[jambutty]

This contentious issue has raised its head again because the government is considering a blanket lowering of speed limits on rural roads and built up areas and it also has to be said an increase.

First of all the government should understand that the modern car handles much better than the cars on the road when the speed limits were laid down. Secondly the stopping distance with modern disc brakes and tyres is shorter than it used to be. The only constant from yesteryear is the driver.

However the quality of driving hasn’t got much better over the years. In fact some people consider that driving standards have got worse. For example, when travelling on a rural road and approaching a left hand bend any car coming the other way is most likely to cut the corner and appear on your side of the road leaving you with nowhere to go except to allow the car to hit you. The approaching car was obviously going too fast to negotiate the corner on his own side of the road. Some, however, cut the corner as a matter of course because they cannot judge their nearside with any degree of accuracy so swing wide and onto the other side of the road. Too many drivers on narrow and straight country roads do not seem to be able to keep to their own side of the road for the same reason. They seem to be more concerned with not scratching their nearside than having the off side crumpled beyond recognition.

Most motorists consider themselves to be good drivers or put another way there are no bad drivers on the roads today. BALDERDASH! Many drivers are chancers who seem to think that the Highway Code applies to everyone else except themselves. Just stand at any busy traffic lights and see for yourself how many drivers suddenly go colour blind as they approach traffic lights. Red means STOP. Amber also means STOP but only if it is safe to do so. In other words the car behind you won’t try and get into your boot. Green means GO but only if it is safe to do so and if there is a box junction to negotiate there is an exit route. How many drivers when setting off on green look right and left before doing so? How many drivers take a chance that the exit will be clear and set off before it is? Very, very few! Then they get trapped in the box junction and block traffic.

Motorists should remember that a speed limit is not an invitation to travel at that speed but the maximum that is allowed on that road. A driver should travel at a speed that they are comfortable with taking the road and prevailing conditions at the time into consideration up to the speed limit. One person may be comfortable to belt along whilst another may not. However if a driver is travelling at below the speed limit s/he should have regard for those vehicles behind and when possible pull over and let them pass. In general though drivers should ‘go with the flow’ unless it means breaking the prevailing speed limit.

However even modern analogue speedos are not accurate enough to rigorously enforce the various speed limits – hence the leeway. As I understand things as they are today there is a leeway of 10% plus 2 mph for any speed limit. Thus at 30 mph you can travel at up to 35 mph before you are breaking the speed limit. But give someone a yard and they will try and take a mile.

I don’t suppose that there are any “C” class roads these days but all “B” class roads should have a 30 mph speed limit on them. Single carriageway “A” class roads should be limited to 40 mph. Dual carriageway roads in built up areas at 40 mph and 50 or 60 mph elsewhere. As for motorways I think that the current 70 mph is about right. If that limit were raised to 80 mph in reality that would put it at 90 mph before the speed limit is broken.

Finally – am I a good driver? I don’t know that is for someone else to judge but I do know that I’m not a bad driver.

OK! One more finally! The speed bumps and chicanes as traffic calming measures are a menace. Ask anyone who has had the misfortune to travel in an ambulance over speed bumps. I have twice – once with a severe kidney infection and once with a pulmonary embolism where any sort of movement was a very painful reminder of my condition.