Damon Hill has spoken out against the suggested 80 mph limit on motorways, because he says that most drivers are not safe above 55mph. He says that higher speeds need total concentration, and few drivers are capable of it. I think he is right, and it is more by luck than judgement that there aren’t more crashes.
One often hears on the radio that “bad weather caused crashes”. They are wrong; it’s bad driving which causes crashes, by failing to allow for the conditions. Charles Bronson was asked when someone pointed a gun at him? “Don’t guns frighten you?” he replied, “No, idiots with guns frighten me!”
In my experience, I’m inclined to agree that many drivers take risks by driving too fast for the conditions, and fail to maintain a safe distance on motorways. At 70mph a safe distance in dry weather is about 100yards, in wet conditions much more. I always maintain this, and rarely have to use the brakes.
I drove on the M1 recently in appalling conditions, with torrential rain, high winds,road awash and very poor visibility, at about 45mph max with most others doing the same, yet many drivers were passing me way above 70, without lights and too close. I gave up and turned for home, because it was too dangerous, and the weather forecast was for it to continue for hours - it did…
Few drivers receive any training in motorway driving, and appear to be unaware how fast they are going and how many risks they are taking.
Damon Hill, a former Formula 1 racing driver, apparently now drives a 10-yr-old Golf, evidently quite slowly.
As another professional driver I tend to agree with DH
can I point out tho I as a HGV fully trained driver was never taught how to drive on motorways and during my hgv training class one and two closest I ever came to a motorway was a dual carriageway for less than a quarter of a mile so its not just car drivers I have seen a number of idiots driving hgvs aswell I admit its not many but there are a few out there in terms of motorway driving I mean.
JobsWorth:
can I point out tho I as a HGV fully trained driver was never taught how to drive on motorways and during my hgv training class one and two closest I ever came to a motorway was a dual carriageway for less than a quarter of a mile so its not just car drivers I have seen a number of idiots driving hgvs aswell I admit its not many but there are a few out there in terms of motorway driving I mean.
That was the advantage of the old HGV plates, you went out for a week or a couple of days before your test and used every type of road with a loaded vehicle, then when it came to taking a test in an empty lorry with a flat trailer it was simple.
We’ve already got dumbed down limits for trucks and still they’re crashing,seriously,more than I remember during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Speed limits make no difference whatsoever to the idiots because they’re idiots.
Whereas what they do affect is those drivers who are driving on a reasonably clear motorway in good conditions and who get nicked at an entirely appropriate speed for the conditions just for exceeding an arbitrary number that’s been put there to do the impossible job of saving the idiots from themselves and us rom the results of their actions.You could put a blanket 20 mph limit on every motorway at all times regardless of conditions and you’d still get the idiots driving into things at 70 mph in the wrong conditions.
The fact is dumbing down the speed limits won’t work because it isn’t speed that’s the problem.
Carryfast:
We’ve already got dumbed down limits for trucks and still they’re crashing,seriously,more than I remember during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Speed limits make no difference whatsoever to the idiots because they’re idiots.
Whereas what they do affect is those drivers who are driving on a reasonably clear motorway in good conditions and who get nicked at an entirely appropriate speed for the conditions just for exceeding an arbitrary number that’s been put there to do the impossible job of saving the idiots from themselves and us rom the results of their actions.You could put a blanket 20 mph limit on every motorway at all times regardless of conditions and you’d still get the idiots driving into things at 70 mph in the wrong conditions.
The fact is dumbing down the speed limits won’t work because it isn’t speed that’s the problem.
JobsWorth:
can I point out tho I as a HGV fully trained driver was never taught how to drive on motorways and during my hgv training class one and two closest I ever came to a motorway was a dual carriageway for less than a quarter of a mile so its not just car drivers I have seen a number of idiots driving hgvs aswell I admit its not many but there are a few out there in terms of motorway driving I mean.
That was the advantage of the old HGV plates, you went out for a week or a couple of days before your test and used every type of road with a loaded vehicle, then when it came to taking a test in an empty lorry with a flat trailer it was simple.
I’ve said on here before (and got stick for it ) how the quality of a lot of HGV drivers has dropped over the last 10 to 15 yrs or so, they don’t learn actual skills in driving a different type of vehicle anymore… because there aren’t any! modern trucks today have every aid except auto pilot, so learners are learned parrot style how to steer round a set test route, instead of learning to actually drive. Before anybody says it… … I know you can’t go back to old tech, that made it a COMPLETELY different skill to driving a car, but I am just saying it’s an example of how tech-progress has dumbed the driving job down, that is one reason that there are a lot of DWLs (dicks with licences) about, whereas the drivers with a working brain get a licence, and drive the truck in an appropriate way according to it’s shear size & weight and to the conditions of the roads…( Taking cover now ) As for D.Hill’s point, Mike Dickin used to say about the “Speed Kills” campaign a few years ago. Speed doesn’t kill, Inappropriate Speed does!
robroy:
Mike Dickin used to say about the “Speed Kills” campaign a few years ago. Speed doesn’t kill, Inappropriate Speed does!
Quite unfortunate that he died in a car crash though wasn’t it?
Claim to Fame - Stunt driver on the Italian Job
Yeh tragically ironic wasn’t it, he was a guy who didn’t pull his punches, and wasn’t afraid to say things as they were. and at the same time not caring who he offended, a big miss on the radio. ( You might have got more response on this Wheelnut if you had put in on Pro driver’s forum.)
) how the quality of a lot of HGV drivers has dropped over the last 10 to 15 yrs or so, they don’t learn actual skills in driving a different type of vehicle anymore… because there aren’t any! modern trucks today have every aid except auto pilot, so learners are learned parrot style how to steer round a set test route, instead of learning to actually drive. Before anybody says it… 
… I know you can’t go back to old tech, that made it a COMPLETELY different skill to driving a car, but I am just saying it’s an example of how tech-progress has dumbed the driving job down, that is one reason that there are a lot of DWLs (dicks with licences) about, whereas the drivers with a working brain get a licence, and drive the truck in an appropriate way according to it’s shear size & weight and to the conditions of the roads…( Taking cover now