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 Post subject: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 17:15 
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Does anyone else think that the law on hgv's being restricted to 40mph on single carriageways needs an urgent change?
I feel that when an hgv sticks faithfully to the limit on certain busy roads like the a9 perth-inverness road it either acts as a rolling road block or forces cars and vans etc to overtake through frustration and taking dangerous chances just to get past.
50mph is perfectly safe on our A-roads today and the police did'nt seem to mind as the traffic flow was kept at a good pace but i know a few drivers who have had 3 points after being caught by the cameravans for going over 40mph which seems quite harsh.


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 20:26 
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i ahve had 3 points for that. 2am, straight road, single carriageway, flashed at 56 Mph. its a stupid and completely irrelevant speed limit by modern standards :x

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 20:35 
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tefal1 wrote:
Does anyone else think that the law on hgv's being restricted to 40mph on single carriageways needs an urgent change?
I feel that when an hgv sticks faithfully to the limit on certain busy roads like the a9 perth-inverness road it either acts as a rolling road block or forces cars and vans etc to overtake through frustration and taking dangerous chances just to get past.
50mph is perfectly safe on our A-roads today and the police did'nt seem to mind as the traffic flow was kept at a good pace but i know a few drivers who have had 3 points after being caught by the cameravans for going over 40mph which seems quite harsh.


It has been known for years that frustration causes poor judgement and risk taking, what better way to frustrate drivers than when on a road where its difficult , dangerous or impossible to pass safely and a 60mph national limit...Stick a bunch of trucks out there limited to 40mph.

You just have to question the mentality of those who make the rules sometimes.
Boring 40mph on open roads sends drivers to sleep.
Sticking to 40 guarantees some frustrated tit will pass causing others to take evasive action or drag you into their crash.
Tailbacks caused by this sort of thing leads to congestion when it all gathers in a clump at the next town


I could go on, but there is no evidence that trucking on open roads at speeds around 50mph leads to any more or less crashes, i always travelled at that speed simply because it caused less FEAR of what the next tit will do also travelling at that speed tailbacks did not occur and traffic seemed more content to travel at 50 til a clear oportunity to pass came along, but there is a long line of crashes caused by the frustrations surrounding speeds that are simply too slow. The A9 A15 A46 Im sure you lads could list loads and loads.

In answer...Ive always known its needed looking at but then they probably wouldnt raise much cash from the truckers would they? :lol:


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 08:00 
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. Professional drivers should be trusted to use their own judgement in setting appropriate speeds.

(Of course I'm excluding tipper drivers in the above statement... :twisted: :D )

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 13:52 
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I am taking my HGV test this week and have had to obviously stick to the laid down speed limits for trucks and it is true, 40 mph on open national speed limit roads does send drivers to sleep! It also induces a sense of false security as the speed is so monotonous and it is not often, if at all, the truck needs to slow down for bends, etc, so it becomes hypnotic. Travelling at 50 mph makes a lot of difference and keeps the driver more alert.

I have been amazed at the tailbacks I have collected too and actually feel quite embarrassed about it! Then I have to remind myself that it is not my fault that some stupid idiot who has probably never driven a truck or anything like it, decides they need to driver slower than any other vehicle on the road!

Of course, trucks are also legally limited to 50 on dual carriageways where national speed limit is in force and 60 on motorways!

My instructor has said there is hardly a trucker in the land that will drive at 40 mph on national speed limit, single carriageway roads, mainly because it causes too much danger for other road users. It used to be, apparently, that the police did not enforce this crazy idea either as they could see how dangerous it was. Nowadays though, speed cameras can be set up to check the speed of different vehicles, so whereas a car could pass doing 60 mph and not get 'flashed', an HGV would get caught! Bloody sneeky I think and yet another con to get money out of innocent motorists!

I cannot see any justification for there being more than one speed limit on a stretch of road - it is just pure lunacy!

Most car drivers can appreciate that lorries do take a bit more handling than cars and that it is quite likely that on a single carriageway road a lorry will travel, at least in places, slower than cars do, but that is generally acceptable. What most car drivers are unaware of is that lorries are not supposed to exceed 40 mph on these roads and that just adds to the frustration and to the danger. Why should this stupid law be kept a secret from everyone else on the road? A better understanding by everyone as to why the lorry is driving so slowly, just might help to prevent some of the frustration.


