I love breaking the speed limit

[GG.]

My battery range drops dramatically if I go above the national speed limit, so I tend not to do it any more.

Evo - for the love of re-charging.

[mr_jon]

I am so evo it hurts (my electricity bill).

[GG.]

Sounds shocking.

[JLv3.0]

Weren't the speed limits set many moons ago for fuel saving reasons rather than a specific safety based speed?

I always remember the temporary 70 mph limit being set after AC were caught testing a Cobra or something at 180 mph on the M1. I hope I haven't got this wrong as I kind of like the story. I'm also not going to Google it as I've realised people don't consider substantiation to be important these days

[Mito Man]

I think a lot of the smart motorway speed limits are actually for reducing air pollution during peak times.

[integrale_evo]

Aren't they for maintaining a constant flow instead of the awful charge to 80, slam on the brakes in a queue, charge to 80 cycle that the m25 always used to be as traffic bunched around junctions as people don't have the ability to look ahead?

And yes, if the traffic does keep moving at a nice constant 40 or 50 mph then it does have the byproduct of reducing emissions compared to constant stop / start driving.

Motorways are rubbish now, a nice Sunday morning cruise and sat at 85-90 you'd be just about keeping up with the traffic. Most of the time now you can sit at 75 and be pretty much the quickest thing on the road.

[NotoriousREV]

Aren't they for maintaining a constant flow instead of the awful charge to 80, slam on the brakes in a queue, charge to 80 cycle that the m25 always used to be as traffic bunched around junctions as people don't have the ability to look ahead?

And yes, if the traffic does keep moving at a nice constant 40 or 50 mph then it does have the byproduct of reducing emissions compared to constant stop / start driving.

Motorways are rubbish now, a nice Sunday morning cruise and sat at 85-90 you'd be just about keeping up with the traffic. Most of the time now you can sit at 75 and be pretty much the quickest thing on the road.

Yep, and the number one complaint about them is “they slowed us down and there was nothing there!”

[Mito Man]

I’m not sure they work in reality as the theory is you fit more cars in a section of road if they’re going slower as there’s a smaller gap between them - except with the limits off everyone is going round the M25 at 70-80 pretty much tailgating each other in a NASCAR style already so it’s not like you can fit more cars in.
When the limits turn on its also stupid as the 20 mile stretch of M25 I use only has 3 cameras which most people know about so it’s a drag race from 50 - 90 - 50 at each camera. I prefer the 50 mph average speed cameras they install for roadworks in that regard as it’s much safer with everyone going the same speed.

[duncs500]

I really can't be bothered with speeding on motorways these days. Occasionally when I'm not watching my speed it creeps up into the 80s as that seems to be the natural cruising speed in 6th in the Ford. However, as has been said, going faster than 70-75mph usually seems like an exercise in frustration getting stuck behind outside lane dawdlers.

I'm not commuting by car lately though, so most journeys are pretty leisurely as they are at the weekend.

The only places worth speeding are twisty NSLs where it's actually fun.

[Barry]

I tend to apply the 10% rule to speed limits, up to NSL, and then I apply common sense and ride/drive according to conditions and mood. Similarly to Jon, if I cruise above 80mph in the Civic fuel consumption goes through the roof so I tend not to bother with that, and often find myself sitting at indicated 75 so I don't have to worry about cameras/Traff Pol anyway.

[Orange Cola]

But sometimes I drive well under it too. It's almost like I have the ability to judge the correct speed for a given situation.

Speed limits, by their nature, are set for the minimum standard. Apparently, this means it's safe for a 17 year old, fresh from the test centre having just about scraped a pass, in a Vauxhall Viva with drum brakes, and on crossply tyres that are on the legal minimum tread, in the rain, at night to do 70 mph on the motorway, but it's unsafe for an advanced driver with years of experience, in a modern car with all of it's safety and driver aids, on good tyres to do 71mph in broad daylight.

Discuss.

I like to think that in a parallel universe people posses an actual brain cell each. As such the standard driver training they offer is akin to our advanced driver training courses in the UK, the ROSPA type rather than the IAM(a-complete-cunt-who-thinks-they’re-above-you). In this magical world people have the skills to drive to the conditions and the standard of vehicle. Those in less capable vehicles have no issue with pulling over and occasionally letting past those in more capable vehicles should there be no over taking spots.

The car you own isn’t a reflection of your ego, but more your taste, like the mates down the pub where some drink Guinness, some drink larger and there’s always that one who still drinks the baby sham but is a great laugh.

Instead though we’ve got this shower of shit

If it’s any consolation then policeman who taught me my advanced driving was from the parallel universe way of thinking and was very open that speed limits are meaningless without context.

[GG.]

For some people choice of car is most definitely a reflection of their ego and that informs their ‘taste’ .

The average G-Wagen owner would be a good example of this.

Realistically ego and taste are nowhere so inextricably linked as in cars as they’re a visual and portable example of who you are or more pertinently, who you think you are. Fashion and clothing is the only direct comparable in that regard. Houses are a close third but no one sees you when you’re in it.

[Swervin_Mervin]

85 cruise on mway. Highly unlikely to get you in bother. If it overreads by 10% (which many do one) then that's about 77 which is within 10%. Done that past mway plod without issue a few times