dombooth wrote:I think people obeying speed limits would be the first step in making them better at driving overall would it not?
GJD wrote:dombooth wrote:I think people obeying speed limits would be the first step in making them better at driving overall would it not?
It would make their driving less illegal. But I don't think, on its own, it would achieve anything more than that. What do you mean by 'better'?
mefoster wrote:dombooth wrote:I mean that by them slowing down it would in turn mean that they would have more time to think about the road, plan things and not be going flat out round corners they can't see round.
How does sticking to an arbitrary speed limit prevent someone from driving beyond the limit of their vision? There are many roads that I know where it is very easy for someone to "be going flat out round corners they can't see round", yet still be 100% legal. The two are not even remotely connected.
Thinking about the road and planning things is a little more involved than simple obedience.
jc2012 wrote:jameslb101 wrote:dombooth wrote:I think people obeying speed limits would be the first step in making them better at driving overall would it not?
Dom
In answer to your question, in my opinion, no. However, getting people to drive an an appropriate speed for the conditions would be a vital part of improving road safety.
You can't have one without the other, can you? Driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions means slowing down at least to within the speed limit, otherwise you're breaking the law.
jc2012 wrote:If a driver can't demonstrate sufficient discipline to abide by one of the few rules of the road that is completely black and white, it doesn't give him much hope of driving responsibly in circumstances where more personal judgement comes into play.
mefoster wrote:dombooth wrote:I think it rather depends where you live/work/drive etc in different parts of the country as to what the roads/speed limits etc are like.
Why?dombooth wrote:Of course it is a little more involved but surely being legal should be a priority in every drivers mind.
A priority. Not necessarily the priority. It doesn't matter how legal you are if you're not safe and that takes a lot more than blind obedience.
GJD wrote:Drivers in the emergency services often drive above the speed limit, but when they do so they're still looking to drive at a speed appropriate for the conditions. Of course, in doing so they aren't breaking the law because they are exempt from the speed limit.
dombooth wrote:I mean that by them slowing down it would in turn mean that they would have more time to think about the road, plan things and not be going flat out round corners they can't see round.
Dom
jc2012 wrote:GJD wrote:jc2012 wrote:If a driver can't demonstrate sufficient discipline to abide by one of the few rules of the road that is completely black and white, it doesn't give him much hope of driving responsibly in circumstances where more personal judgement comes into play.
That seems an odd conclusion to draw. Do you think that a cavalier attitude towards an arbitrary regulation like a speed limit necessarily implies a cavalier attitude towards safety?
Firstly, a speed limit isn't an arbitrary regulation, but a restriction put in place as a result of an assessment of various criteria and circumstances.
Since the primary concern of a speed limit is safety, someone who adopts a cavalier attitude towards it is already demonstrating a cavalier attitude to safety. Being an advanced driver doesn't given someone the right to decide whether the law is appropriate at any given time, and judge for themselves whether or not they should obey it.
It is a driver's responsibility to drive at a speed that is safe for the current conditions on any stretch of road, but NOT exceeding the limit.
waremark wrote:dombooth wrote:I mean that by them slowing down it would in turn mean that they would have more time to think about the road, plan things and not be going flat out round corners they can't see round.
Dom
A given driver with a given set of skills will be safer if he/she drives more slowly. However, the same driver will be much safer still if both his/her level of skill and his/her desire to drive safely are raised.
The problem with focus on speed limits is that it tends to make drivers feel that they are ok so long as they are within the limit. But imagine a rural road with a half mile straight followed by a 30 mph double bend. Do you advocate a 30 mph limit beginning and ending before and after the bend? Or a 30 mph limit along the whole stretch? No? Then surely we rely on drivers to be able to judge a safe speed, and we should be educating them about the need to be able to stop in the distance they can see to be clear and reasonably expect to remain so. In my opinion this would be a more valuable focus than urging them to think about speed limits.
dombooth wrote:I mean that by them slowing down it would in turn mean that they would have more time to think about the road, plan things and not be going flat out round corners they can't see round.
dombooth wrote:There is a speed limit on my way home that is ridiculous, it doesn't mean I break the law though.
Dom
GJD wrote:dombooth wrote:I mean that by them slowing down it would in turn mean that they would have more time to think about the road, plan things and not be going flat out round corners they can't see round.
What you describe sounds to me like careless or dangerous driving, not speeding.
If a driver does not have time to observe everything that's going on and plan accordingly, or if they can't stop in the distance they can see is clear (etc.) then of course they need to slow down. The speed they need to slow down to is determined by how far they can see to be clear, and how much time they need to observe and plan. The speed they need to slow down to for those purposes has absolutely nothing to do with the speed limit. It might, by chance, coincide with the speed limit. It might be faster than the speed limit. It might be slower than the speed limit. If the driver encounters identical conditions at the same place tomorrow, the speed they will need to slow down to tomorrow will be the same as the speed they need to slow down to today, even if overnight somebody posts a different speed limit, or (hypothetically) takes the speed limit away completely.
If the driver slows down such that they can now stop in the distance they can see is clear (etc.) and they have time to observe and plan, but their speed is above the limit, then they have achieved all they need to make their driving safe. They will need to slow further, however, if they also want their driving to be legal.
waremark wrote:dombooth wrote:There is a speed limit on my way home that is ridiculous, it doesn't mean I break the law though.
Dom
No, I am sure that you drive at a safe speed, if lower than the speed limit. Many don't. I argue that more would if there was more focus on safe speed and less on the speed limit.
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