those of us that ride motorcycles.
Given that I have (and always have had) far greater acceleration and top speed capabilities and assuming conditions are dry, better braking abilities on two wheels. One accounts for this and you tend to leave yourself plenty of space.
I for one tend to carry this over to four wheel travel and quite often leave waaay more space/time than I actually need

[Daim]

Originally Posted by GMad

Not necessarily the case with those of us that ride motorcycles.
Given that I have (and always have had) far greater acceleration and top speed capabilities and assuming conditions are dry, better braking abilities on two wheels. One accounts for this and you tend to leave yourself plenty of space.
I for one tend to carry this over to four wheel travel and quite often leave waaay more space/time than I actually need

I'm not a motorcyclist, but I agree in all terms. On motorways a good distance between me and the car ahead. Leave time to get to your destination... And if you are late, then you're late

[volvorocks]

Raise limit to 80mph

Install average speed cameras everywhere along the motorway. Fantastic things as I find you do not get tailgated as people cannot speed up to bumper hug and traffic flows nicely.

Yes cars are perfectly capabale of cruising at 100mph but the drivers of them are not and as Clan rightly says reaction times have not got quicker.

[Anadinolin]

Originally Posted by volvorocks

Raise limit to 80mph

Install average speed cameras everywhere along the motorway. Fantastic things as I find you do not get tailgated as people cannot speed up to bumper hug and traffic flows nicely.

Yes cars are perfectly capabale of cruising at 100mph but the drivers of them are not and as Clan rightly says reaction times have not got quicker.

average speed cameras? you havent been round carpark 25 between dartford and jct 29 very often then? its stupid how many people tailgate or get too close and bumper hug in all situations, have you driven around lakeside shopping centre, thurrock and the local essex area, you get all the blonde essex girls and dopey essex boys driving too close, not being able to judge distances, edging out at roundabouts far too much before actually being able to go...the standard of driving is very poor and you will get bumper huggers in all situations

i blame the driving instructors, as kids are only taught to pass their tests, i fully realised that once i attended essex police's driver training scheme and did a few advanced driver sessions