Stress from driving at the speed limit

On the later cars, the inaccuracy is actually preset at the factory, but can be altered using VADIS.

[sarge]

Recently, I was driving towards one of those signs that flashes your speed up, my speedo read 30mph and the sign flashed up 29mph. Is my speedo unusually accurate?

Sarge
'99 V70 AWD

[Al115]

That's really interesting. So the speedos are designed to give us a 7% underestimate then... I wonder how Volvo can possibly think that's a good idea!


Alastair

It actually depends on the country!!! But it can be set to zero error. As far as I know, it's done for legal reasons because cars aren't allowed to overread, so they are preset to underread just to be sure.

You can test your speedo accuracy. Measure a fixed distance and then drive this fixed distance at a contant speed and time exactly how long it takes. You can then work out the error.

Or take it to a dyno, and check it there.

Adam.

[john d]

I have discovered that my speedo seems to read 3 mph high, whatever speed I'm doing.

I established this by holding the car's speed steady with the cruise control (very quiet motorway), and comparing the read-out from my Snooper (GPS speed reading) with the car speedo. I've checked this over a range of speeds and the difference seems to remain constant.

The results surprised me, since I was expecting a percentage difference.

John

My GPS indicates about a 10% difference over all speeds. I put this down to having 185 instead of 195 tyres fitted.

[judgeman]

Hi

Going back to the original thread - I really sympathise with you!

I too feel the same frustration! The T5 sold in anticipation of emigrating to Oz, I now plod around in a great 240 GLT estate, VERY BIG tow bar...... Go on tailgater annoying person, another inch and you just feel your front end collapse under the impact....

I took my Advanced driving test last year, and the training and advice given by the Institute of Advanced Motorists is to not let them get to you, drive the way you want to, and if necessary, pull over and let the f***** past. Hmm, in principle I agree, but it's not that easy! I still get very frustrated, even in my old 240 (Fred).

More needs to be done to educate those, er, 'idiots' who feel the need to speed/drive dangerously/drive inconsiderately/drive whilst on the mobile/drive whilst eating their lunch and doing their makeup and lighting up another cigarette/drive whilst trying to put the seatbelt on which they should have done before pulling away and giving the baby in the back seat it's bottle......

It doesn't help when TV programme producers feel it necessary to show presenters (read Diarmuid Gavin on his Big Adventure, BBC2 Tuesday nights) attempting to drive whilst talking into a camera in the passenger seat and at the same time dialing/speaking on their non hands free mobile. He's got a top of the range Jag, so why can't he pay for a hands free kit!!!

From my point of view, if I get too many more of those idiots up my rear I'm gonna do something silly, have an accident, and to hell with it. Maybe I could get some publicity and highlight the state of driving standards in the UK these days.

Why do people feel it acceptable to have points on their licence? It's almost as if nowadays if you DON'T have points your a social outcast! Many friends/collegues have points and can't beleive that in 11 years since I passed my test, I've never had so much as a parking ticket. Their response is 'you will, every one does'. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! What's wrong with people? Now they want to REDUCE the points awarded for some offences because people are losing their livelyhood. HELLO! If you can't do the time, don't do the crime! It's simple, don't speed, no points. Okay, so everyone makes mistakes, but you need to make FOUR small mistakes to lose your licence right now. If people don't learn after the first, second, third time, then TOUGH! They deserve to lose their licence and if necessary, their livelyhood. And if I had my way, they wouldn't be able to claim unemployment benefit because of it either.

So okay, there's probably a few of you out their rushing to reply calling me 'holier than thou', 'whiter than white', 'arrogant', and perhaps some more choice names.... WELL DON'T! It's not big, and it's not clever! It's been done before, and if you can't say anything constructive but just call me names, then save your energy. However, if you have a constructive view on this then by all means reply. If more people with a similar frustration and concern at current driving standards clubbed together, then maybe we could make the roads more pleasurable for EVERYONE!

And thank you for listening...!

Chris
& Fred - 1988 240 GLT Estate 2.3ltr 165k
Previously
Henry - 1996 854 T5 S 134k
Sylvester - 1995 440 SE 2.0ltr 35k
Monty - 1995 440 Si 1.8ltr 70k
Vincent - 1985 340 GL 1.4ltr 144k
The Yellow Peril in Oz - 1982 244 GL 2.3ltr 250k

>
>Of course another alternative is to get your T5 resprayed in
>white and keep flourescent yellow jackets in the back :D
>
My old T5 was the same colour and year as an un-marked used by my local police force. Part of my safety equipment I use at work is Hi-Viz clothing so there were quite a few Hi-Viz vest dotted around the inside of my car from where I took them off and threw them in the back. During the winter I also used to wear a large yellow hi-viz donkey jacket. If I had a work mate in the passenger seat it used to look very convincing.

Boy racers noticed this and behaved them selfs as did a lot of reps. I very rarely got cut up, people very rarely tailgated me or abused me for driving correctly. But what amazed me was how many people didn't think twice about doing something stupid. If they were not cautious around me "just in case" what would they be like around a real unmarked car???

And yes I have to say that there is no point in having the Highway code because no-one abides by it anymore. Every one has to be somewhere that little bit quicker than the next person.

Chris you may be holier than thou, whiter than white and arrogant. I don't know :) But in my opinion your general attitude is right.

I do disagree with you regarding the change in points however. I believe this will penalise persistant speeders, or people who plainly don't have any regard for the law, hardest. With the 2 points scaring the 'average' motorist into not doing it again. One thing I do wonder though is whether new motorists (ie only allowed to get 6 points on their licence before a test resit) should be given 3 chances as opposed to the 2 now. I don't think so. I know that it did force me not to speed so heavily in my initial two years and therefore hopefully had a beneficial effect for the rest of my driving life.

With regard to the lose of livelyhood, I think we have to remember some drivers are unneccessarily forced to break the law to keep their job. I'm not saying this is right but should be considered more widely (by prosecuting more employers perhaps?) when judgement is made.

Graeme

Chris,

I also think it's worth differenatiating between speeding and dangerous driving. For example, what is worse - driving at 45 mph on the motorway when the rest of the traffic is doing 70 mph? Or driving at 80 mph when the rest of the traffic is doing 70 mph?

I understand and agree that speeding in hazardous places such as built up areas is dangerous for obvious reasons. However, what is dangerous about doing 90 mph on a motorway at 1 am, when it's empty?

I guess the argument has been discussed to death, but I think more emphasis has to be put on reducing dangerous driving/silly driving and on driver education, than on speeding alone. Problem is that catching speeders is easy, and makes easy money.

Adam.