Possible 80MPH UK speed limit

  • Thread starter Thread starter blaaah
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Wow, I would hate to drive where the rest of you guys (in the US) are. Where I am, on the interstates, most highways, and backroads at least, people tend to use more common sense than that. You do have the occasional moron trying to merge into 75 mph traffic at 45, and there is this one old woman in the town where I work who has nearly gotten me killed a couple times by slowing almost to a stop in an attempt to merge into heavy interstate traffic, but for the most part once people are actually on the interstate, things go a lot more smoothly. Except the occasional Michigan driver in a big pickup who likes to get right on my little hatchback's tail and sit there at almost 80 when there's a lane wide open on the left. What's with those people from Michigan and their big pickup trucks, anyway? So rude... No offense to anyone from Michigan, but almost every time some pickup truck driver acts like an idiot on the interstate, they have a Michigan plate.

I drive the interstate to work every day, and most of what I see is...normal. The vast majority of drivers obey common sense and basic traffic laws, even down to Birmingham, the biggest population center in the state. The regular highways around Huntsville (now the second biggest population center, I think), though...Don't bother unless you'll just be out between 9 and 10:30 in the morning or so late at night that it's actually early, especially on 72 ;p I think that's mostly because of the huge amount of people on the road, though. I hear all about how everyone can't drive, don't know how to pay attention to the road, are constantly suffering from road rage...but I'm just not seeing it on any large scale here.

But back on topic, higher speed limits... When they raised the interstate speed limits from 65 to 70 some time back, there wasn't much of a change. The people who had gone over before did the same speeds as before, and the people who obeyed the speed limit just did what they always do. But then again 70 is not 80, and I wouldn't trust many of the people I know to deal with an 80 mph limit. 75 could work though.
 
The speed limits are lower than I thought in instances in the UK for vans/lorries.
Maximum speed for a van/bus is 50mph on most roads, 40mph for heavy lorries (cars can do 60mph). On the main arterial transport highways where there is a central reservation barrier, they can go 60mph and 50mph respectively (cars can do 70mph). Only on a Motorway can vans/buses can do 70mph and heavy lorries 60mph (cars can do 70mph). For every possible type of vehicle speed limit is 30mph in built up areas.
 
skynyrd
Wow, I would hate to drive where the rest of you guys (in the US) are. Where I am, on the interstates, most highways, and backroads at least, people tend to use more common sense than that.
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From my experience in driving on Interstate highways and most surface-level routes is that the drivers are generally a lot more courteous and more attentive to other motorists in rural areas compared to the "big cities".

I've always believed that larger cities bring about a variety of driving skills and personalities that make the roads a bit more chaotic; also, most everyone's in a bit of a rush and probably a lot more preoccupied with something other than driving.

But the actual traveled speeds are roughly the same; the problem in the larger cities is that you have multiple lanes of traffic (say, 4-8 per direction), and more exits, and thus, lots of different "driving plans" (a short hop, an errand that's a couple towns away, or a long haul?), plus varying amount of traffic and more opinions about speeds. The rural interstates are generally 2-3 lanes wide, so there's more of a "slower traffic keep right" with an "open left lane" mentality...although not always, but mostly.

Perhaps this is just a ploy for a money grab, under the guise of safety. We have that in America, too. Glad we can at least export something. :dunce:
 
Pupik
From my experience in driving on Interstate highways and most surface-level routes is that the drivers are generally a lot more courteous and more attentive to other motorists in rural areas compared to the "big cities".
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+1378230283.

Common courtesy such as never driving in the left lane & moving for faster traffic only exists at state borders. 👍
 

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