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only joking?
ned - 21/9/04 at 12:57 PM

ok, at gusters request, who thinks I was joking in my post about speeding and who think's I wasn't?

just to refresh your memories:

quote:

i don't agree with speed limits, i ignore them practically all the time, same for traffic lights sometimes. if you can see there's no traffic, the road is clear or its late night/early morning what's the harm in going a bit quicker. in my opinion when driving very quickly, as long as the only person in danger is yourself (note, not passengers) then if the road is empty drive at whatever speed you like. i haven't been caught, but have had a few clsoe shaves, catching up police cars @speed seems to be the recent thing for brown trousers. anyway, i know it's against hte law, but like i said they haven't caought me, i haven't hurt anyone and enjoy the drive, i also know the roads very well that i do drive fast on. another thing, some 30mph speed limits start so far away from any built up areas or houses it is ridiculous, I've hit 100mph in a 30mph in a diesel before now and slowed down to under 40 before reaching any house, corner or anything.
sorry, got myself started there...

Ned.

mookaloid - 21/9/04 at 01:05 PM

I could say it was in bad taste but then who am I to criticise? I have been known to speed from time to time myself...... or have I?????

chris.russell - 21/9/04 at 01:16 PM

I would tend to agree with you ned, from time to time we all speed and most of the time we speed in areas we know very well and in conditions that reflect our speed.

I would however to say I am well up for stricter speed limits around schools, parks and busy areas (town centres or shops), infact anywhere where there are vunerable people and there is a higher chance of harm.

I think that there should be higher limits on motorways but only when the weather is good, visablilty is good and the number of road users is low.

Just my thoughts.

Skirrow - 21/9/04 at 02:34 PM

Have to agree, there was a case a few years back which I can't remember all the details of but it was somthing like this....

Guy in his late 30's on an empty motorway at night. Weather was nice and dry. He got caught doing some silly speed, 140 or something, might have been more but I remember it being a daft speed. He was in an NSX or something like that.

Anyway, police tried to do him for speeding and dangerous driving. As expected he got done for speeding but in court he got off the dangerous driving charge as he was an experienced driver in a car designed to go that quick in good weather with no hardly any traffic on the road. Basically, although he was going some daft speed, he wasn't driving dangerously.

OK, I know it's a one offf case and probably down to his solicitor or whatever but it demonstrates to me that exceeding the speed limit doesnt always mean you are being dangerous.

Having said that, I suppose it would be rather hard to enforce if they did away with speed limits and just said "drive as fast as you think is safe"!

Peteff - 21/9/04 at 02:46 PM

Guy in his late 30's on an empty motorway at night.

Spot the difference.

stephen_gusterson - 21/9/04 at 03:20 PM

would you say that at 140mph on a night time motorway (lit or unlit) would give you eyesight range to allow several gadzillion feet of braking distance?

what if an animal ran out?


atb

steve

stephen_gusterson - 21/9/04 at 03:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Guy in his late 30's on an empty motorway at night.

Spot the difference.



Im in my mid 40's so I must be able to speed to a greater extent then!

by the time im 90 im gonna be driving thrust ssc

atb

steve

phelpsa - 21/9/04 at 03:28 PM

My dad hit a deer at 60mph and wiped out the front of his car. I hate to think what the damage would be like if he had hit it at 120mph.

Adam

blueshift - 21/9/04 at 03:57 PM

Yeah, if an animal runs out you're screwed if you're doing 70, or 140. though the higher speed will extend forward your zone-of-screwedness, of course.

john_p_b - 21/9/04 at 04:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by phelpsa
My dad hit a deer at 60mph and wiped out the front of his car. I hate to think what the damage would be like if he had hit it at 120mph.

Adam


i had to recover one of our company minibusses from the middle of nowhere that had managed to find it's way into the side of a deer, the driver rekons he was doing 50-60mph when he hit it and the N/S/F of the transit was just totalled. wasn't too nice trying to thread the straps through the masses of flesh and guts hanging off the underside of the van either!

Tblue - 21/9/04 at 07:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by phelpsa
My dad hit a deer at 60mph and wiped out the front of his car. I hate to think what the damage would be like if he had hit it at 120mph.

Adam


But if you (your dad that is) had been going at 120mph, you would have been long down the road when the deer stepped out. You see speeding can save lives.

dave1888 - 21/9/04 at 07:55 PM

Theres a time and a place for everything i suppose. In livingston there is a 1.5 mile straight with a 40 mph speed limit. Its just begging you to go faster

Mark Allanson - 21/9/04 at 08:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blueshift
Yeah, if an animal runs out you're screwed if you're doing 70, or 140. though the higher speed will extend forward your zone-of-screwedness, of course.



Not quite, hitting a deer at low speeds usually puts it through the windscreen, avoiding all the crumple zones, a high speed hit usually causes massive frontal damage hut throws Rudolf up in the air avoiding the passenger cell. Air bags go off and you emerge emmiting an unpleasant smell from your undies, but unhurt. If the venison joins you in the car, it can get a bit more unpleasant.


I have done several animal strikes, badges seem the most common and can do real major damage, they must be really heavy animals

Tblue - 21/9/04 at 08:54 PM

I managed to write off a brand new LDV minibus hitting a wood pidgeon in Holland at 80mph. I hit it just on the top of the windscreen and the roofline. Insureance company deemed it too expensive to replace the windscreen surround and roof.

Hellfire - 21/9/04 at 09:09 PM

I know Ned was joking... he's an honourable law abiding citizen of the highest order.

Sorted







phelpsa - 22/9/04 at 09:22 AM

New grill, wing, bonnet, radiator and bumper, luckily it was a company car.

Adam