Who else drives fast?

[Obvious]

I do a ton & upwards on the A5 every day - big deal.

[jenniferxx]

I do a ton & upwards on the A5 every day - big deal.

It will be a big deal when you kill someone, or yourself.

Sadly it is always the bad drivers who survive accidents.

[Exodus]

Cause half the time the "bad drivers" as you put it are the ones who know what their doing, and they aren't going under the limit, switching lanes without signals, weaving in the lane, slamming on their brakes at yellow lights, etc. How many "upright" senior citizens do you see that drive horrible? Women, teenagers, etc? Just cause a few people here admit to speeding, doesn't mean we don't know what we're doing. I know how to control my car and the speed I'm going, and thats what matters. A tip for driving . . . Worry about your own driving, and not what soemone else is doing.

[joel]

Might i say that just because some people drive fast does not necessarily mean they are unsafe drivers, it all depends on the circumstances, ie: what time of day it is, where they are driving, most modern day cars are built well enough to do above average speeds, 70 does seem slow if u are doing an 8 hour round trip to derby!!!!, people should have to take advanced driving lessons to be able to do higher speed, implicating this however would be a complete kerfuffle!!! speeding in built up areas might i add is completely un-necessary, lives are at stake, u wouldnt like it to be you OR a loved one so common sense needs to be applied, something unfortunatly most people seem to lack these days, also the comment from our friend whom boasts about and i quote "doing a ton and upwards on the A5" is exactly the king of arrogance that gets people killed, as quoted "BIG DEAL" well my friend IT IS....ps jen is gorgeous. (irrelevant but needed to be said none the less!!!!)

[Moto Head]

Context and judgment is all important. Doing 20 to 30mph over the limit in a built up area is plain stupid even if you have the skills to manage the performance limits of your vehicle - blind corners, hidden driveways etc limit the opportunity to see a risk emerging. Even though the speeds are set for the lowest common denominator (i.e. minimum automotive standard for a vehicle + very average driver with little interest in the driving experience and just adequate senses) even a race driver in a performance car would have difficulty responding to each risk that might be realised when using excessive speed in a built up areas.

But to suggest that in all circumstances driving fast is irresponsible or dangerous is not correct. For example, driving the 407 in Ontario Canada at the speed limit will put you at greater risk than matching the 20-30kmp over the limit that everybody does, including the cops. Simply, you become an obstacle in a stream of traffic, this is something you learn very quickly on the race track. Interestingly, the Canadian police will usually book you when you go over 130kph on their freeways – this is considered to be a speed at which the average driver in the a basic vehicle is running out of skill and response time to manage safely in a stream of traffic going in the one direction.

It is also a matter of judgment more than observing fixed rules. In fact some countries recognise this by having open limits on some of the their roads. Usually this is on motorways, but in Australia's Northern Territory you can go as fast as you want on country roads as long as it is judged to be safe. Interestingly, the Northern Territory does not have as big a road toll problem as its more populated states in the South East which also have more stringently enforced and lower speed limits. Simply, in more populated areas the authorities find it an easier and more efficient means of risk management to constrain the range of driving judgments people need to make.

Driving fast does not necessarily mean speeding either. An well skilled and alert driver will respond to things long before they are upon them, which means they maintain a greater driving efficiency. Also, fast and controlled corner entries and exits are quite legal and is not thought to represent a high risk by those who set the road rules where there is good viability, a good handling vehicle and well structured roads it. This is why many corners have "advisory" speeds rather than speed limits.

End of chapter 1.....

[Guest]

Thats all well and good but the chav boys and school run mums who I see speeding know jack S*** about skilled driving, they just think driving like a knobber is cool.

[Moto Head]

Thats all well and good but the chav boys and school run mums who I see speeding know jack S*** about skilled driving, they just think driving like a knobber is cool.

Yep, its a sad thing that they are on the road. Whether or not you're over or under the speed limit, driving outside of your capabilities puts your IQ around your shoe size and everybody else at risk.

Speed camera haven't helped either. I see enough chav boys slamming on then anchors to avoid a camera then hitting the throttle and weaving through traffic once they are past it. They don't give a sh-it about what others have to do to avoid the potential accidents they cause. They just trade on everybody else's good judgment.

