Am I the Only One

[sophie_1003]

Who drives at or below the speed limit? Just from reading JoggerJaynes post below, the debate about increasing the speed limit and the amount of people I've met who seem to get annoyed about speed cameras; it seems like I'm the only one who doesn't speed. SO is it just me or is there abyone else out there who will admit to sticking to the limit?

[Prudie]

I stick to the limit in 30, 40 and 50 zones but not on derestricted roads or motorways, don't know why.

[Mosaic]

I'm like Prudie - in towns I keep to the speed limits. 30+ years driving and no tickets. On motorways I make sure I am never the fastest, but regularly exceed 70 mph. I figure that the chaces of a child dashing out are few. Although I have encountered kids crossing the M61 in manchester.

[Andyvon]

No Sophie - I don't either. I got two speeding tickets (6 points) in 1986 and I haven't consciously broken a speed limit since then. I used to own a chauffeur and courier company and most of my drivers and I drove over 100,000 miles a year each. The only way to drive a ten hour trips (say Milton Keynes to Banff) was by cruising steadily all the way. If we had driven those distances at 80mph or more, not only would we have been shattered, but we would probably also be dead! If you are driving 2,500 miles a week it won't take long to lose your licence by breaking speed limits. Those people who do break speed limits generally tend to be those who only drive to and from work, or out and about at weekends. If they were driving all the time they'd soon be off the road.

[jno]

I do my best. I don't think I always succeed - I don't have cruise control and you can't be watching your speedometer all the time. But I haven't had a speeding ticket since 1970 or thereabouts.

[sophie_1003]

Ah good to know I'm not alone! I had the discussion with a friend who believes the speed limit is there to be broken; I asked if she were going too fast, crashed into another car, for example that had pulled out of a junction believing the road to be clear only for her to appear out of nowhere doing 100mph (as she said she does often down a 60mph road) and the driver then died would she not feel bad? Her response was that in that situation they shouldn't have pulled out of the junction without looking properly.

[Mosaic]

nah, you don't want that stuff affecting your karma. Set off in time and if here's traffic, worse happens.

[Ellipsis]

I'm like the first two ...

I always stick to the speed limit, and often well below, in built-up areas.

When conditions permit I'll happily go faster on a motorway. i.e. little traffic, good road and weather conditions, good visibility, good car, alert driver. To deny people the right to legally drive faster when there's no good reason not to is an infringement of our civil liberties IMO ...

[Andyvon]

I'm impressed that all these people can obviously afford to drive like that Sophie. It costs a lot of money to drive fast. If you cruise at 56mph the fuel gauge barely moves, yet drive at 80 and it drops like a stone! Then it's those very people who complain about the cost of fuel everytime they fill up!

If I return to my analogy of going to Banff and back. That was a 20 hour trip and I used three full tanks of fuel if I kept at 60-65 mph all the way. On the odd occasion where I did keep my foot down I used four tanks of fuel (£50 then!) - and the round trip still took about 20 hours! When we did our usual contract for 14 drops around Scotland that took 36 hours there and back. If I cruised all the time I used five tanks of fuel, if I drove hard I used seven tanks! - and the taxman paid most of that! All these people who thrash along at 80 or 90mph are usually paying all that extra fuel out their own pocket! I just think they are either potty or they must have much more money than me!

[sophie_1003]

Especially road karma mosaic; I always find that if I'm calm and let people out of junctions; give way when I don't really need to etc then later in the same journey people do the same for me. Or maybe it's just coincidence!

I stick to the limit on whatever road I am on; I hardly ever drive on motorways but when I have I've always done at or just below 70 (mainly because my old car used to feel like it would fall apart at any minute if it was going over 60!) I would maybe go a bit faster if I were more experienced but I doubt it; 70mph is fast enough for anyone surely?

Yep Andy, I also like the economical benefits (also why I'm only filling up to half way on my fuel guage at the minute- less weight!)

[Mosaic]

Hi Andy, Maybe it's that I don't thrash it but accelerate / decellerate gently - maybe its the diesel beast I drive on motorway journeys - but I seem to get excellent value driving as I do.
I'm blessed in living in an area where motorways are less congested so journey times are more predictable.
But hey, Youz the expert.

[Andyvon]

I wouldn't say an expert Mosaic, but I had many years of motorway driving experience. I know modern vehicles are more efficient than older ones but it still costs considerably more to drive fast than it does to cruise. That's why the motor manufacturers always give their fuel figures for about 56 mph. I also found that speed has little effect on time over a set distance, even on long journeys. The short time saved on any trip by driving hard certainly wasn't worth the extra tank of fuel.

[ladyalex]

I have to admit that I drive at or below the speed limit too.

It does seem to annoy some other drivers, but I try to ignore them.
Cannot see the point in rushing and as my MIL used to say..better 5 minutes late in this world than 5 minutes early in the next.

[welshlibranr]

sophie, I always stick to the limit, well almost, do sometimes forget and creep up a bit, not often, I don't want points on my licence or a fine either!..........

[sophie_1003]

Very true ladyalex, wise words! If people are appearing to be annoyed at me going slower than they want; usually demonstrated by driving as close to me as possible; I drop down in speed to as much as ten miles below the speed limit until they back off then resume normal speed; can't be doing with the possibility of having someone go into the back of my car again!
I do occassionally creep over but is always by pure accident and always adjust accordingly when I realise.

[ladybirder]

Going over 30 in a 30mph limit is a big No No as far as I'm concerned and people that break that limit deserve everything they get. There are pedestrians about and it's more dangerous than exceeding the limit on the motorway IMO.

[sophie_1003]

It is definitely people who go over 30 in 30 zones that annoy me the most ladybirder but I still can't understand the need to do ridiculous speeds on motorways. Maybe I'm just too slow-paced in general!

[denis567]

I always stick to 70 on the motorways because my car has a third brake - it is called WIFE

[paddywak]

Up to the time I had my stoke in 2001, I often drove well in excess of the speed limits, but after a year when I finally got back behind the wheel I knew that though I was OK to drive my reflexes weren't what they were so now I tend to drive to the limits though I must admit to the occasional lapse.

[sophie_1003]

Lol denis; I'm usually pressing the imaginary brake on just normal roads when I'm in my boyfriend's car; he seems to fly round corners at terrifying speeds!

[boxtops]

I rarely break the speed limit but I don't drive on motorways. Your friend's suggestion that people should look before pulling out is highly scary - on our local roads people speed, you can't assume they are travelling at a certain speed and you can't tell at a distance how quickly they will get to you. I find this far more difficult in the dark with headlights approaching. 100mph in 60 zones is just stupid.