Spain reduces speed limit

[sirwiggum]

Read that spain reduced their speed limit by 10 km/h.

What is the point?

Surely it is up to the motorist?

There are a lot feeling the pinch that are doing 60mph on the motorway as is.

But, if you are in a hurry and are willing to burn the extra fuel and the costs it entails, you should still be allowed to do 70.

What is the point of the government legislating for you?

At most they should run a series of ad campaigns educating people that cut speed = lower fuel usage.

I find though that with the autobox, it cruises at 70mph about 1500rpm, but 60 is usually nearer 2500 rpm in the lower gear. Surely I'm better going 70?

[steve_earwig]

They'll end up like Croatia, where some of the speed limits are so stupidly low everyone ignores them, including the police

[rwb]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12664047

We'll have a 100mpg car before long

We could do 60mpg ten years ago in a family saloon, so its about bloody time.

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[rwb]

And don't get me started on maliciously timed traffic lights

[FarmerPug]

2 lorries on a motorway overtaking eachother, if i had a cb and could speak to them it wouldnt be complimentary the things id shout at them.
What is the point in one machine overtaking another machine that has the identical top speed as the other 56mph. Its usually a volvo overtakes a scania or vice versa the other lorry driver doesnt like this and floors it, both do 56 mph and what happens is 2 lorries sit side by side until something happens which usually takes a long time.
By the way this is on the M1 motorway in Northern Ireland a 2 lane motorway so no cars can pass. I believe in england you have fancy 3 lane motorways.

[Bailes1992]

Most of the motorways are 3 lane, towards the end of the M4 (West Wales) it drops back to 2 lanes. As do most non major motorways. I was bombing it down the M50 the other night and didn't see one other person on it... Was lovely!
Although once when I was going up it I needed a pee... so I pulled off at the next junction... wandered onto a caravan site... had a pee... then got chased by 2 dogs to my car
Personally I think we should drop motorway speed limits, or at least after a certain time! I feel like a tit on an empty motorway sat at 70! But my speed NEVER fluctuates from 70-120mph though... ever

[steve_earwig]

I guess you mean drop as in not have any, rather than drop as in lower The problem is you'll get some rich twat in a Porch pushing his rev limiter and ploughing into Mr Economy 'cos he was moving too fast to see him. Although I would agree to raise them between the hours of, say, 2 am and 5 am.

Speaking of feeling a tit, there's all those times when I was on nights I wasted sitting at a set of lights at 4 am and not seeing anyone else on the road all the time I was waiting but not able to just cross them because of the stupid Gatso on the lights. The ones on my way home on the A10 were ok though, just turn left through the slip road, do a U-turn and turn left again.

[Bailes1992]

Bloody cross roads by me and they don't turn green until you have come to complete stop and put your handbrake up. Flipping nuicence!

[FarmerPug]

the motorways couldnt have a lower speed limit people would fall asleep at the wheel.
But excessive speeders are a problem also usually german cars, doing 100mph all the time.

[NollingtonHards]

Im pretty sure that spain reduced the speed limit as their main supply of oil comes from libya. Its mad that libya only produces 2% (correct me if wrong, read it in the paper) of world oil and its having such a knock on effect for not only spain but oil prices in general.

Im glad my car can run on veggie oil ha

[Bailes1992]

the motorways couldnt have a lower speed limit people would fall asleep at the wheel.
But excessive speeders are a problem also usually german cars, doing 100mph all the time.

Personally I see nothing wrong with speed on an empty motorway. And moden cars are so refined you have no idea what speed your doing.
You have to be on your toes in the Volvo or use CC because if your nto carefull you will pull into tripple figures. 90mph feels like 40! It's abit silly to be honest.
Probably not helped by the massively long gearing! 140mph at 4000rpm anyone?

[sirwiggum]

My point was though, for example if the UK motorway speed limits were reduced to 60mph, I would still like the option, as it is *me* who is paying for the fuel, even at £2 a litre, if I needed to get to a hospital quickly for example, to do 70mph.