Interactive speed limiters

[Ancient]

As a start, 70 mph limiter would be easy to fit and would cure the high speed merchants.

Is it an illness to be 'cured' to wish to drive above 70mph? I wonder why are some people still fixated on maintaining a 70mph limit which was set in the 1960s and is increasingly irrelevant and outdated?

Increasngly irrelevant and outdated considering the increase in vehicle numbers and congestion and the reduced acceptance by society at large that it is acceptable to impose danger on others for ones own convenience?

[jlsmith]

The law should be our servant rather than master, so I don't think you can, on the one hand, entertain the question as to whether the 70mph limit is sensible and on the other suggest it is something to be 'cured' to wish to drive faster.

I don't think I have read anything on the ADF advocating breaking the speed limit.

[jlsmith]

Increasngly irrelevant and outdated considering the increase in vehicle numbers and congestion and the reduced acceptance by society at large that it is acceptable to impose danger on others for ones own convenience?

Irrelevant and outdated considering vast improvements in vehicle safety and capability.

Why does exceeding 70mph impose danger on others for one's own convenience any more than driving 70mph instead of 60mph? Why not make the limit 40? Surely we will be even safer if we reduce it further? Or does it not work like that? These are genuine questions.

[Graham Wright]

Why does exceeding 70mph impose danger on others for one's own convenience any more than driving 70mph instead of 60mph? Why not make the limit 40? Surely we will be even safer if we reduce it further? Or does it not work like that? These are genuine questions.

During our attendance, I hired a van to carry our display stand. I found I could not drive at more than 56 mph and was told by the company that legislation now demanded that limit for that van.

Strangely, our journey time (mostly on motorways) was hardly affected. On the other hand, the fuel consumption compared with the previous unlimited trip (older van) was markedly reduced.

It was frustrating trying to overtake other vehicles though (when the rare occasion arose!).

[Andy]

I for one, would be childishly over the moon to see the Audi and BMW prats

So everyone who drives a BMW or Audi is a prat?

[Graham Wright]

So everyone who drives a BMW or Audi is a prat?

If you said that, you would be wrong, but only a little bit (based on my experience).

[WhoseGeneration]

If introduced, will these be good or bad.

I for one, would be childishly over the moon to see the Audi and BMW prats forced to toe the line.

I'd prefer to see the standards of AD to be the minimum required to have a licence within two years after the basic test.

Of course that's just a dream and so, we see the ever restrictive nature of motoring.

The EU?, waste of space and more importantly, money, vote UKIP.

[Gareth]

I for one, would be childishly over the moon to see the Audi and BMW prats forced to toe the line.

Doesn't Chapter 1 of recent versions of Roadcraft, under the Attitudes to other road users heading, warn us to guard against this?

There's a world of difference being angered, annoyed or frustrated by the actions of a single driver, compared to classes of drivers.

[triquet]

Although it would be technically possible to fit some form of GPS operated speed limiter, it would be wildly impractical to implement unless you either called in all motor vehicles to be retrofitted or have a massive scrappage scheme ... just imagine the fun where for years all new cars had speed limiters and petrolheads were zapping about in 20-year old beemers, occasionally crashing into the new speed-limited euroboxes and expiring in a cloud of rust particles ...

[michael769]

An EU proposal;- a vehicle reads a speed limit sign and applies the vehicle's brakes until its speed equals the limit.

EU or UN? The reason I ask is that many vehicle safety initiatives blamed on the EU (an example being daylight running lights) actually stem from the UN (specifically this lot).

EDIT: It was indeed UNECE WP29 that deals with this. The requirement (is for an option device that drivers can override:

Vehicles of categories M1, N1 and M2 shall be limited to a speed voluntarily set by the driver by means of an adjustable speed limitation device (ASLD) or function (ASLF), when it is activated.

link

I cannot find any sign of proposals to introduce GPS or camera based systems on WP29's agenda.

In any event is for individual governments to decide if this should be made mandatory. It seems unlikely the UK government plans to make it mandatory in any event the UK government have completely opted us out of the requirements as far as it applies to private cars DFT briefing paper

[Ancient]

Increasngly irrelevant and outdated considering the increase in vehicle numbers and congestion and the reduced acceptance by society at large that it is acceptable to impose danger on others for ones own convenience?

Irrelevant and outdated considering vast improvements in vehicle safety and capability.

Why does exceeding 70mph impose danger on others for one's own convenience any more than driving 70mph instead of 60mph? Why not make the limit 40? Surely we will be even safer if we reduce it further? Or does it not work like that? These are genuine questions.

Because human reaction times have not improved.
Define "vehicle safety". What evidence do you have that it has improved?

[michael769]

Define "vehicle safety". What evidence do you have that it has improved?

Where do I begin? How about:

The Numerical Context For Setting National Casualty Reduction Targets 2000 (J Broughton (TRL), R E Allsop (UCL), D A Lynam (TRL) and C M McMahon (DETR)) which concluded that vehicle safety improvements have been the largest single contributor to the reductions in car occupant casualties having accounted for 14.7% of casualty reduction compared with 10.6% from drink/drive programmes and 6.5% from road safety engineering measures.

[Ancient]

Define "vehicle safety". What evidence do you have that it has improved?

Where do I begin? How about:

The Numerical Context For Setting National Casualty Reduction Targets 2000 (J Broughton (TRL), R E Allsop (UCL), D A Lynam (TRL) and C M McMahon (DETR)) which concluded that vehicle safety improvements have been the largest single contributor to the reductions in car occupant casualties having accounted for 14.7% of casualty reduction compared with 10.6% from drink/drive programmes and 6.5% from road safety engineering measures.

My bold emphasis, which demonstrates the mind-set of the report, one which you either have not noticed or with which you concur?

[michael769]

My quote was a selective quote from the report, and I would suggest it is not valid to draw such conclusions based on a single paragraph from what is a rather lengthy document, and I cannot agree.

I would urge you to obtain and read the full copy before drawing such conclusions. Unfortunately it is not online, but a copy can be purchased from TRL.

EDIT: Actually it is available free - though you need to register on TRL's website:

http://www.trl.co.uk/reports-publicatio ... ortid=2542

[jlsmith]

Because human reaction times have not improved.
Define "vehicle safety". What evidence do you have that it has improved?

Surprised this is a serious question, but in addition to what has been provided already, Google is your friend, such as this from the US DoT:

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811572.pdf

"Our study finds remarkable improvements to vehicle safety...The nationwide impact of these advancements is substantial. We estimate that improvements made after the model year 2000 fleet prevented the crashes of 700,000 vehicles; prevented or mitigated the injuries of 1 million occupants; and saved 2,000 lives in the 2008 calendar year alone. Of the 9 million passenger vehicles that were in crashes, the crashes of an estimated 200,000 of them were preventable by improvements to the model year 2008 fleet, and the injuries of 300,000 of their 12 million occupants would have been prevented or mitigated, including saving 600 lives."