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 18:54 
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kept a secret? last time i looked at the highway code it was right there in a diagram clear as day. car drivers pay no attention to speed limits of 'other motorists' though do they? :roll:

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 21:55 
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lynladd wrote:
My instructor has said there is hardly a trucker in the land that will drive at 40 mph on national speed limit, single carriageway roads, mainly because it causes too much danger for other road users. It used to be, apparently, that the police did not enforce this crazy idea either as they could see how dangerous it was. Nowadays though, speed cameras can be set up to check the speed of different vehicles, so whereas a car could pass doing 60 mph and not get 'flashed', an HGV would get caught! Bloody sneeky I think and yet another con to get money out of innocent motorists!


Whilst i agree with everything your instructor says he is maybe a bit out of touch. Unfortunatly a lot of truckers are now sticking to the 40mph speed limit on single carriageway roads. Whats worse is because they are sitting on the cruise control at 40mph, no power and slug up hills at 30mph, so ends up massive tailbacks.

Police enforcement to me anyways always depended on the road and the police force. As someone just passing your test i'd be keeping to the 40mph until you know the score with certain roads. Some forces will enforce it and enforce it strictly, just passing your test and getting caught speeding wouldn't be very good, police maybe pass it on to the traffic commisionar, who may take a really dim view of it.

Before you think i am pro the 40mph and stick to it, all i'll say is i drive for a Northern Irish company and have to use 100 miles of single carriageway A75. So you can decide if i stick to the 40mph limit or not.

The 40mph speed limit is out of date, back to days pre-ABS and good brakes. Also goes back to days where longer distance single carriageway roads like the A9, A75, A1 to name a few where a lot more dangerous, there has been numerous improvements to a lot of these routes. The improvement in trucks and on certain roads has made the 40mph speed limit very dated.

It was discussed in parliment, the issue of increasing the speed limit for HGV's to 40mph on single carriageway roads, supposedly Tesco were pushing for an increase in the speed limit. The MP's discussing it admited modern trucks would be safe at 50mph but refused any increase on the grounds what about older trucks, company using older trucks would then be dangerous. This was a complete cop out, because of the massive amount of miles covered trucks get old very quickly. Majority of trucks on the road these days are going to prob be from this century, somthing like a V reg from the 1990's would be considered really old. ABS and power steering has been mandatory since about the early 1990's prob very rare for HGV's that old to be on the road.

Supposedly on the A75, most of the accidents with trucks going off the road etc... they find that the truck was keeping to the legal 40mph limit and sitting on the cruise control, with little stimulation drivers loose concentration and end up off the road.


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 22:39 
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we should start a petition to try and change the law then eh!


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 07:45 
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It won't happen. Speed kills, remember? :x

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 18:41 
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Sixy_the_red wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Professional drivers should be trusted to use their own judgement in setting appropriate speeds.

(Of course I'm excluding tipper drivers in the above statement... :twisted: :D )


Sixy, you think tipper drivers are bad, I'll raise you skip lorry and bin lorry drivers :evil:


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:21 
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adam.L wrote:
Sixy_the_red wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Professional drivers should be trusted to use their own judgement in setting appropriate speeds.

(Of course I'm excluding tipper drivers in the above statement... :twisted: :D )


Sixy, you think tipper drivers are bad, I'll raise you skip lorry and bin lorry drivers :evil:


Ahh you havent been to Asia then :lol:


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:31 
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tefal1 wrote:
we should start a petition to try and change the law then eh!

You are under the illusion that we are living in a democracy. Only Zimbabwe has to have a fair election. :lol:

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:52 
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anton wrote:
tefal1 wrote:
we should start a petition to try and change the law then eh!

You are under the illusion that we are living in a democracy. Only Zimbabwe has to have a fair election. :lol:


Where is Democracy, does it have clean beaches ? :D


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 14:54 
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Quote:
Scanny77 - kept a secret? last time i looked at the highway code it was right there in a diagram clear as day. car drivers pay no attention to speed limits of 'other motorists' though do they?


