Lower speed limits

[Conquest]

My road has recently been lowered from a 60 to a 50 zone and I swear there has been more accidents in the past fortnight than the past 6 months (see my post in Spotted??? for further details). Maybe it's got something to do with the recent rain but even in the dry i've seen a couple of pretty stupid incidents lately.

So here's my (serious) question. Do you think a lower speed limit means people are preoccupied with their speed and concentrate less on the surrounding road conditions?

[blue_rolla]

i think thats true to an extent, and a definately agree that speed limits are too low 90% of the time.. i think 50 in suburban areas is too slow.. it used to be 60, way before i started driving, and i think that was fine. i dont know the figures, but i dont think that 50 instead of 60 has caused that many less incidents...

i dunno it just gets ridiculous seeing as all of us would have gone a considerable amount of 50 in a 50 zone and been very comfortable with the speed...

and school zones.. dont get me started on school zones...

[leasaunce]

slower speed means safer, i guess that's better.

[SyxXPaC]

You need to remember that at 50km/h the stopping distance is much much shorter then 60km/h

same with school zones. doing 40ks you stop very fast. doing 60 or over its up to 3 times the distance to stop.

In sayign that, i hate school zones as they cause too much traffic.

[perthcamry]

Generally there are too many signs and conditions so I agree you are more preoccupied with not getting caught …..rather than driving safely for the conditions. I think 50 is fair enough as long as its not a main road

School zones and times, change of limits …….in the old days you see kids near the side of the road coz you are looking at it and you slow down as they are prone to run out, but now your looking at speed, the kids , the time and basically avoiding getting a fine.

I do think speed has been drilled into us to death and its time to look at other rules , indicating on roundabouts, giving way, merging lanes, tail gating and general common sense.

If there are parked cars either side of a narrow street and kids darting around if you do and it’s a 60 zone and your doing 60 you should be pulled over for being a idiot but it does not happen ! or people doing 50k around car parks……

I do find it odd that when your doing your driving test you have to look at your speedo as much as the road. Should you not have a feel for what is appropriate for that bit of road.

Edited March 26, 2006 by perthcamry

[eggbert_99]

as you say above .. common sense makes more sense ... but rules are in place coz some ppl lack common sense ..

thats just the way the cookie crumbles ..

if you look at the bigger picture .. the government cant please everyone ...

if you favour pedestrians then the drivers are annoyed ..

and vise versa ... so they have to find middle ground ...

just need to live with it i guess ...

[BLKRLA]

Next time you getted pulled over by the cops for speeding just say to the copper

"I'm sorry officer but I momentarily took my eyes of my speedo to concentrate on the road, it won't happen again" :P

[RedLiner]

They should use reverse psychology...

increase speed limits thus make cars go slower..

[shaohaok]

reducing speed limits is a more cost effective way to cover up outdated or poorly designed roads.

the cost of changing the signs get covered by the first couple of shots the speed camera fires off.

[Les]

I really don't think that you can generalise that the reason for the increase in accidents are directly related to the new lower speed limits. Could be many other factors, as you mentioned, rain could be one of many reasons.

However, if I get hit, I want to be hit at 50km/h not 60 km/h

Generally there are too many signs and conditions so I agree you are more preoccupied with not getting caught …..rather than driving safely for the conditions. I think 50 is fair enough as long as its not a main road

School zones and times, change of limits …….in the old days you see kids near the side of the road coz you are looking at it and you slow down as they are prone to run out, but now your looking at speed, the kids , the time and basically avoiding getting a fine.

I do think speed has been drilled into us to death and its time to look at other rules , indicating on roundabouts, giving way, merging lanes, tail gating and general common sense.

If there are parked cars either side of a narrow street and kids darting around if you do and it’s a 60 zone and your doing 60 you should be pulled over for being a idiot but it does not happen ! or people doing 50k around car parks……

I do find it odd that when your doing your driving test you have to look at your speedo as much as the road. Should you not have a feel for what is appropriate for that bit of road.

Why do you need to constantly check the speed limit in a res area? You should know that in residential zones, it is 50 and if it is a school zone it is 40 ... it is quite obvious. (well this is in NSW anyway)

If you can't cope with this, you should not be driving.

just need to live with it i guess ...

Can't agree more ... Quote XXXX Beer ad:

"Rules is rules" ...

Got to be able to adapt to it

[Mello]

should raise the speed limit -_- the government is just covering its own *****, from activists. Now if you hit some1 u get sued more for bruising them, where as if you kill them... they stay quiet

just kidding

nahh i think the speedlimits are fine as they are, but i think its stupid to place 40km' skool zones on a highway/freeway. seriously... build an overpath, doesnt cost as much as a 1 million dollar camera. Your zooming at 80 - 100 km/hr and then you see a flashing light "40" doesnt that just make your day sweeter.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Mello

[perthcamry]

Why do you need to constantly check the speed limit in a res area? You should know that in residential zones, it is 50 and if it is a school zone it is 40 ... it is quite obvious. (well this is in NSW anyway)

If you can't cope with this, you should not be driving.

You obviously have not driven on Perth’s 'Freeway' during roadwork’s for the new train line, anyone who has will know the variation of speed is crazy. Sure its not too hard but I do concentrate on my speed just so as not to get caught in this area way more than I do concentrating on good driving! 80-60-80-100-80-60-100-80-100-80-60......

[Les]

Why do you need to constantly check the speed limit in a res area? You should know that in residential zones, it is 50 and if it is a school zone it is 40 ... it is quite obvious. (well this is in NSW anyway)

If you can't cope with this, you should not be driving.

You obviously have not driven on Perth’s 'Freeway' during roadwork’s for the new train line, anyone who has will know the variation of speed is crazy. Sure its not too hard but I do concentrate on my speed just so as not to get caught in this area way more than I do concentrating on good driving! 80-60-80-100-80-60-100-80-100-80-60......

Could it be because you drive a camry also ?? Sorry mate, just playing with ya

We have a lot of roadworks here in Syd's freeways here and I have to admit that A LOT of people get caught as they do not slow down at construction zones ... HEAVY fines as the speed drops from 110 kmh to 40 kmh .. 70+ kmh over .. you are f u ck ed !!!

But in residential areas, I think it is a given that slow saves lives especially the little ones ... so I like the idea that it is 50 for res zones, though my car struggles in 4th gear going 50 !!

[Conquest]

Another Saturday, another crash.

Just in case it wasn't clear, I wasn't having a go at lower speed limits, if it's 3.55pm on a Friday arvo i'll still be sitting at 40 through a school zone. I do think 40 on the Princes highway at Sutherland & the area near King Georges road is just stupid but I live with it & the same goes for roadworks where i'll always slow down even if it doesn't look like they're doing any work.

The thing that annoys me at the moment is the trip across Tom Uglys bridge. From the approach to the exit is 60 (lowered from the usual 70) but i'll have just passed a bunch of cars around the bends, they'll all pass me across the bridge (where I do slow down) and I have to overtake 'em again

Personally I think there's a time and a place, I won't take risks in a residential area but you don't want to know the speeds I do on the F6 & southern freeway sometimes