UK SPEED LIMITS

So there I was, driving down the road at 60 miles per hour (because that is the correct speed limit) not a care in the world, full of confidence that I would have plenty of time to meet my rendezvous.

Then I came up behind a long queue of slow moving traffic headed by a line of lorries, very closely followed by a stream cars, all driving bumper to bumper at 40 mph.

WHY? Was it a tractor? Was it a breakdown truck? Was it an ambulance? Was it an accident? No, it was just a lorry travelling at his legal speed limit.

On a single carriageway road lorries are restricted to 40 miles per hour. Some lorry drivers do obey this limit and it’s when they do that road rage starts to take hold on the less patient drivers.

That’s when accident scenarios start to develop.

I think we have all seen the following situation.

The first lorry is keeping to the speed limit (well done) and the lorry behind him wants to go faster (naughty) so he is trying to overtake.

Then there is a car desperately trying to overtake both of them.

The car behind that one is quite happy to sit back at a safe distance and wait for a clear place to overtake.

The lorry behind him thinks he is driving too slow so sits a few inches from his bumper.

This in turn intimidates the safe car driver and pressurises him to overtake the lorry.

He then panics at having this 38 Ton truck on his tailgate and tries to overtake the lorry at every opportunity.

This whole scenario is a recipe for an accident.

The speed limits for lorries is:-

Single carriageway roads 40MPH

Dual carriageway roads   50 MPH

Motorways                       60 MPH

The speed limits for cars is:-

Single carriageway roads 60 MPH

Dual carriageway roads   70 MPH

Motorways                        70 MPH

On motorways and dual carriageways it’s not too bad as there is an extra lane for overtaking but on single carriageways it is a whole different ball game.

What is the cause and what is the remedy?

What can be done to improve this situation?

Raise the speed limit for lorries ?

Lower the speed limit for cars ?

Do not deadline lorry deliveries ?

Educate drivers in safer driving ?

Penalise “tailgating” ?

“Dual” dangerous roads ?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?