[curlypaul]

C'mon, we all drove that at some point didin't we? I've pulled my fair share of stupid stunts and I think that driving like that for a while taught me how to control the car properly.
The DVLA want you to drive in a manner when you will never be in an emergancy situation or lose control of the car but that is never going to relistically happen. Not that this condones deliberately taking thoughless risks which obviuosly endanger anybody around them but I did learn a hellovalot about skid control and hazard perception.

[thegreenbastard]

Today I drove about 50mph in a 25mph area and about 80 in a 35 mph twice. I know it's illeagal, but am I the only person who likes to do this from time to time?

Tossers like you shouldn't be driving. Other people have to drive on those roads as well and children have to cross them.

[curlypaul]

I'm not sure if there are any 25 or 35 limits anywhere in the UK so I think he may be lying, but I'd rather people drive a bit fast and be aware of the road around them - unlike the sunday drivers who drive at a constant 20 and chop and change lane as if no one ever drove behind them or anything

[Guest]

I'm not sure if there are any 25 or 35 limits anywhere in the UK so I think he may be lying, but I'd rather people drive a bit fast and be aware of the road around them - unlike the sunday drivers who drive at a constant 20 and chop and change lane as if no one ever drove behind them or anything

+1

[Sam_oz]

i dont really think speed is the problem - road awareness and erratic behavior is...

i gotta admit, when i had my last car (a smal gutless hatch which handled beautifully) i used to throw it into corners and generally thrash the car - i now drive a large 6 cyl family car, which has the grunt but cant handle corners...

i dont know about the UK, but in sydney, the main things that piss me off are people driving like theyre the only people on the road, cutting other people off, jumping from lane to lane get a few car lengths in front, following the car in front of them with less than 5 metres between the two cars, or coming speeding up behind the car in front then jumping hard on the brakes... the main problem with driving like this is that it depends on the other driver not being an idiot and being predictable and continuing to do what they were doing previously... as soon as someone has to jump on the brakes suddently for whatever reason, youve suddenly got a multple car pileup

the other one that gives me the shits is people doing 100km/h plus in back streets, as soon as a kid crosses the road at the wrong time, youve got an instant fatality...

driving a little over the speed limit aint the problem, its general awareness... my simple rule of thumb (and it hasnt failed me yet, as ive never been the cause of an accident) is never trust any other driver on the road, and never trust the road itself

[Oz1]

i dont really think speed is the problem - road awareness and erratic behavior is...

i gotta admit, when i had my last car (a smal gutless hatch which handled beautifully) i used to throw it into corners and generally thrash the car - i now drive a large 6 cyl family car, which has the grunt but cant handle corners...

i dont know about the UK, but in sydney, the main things that piss me off are people driving like theyre the only people on the road, cutting other people off, jumping from lane to lane get a few car lengths in front, following the car in front of them with less than 5 metres between the two cars, or coming speeding up behind the car in front then jumping hard on the brakes... the main problem with driving like this is that it depends on the other driver not being an idiot and being predictable and continuing to do what they were doing previously... as soon as someone has to jump on the brakes suddently for whatever reason, youve suddenly got a multple car pileup

the other one that gives me the shits is people doing 100km/h plus in back streets, as soon as a kid crosses the road at the wrong time, youve got an instant fatality...

driving a little over the speed limit aint the problem, its general awareness... my simple rule of thumb (and it hasnt failed me yet, as ive never been the cause of an accident) is never trust any other driver on the road, and never trust the road itself

+1 skill+awarness+consideration = low risk driver

Hi Sam,

its off the topic, but........ if its the Falcon you are driving I'd recommend lowering the suspension with shorter more progressive coils than the factory offering; up grade the shocks; and use harder bushes and possibly a thicker sway bar (i.e. take a leaf out of Tickford or FPV's book). Add some low profiles to this and you're running sweet. Its not that expensive to do and the car will actually corner well with a dramatic improvement in safety all round. With the new Falcon XR6T (which I currently drive) there's little need to change the factory setup for good cornering unless you're a real gasoline cow boy, I hear the same said by the motoring press about the latest Holden SSV.
Cheers
Oz

[Sam_oz]

yeah id love to - an LSD would be brilliant as well, but it really is out of my budget for the time being... at the moment with the child seat in the back im driving like a snail anyway so any mods i did wouldnt be worth the money at this point

[cherryred]

I drive WAY faster than necessary. There's nothing like a good adrenaline rush though!