Maybe it does advise drivers nowadays of the speed limit of other road users, but it didn't 30 years ago and I am sure that I am not the only one who does not regularly buy a copy of the Highway Code to read!

Kenny 1975 - thanks for your information. The good news is that I managed to pass my test on Saturday! I understand what you say about the advancement in vehicles, the same applies to cars, yet ancient speed limits are still enforced. I find that driving a car, a 30mph limit can be very hard to stick to without constantly checking the speedo because cars are just not designed to drive comfortably at this speed. If driving on a housing estate for example, with all the hazards that includes, then invariably you find that you are only driving at around 25mph, quite comfortably as that is the speed the conditions warrant. Other, more open roads, it is much harder and because today we are much more concerned about being 'done' for speeding, fines and the points on licence, we need to be sure so watch the speedo instead of what is going on around us - ergo, it is far more likely that you will hit someone who steps out infront of you as you were not aware they were there! It really annoys me so much, especially the fact that everyone else's safety is being made the responsibility of drivers! It is about time we had some proper, enforceable rules and regulations for all other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists! These other groups need to take responsibility for themselves and adults need to take responsibility for children in their care! The number of times you drive down a busy road and there is an adult, holding a child's hand and the child is next to the traffic! There is also this thing, it seems, where parents pull up at the side of a busy road to offload children from the car and they all seem to get out into the road instead of onto the pavement! It drives me crazy!

Well, off the point a bit, but it all has a bearing, I think, on speed and speed limits in general.

Our town seems to think that if they put a mandatory 20mph through the town then it will stop HGV's coming through! As I have tried to point out to them, it is rare that you can travel at more than 20mph through the town anyway and HGV's still use it and will continue to do so unless they are prevented by weight, height or width - so long as it is their shortest route and route of least resistence!

I sincerely hope that Tesco continue to push the government into rethinking this crazy idea of 2 different speed limits on single carriageway roads, as it seems to me that this sort of thing, like cars that seem to travel everywhere at 35 to 45 mph, regardless of speed limit, is what causes more accidents due to other road users getting totally frustrated!


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 09:00 
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lynladd wrote:
like cars that seem to travel everywhere at 35 to 45 mph, regardless of speed limit, is what causes more accidents due to other road users getting totally frustrated!


i agree. nissan micras should be banned

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:15 
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I have to say I have driven a modern Nissan Micra and was very pleasantly surprised as to how nippy and quick it was. It is the same with many things - Driver Removed, Fault Cured!


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 23:48 
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scanny77 wrote:
lynladd wrote:
like cars that seem to travel everywhere at 35 to 45 mph, regardless of speed limit, is what causes more accidents due to other road users getting totally frustrated!


i agree. nissan micras should be banned


Quote:

Hey I had one for a week on holiday in Ireland, I dont think it had ever been so fast though :lol: but it wasnt a bad motor, it just looked like it was :D
My biggest hate and annoyance are the perpetual 35 to 45 open road drivers who get to a built up area 30 limit and carry on at `45 mph......BOY do they annoy me, if they dont feel competent at the permitted open road speeds 60 and 70 (when safe) what the hell goes through their minds that makes them feel capable of exceeding limits in a built up area where all the serious hazards are and where the majority of deaths occur each year? People like this make me favour forced roadside enemas.


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 00:00 
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i quite agree that the problem lies with the driver. that particular type of car does seem to attract far more of these people than any other car though. there is a good chance that if you somehow wind up behind a micra, frustration will soon catch you up

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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 07:34 
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I have only been driving class 1for 3yrs and our company has timed each of our runs so we have to stick to ALL :cry: the limits.
Try going over the A66 doing 40mph (it's a laugh). I was nearly wiped out by another truck who overtook me and had the cheek to blast the airhorns at me, as if I was in the wrong... I agree with the other comments increase the limits so everyone is on a level playing field, but not everyone knows we are only allowed to do these speeds.

So for now why can't the government tell car drivers our speeds... afterall we now have the speed kills at 30 but not 20 Slow down, and ride your bike safely campaigns.


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 Post subject: Re: 40mph speed limit.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 18:12 
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welcome to the site fella. i know your neck of the woods. or at least the 2 iceland shops there :D

there may be hope in the future. i am in the process of leaving trucking for a political career although it does hang on the election in june. :o

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