Despite warnings from several road safety organisations that raising the limit from 40 to 50mph was basically unleashing the demons of speeding hell on the general public
theguardian.com/world/2015/ … criticised
a report out says that an increase in the limit for HGVs coincided with a dramatic drop in accidents. Collisions down as much as 36%.
Obvious to anyone at the coal face. The lower the speed of the truck, the more chances the car drivers take
If the roads are safer after the speed limit changes, then the benefit is not due to higher speeds for lorries but less of a speed difference between lorries and other vehicles, a better way forward could have been to reduce speeds for other vehicles.
However free flow speeds have not increased since the speed limit for lorries was increased, free flow speeds on NSL single carriageway fell from 45mph to 44mph.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article … efore.html
gov.uk/government/uploads/s … n-2015.pdf (page 10)
although personally I feel speeds have went up, I spend more time than I would like on the A68; North of the border (where the speed limit is still 40) trucks sit in the high 40s like they always have done, south of the border (with the new 50 limit) they’re on the limiter. For me trucks are definitely being driven faster in England
Bluey Circles:
a better way forward could have been to reduce speeds for other vehicles.
I have noticed (especially in my local area) that a lot of national speed limits on single carriageway have been reduced to 50mph. My personal opinion of this is as Bluey suggested…same speed less/fewer problems. You will ALWAYS get those that travel at whatever speed they fancy at the time and that will never change.
Cars should have a minimum on motorways.
red7jase:
Cars should have a minimum on motorways.
They have. It’s 30mph. Whether that’s dangerous or not is a different discussion
It don’t matter what speed a truck does idiots will still try and overtake it.
My last job seem me using a roads and even at top speed at 3-4am I’d still get the odd idiot who’d overtake me.
Now I don’t mind being overtaken but they’d do it on a ■■■■■■■ bend.
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JaxDemon:
It don’t matter what speed a truck does idiots will still try and overtake it.
My last job seem me using a roads and even at top speed at 3-4am I’d still get the odd idiot who’d overtake me.Now I don’t mind being overtaken but they’d do it on a [zb] bend.
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And the car drivers ain’t much better!! 
JaxDemon:
It don’t matter what speed a truck does idiots will still try and overtake it.
My last job seem me using a roads and even at top speed at 3-4am I’d still get the odd idiot who’d overtake me.Now I don’t mind being overtaken but they’d do it on a [zb] bend.
Not a problem on some roads at 3-4am. There’s a set of bends outside of Howden you can overtake on on a night because you can see for quite some distance up the road and the spill from car headlights coming from the other direction can be seen for quite some distance.
JaxDemon:
It don’t matter what speed a truck does idiots will still try and overtake it.
My last job seem me using a roads and even at top speed at 3-4am I’d still get the odd idiot who’d overtake me.Now I don’t mind being overtaken but they’d do it on a [zb] bend.
always more interesting on a blind bend with your mate up front telling you to go for it on the cb/phone
.
A470 used to be interesting on the steel run weekends. North Wales to South Wales… Suddenly blasted with a load of I.O.M. TT coming at ya in the rear views. Always gave them the left flick of the indicator though and waved them safely on 
Always the hands-up …
I think it’s pretty laughable looking back on the 40mph limit now.
Remembering all those hold ups on A roads where wagons were playing tractor with massive lines of frustrated traffic stuck behind them, all for absolutely no benefit to road safety whatsoever. Not to mention the guys who suffered fines & have points on their license for doing something that wasn’t really even dangerous.
So the suits can spout of all these statistics about how the change to the limits have reduced accidents or increased accidents,
Are there any statistics about the difference made when limiters came in?,
When I started we did not have limiters, and I am pretty ■■■■ sure when you could pass quickly & safely we were no more dangerous than we are now,
When drivers were trusted to drive according to the conditions and choose their own gears etc…
rob22888:
I think it’s pretty laughable looking back on the 40mph limit now.Remembering all those hold ups on A roads where wagons were playing tractor with massive lines of frustrated traffic stuck behind them, all for absolutely no benefit to road safety whatsoever. Not to mention the guys who suffered fines & have points on their license for doing something that wasn’t really even dangerous.
try to explain that to the d&g judicial system and the pondslime enforcement plod on the A 75 sometime, 
Just hope Scotland’s speed limits for Trucks’s is brought into line with the rest of the U.K. very soon,its potentially very dangerous for trucks to sit at an obstructively slow 40 mph on single carriegways such as the A1 A68 A75 and A96 at times when conditions allow a higher speed, cannot understand why the Scottish government will not allow an increase in the limit!