Safe Speed Forums

Has this always been in force on a national speed limit single carriagway?

My girlfriend is an LGV1 driver and was unaware of this fact, as are many of her colleagues.

She has recently received 2 speeding fines at 48 and 49 MPH from a camera placed in a national speed limit zone, just after a 50MPH zone. (not for revenue??)

She had made the assumption that the camera was faulty until the NIP's arrived.

So i would like to know has this always been the correct LGV speed limit for 'unrestricted' roads, or has it changed during the last 10 years or so.

Thanks for your help.

Welcome!

From what I can find, it was included in the Road Traffic Act 1984.

TBH, whilst I have every sympathy for your girlfriend, not knowing the limit is a pretty poor excuse.

Best of luck to her in whatever she decides to do though.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I'm not saying not knowing the limit is an excuse, but you ask anyone and 90% of them will say the limit is 50 on a 60 mph road.

Why do we not have signs stating the fact like the rest of the world?

My main beef is that the camera is sited specifically to catch lorries at a site where revenue will be high.

How many accidents will/have be caused by impatient drivers overtaking an LGV travelling at 20 mph less than they are??

The HGV 40 limit is a VERY contentious issue - you ask ANY truck driver and they believe that, as professional, they should be entrusted to decide for themselves what speed is safe.

I also don't doubt that the scamera is specifically placed to catch people who speed up before the end of the limit. There has been some discussion here about the legalities (ei lack of type aproval) for cameras with the ability to define between vehicle classes, so it's well worth doing some digging on the subject.

Maybe 90% of NONE HGV drives, but then impatience is the problem of the impatient, not everyone else. I would still disagree that 90% of HGV drivers don't know the limits. I live with one and I know a fair few and none of them have any doubt of the rules. Its stated quite clearly in the highway code for all to see.

Its sad to see cameras targetting HGVs TBH - most traffic police would turn a blind eye (unless the speed was dangerous). Its the way things are going though, unfortunately.

Just out of interest, what does her tacho say she was doing at the time?

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

When she was taking her lessons I will guarantee that her Instructor made her aware of the speed limits which were applicable to the class of vehicle she was driving. I have a class 1 LGV which I have had for many years and my class 3 as it was then was taken back in the late 70s early 80s and I was told about it then.
Stephen

She will be getting copy of them both to find out, just in case it shows a slightly lower speed.

She has returned the NIP's and is not disputing the fine at all, "it's a fair cop guv" it is just annoying.

Trouble is, those 6 points are going to seriously affect her career. I don't know if its the case where you are, but most hauliers round here won't touch someone with 6 or more points.


Trouble is, once she's signed and returned tne NIP its too late. Even if the charts do show a lower speed she's already admitted guilt.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

But is it a fair cop? They are enforcing a petty technical regulation. Are they observing all their technicallities in the process? Frequently they are not. Star lawyer, Nick Freeman won 50 speeding cases in a row by finding technical flaws in the prosecution cases. That indicates a high probability of error in any case.

Personally, I'd fight every case. And it's easier to fight number 1, rather than fight number 4 when your driving licence is on the line.

Lots of excellent assistance on http://www.pepipoo.com

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Yes, it has never been higher, and if you go back to the 50s or early 60s it was 30 mph, and before that 20 mph. I'm not sure when it was raised.


I'm not saying this law is reasonable, but I would have thought a professional driver should be expected to be familiar with it.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

agreed. she should be buying the highway code every time it is updated and familiarising herself with new rules/signs etc.

conversly, i dont agree with the 40 limit nor do i adhere to it. why? for safety reasons! (although this does abviously change according to conditions)

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

The only thing that has changed in the last 10 years is the way the law is enforced. When the roads were policed by experienced traffic officers you would have been unlikely to get pulled over for that speed providing you weren't driving dangerously. That changed with the "Speed Kills" nonsense and the advent of self funding camera partnerships.

Still no excuse for a professional driver to be unaware of the legal though...

On a single carriageway A Class NSL road, remember, there are 3 different speed limits, Cars, 60mph, Coaches 50 mph, HGVs over 7.5 ton 40 mph.
Is that not a recipe for disaster, yet somehow it isn't in the main.

The same goes for dual carriageways, Cars 70mph, Coaches 60mph, and HGVs over 7.5 ton 50mph.

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

The coaches figures also apply to goods vehicles under 7.5 tonnes.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

From what I can find, the limits have been in force since the 70s.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I remember seeing an old lorry from the 30s in a vintage transport fair, and there was a speed limit plate on it which said 'Maximum Speed 25 mph'. We have moved on since then, but not much !

I have to say I am a bit undecided on this one. Having been to Southern Ireland where the trucks seem to mostly go along at 60, I thought this was a bit too quick in quite a few places, but safe on many others where the 'National' single carriageway roads have been much improved. I felt quite safe on these roads, and there was very little lunatic overtaking because everyone was batting along at the same good pace.

Maybe there should be the ability on wide straight single carriageway roads for a higher truck limit, to be indicated with a special sign. Example that comes to mind is the A49, single carriageway for almost its entire length, but with many sections which would allow a higher speed for trucks.

Of course maybe the Irish trucks were all just breaking the law like here !!

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Good manners maketh a good motorist

Or perhaps we could say "STUFF THE EU" ,remove the limiters, and let our professionals get on with it - of course trafpols could suggest limits to trucks going mad ( OOPS - FORGOT WE AINT GOT ANY - )

Which is how it used to be pre-scamera

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

She would have been taught this when doing her lessons.

Welcome aboard RH!

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I've always found it ridiculous that lorries can travel faster when the speed limit is 'dropped' to than in