I'd be quite happy to go for an increased limit on sections of "Managed Motorways", where they can reduce the limit should road conditions require a more appropriate speed, given that we know most people see speed limits as targets rather than assessing the road ahead and choosing an appropriate speed.

I cant see it happening anytime soon however.

As an experiment my friend and I tried doing an indicated 70mph on the A14/M6 from Thrapston to Corley services. It was very difficult as you couldn't sit in lane one (Lorries doing 56mph) and lanes 2/3 were doing 75-80 and thus doing an indicated 70 may have been a hazzard.

Correct, but environmentalists conveniently forget this argument when urban limits are reduced from a more fuel efficient 30mph to a less fuel efficient 20mph.

I personally see no real reason why the motorway speed limit shouldn't be 80mph.

I voted increase it to 80.

As far as the fuel consumption argument goes, couldn't vehicle manufacturers just add a sixth gear which would give you a higher speed for the same amount of fuel?

I'd be surprised if most six speed cars are more economical at 80 in 6th than at 70 in 5th. And in any case, on six speed cars I've had, sixth gear is perfectly good for cruising at 70 or even 60 or 50, in which case you'd get better consumption again cruising at the lower speed. And of course, you don't get something for nothing - a six speed box will cost more in the first place.

Other things being equal, in most cars, above about 40mph higher speed -> worse fuel consumption.

A debate that has raged many a time on here... Friction has more to do with it, the faster you go, the more air friction you get, thus you need more power. So adding another gear on the same engine and running at the same engine speed would theoretically get you to the increased speed with the same mpg, but you would have more air fraction to deal with thus you would need more power to compensate.

Indeed. And it's not just a linear relationship. There's a wikipedia article here which explains it better than I can, seeing as I learned and forgot this over 15 years ago now. Scroll down to the section on power.
This is the reason why only the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, with 1000 ps can reach 250 mph.

The speed limit for HGVs on UK motorways is currently 60mph. However, EU regulations mean that any lorry registered in the EU is limited to a maximum speed of 90kph (56mph), so only lorries from outside the EU and those on long downhills can reach the motorway speed limit. Increasing the UK motorway speed limit for lorries would make no difference whatsoever, it would just make a bigger gap between the theoretical and practical max speeds.

No, I lie, it would make a difference - it would encourage more hauliers to tamper with the speed limiter - that's not a route we want to go down.

You reckon? In my experience, very few drivers go at that speed. I think a lot fewer people drive fast compared to maybe 10 years ago. That's partly down to increasing sheep mentality when it comes to blindly obeying speed limits for fear of being Gatsoed, and partly down to higher fuel prices making people more environmentally conscious. Don't forget that most speedos overread by 10%, so the majority of drivers doing an indicated 90mph are really doing little more than 80.

I tend to drive at about 60mph on motorways (for reasons of cost - I would much rather drive faster, but being a tight Yorkshireman, I'm not going to waste money on driving fast unless I need to!), and while I do get overtaken a lot, it's rarely by traffic going that much faster than me - only a very small proportion of drivers are doing more than 80mph.


Um, no ... that's not the environmental argument at all. Cars cruising at 90mph will use significantly more fuel than cars cruising at 70mph. Increasing the limit to 90mph will increase the average speed - there will be more drivers doing higher speeds, and using more fuel than before. More drivers at higher speeds means more variance in speeds - trucks, coaches, caravans, Micras and economisers aren't going to go any faster than they do now. So there will be more instances of conflict, and more times when those faster drivers need to slow down. And because driving faster increases the effective amount of roadspace you need (the 2-second gap grows in proportion to your speed), as you increase speeds, you decrease capacity, and therefore increase the likelihood of bunching, congestion and domino braking.

I don't believe that, in the current state, panic braking for a suspected rozzermobile parked on a bridge accounts for any significant increase in pollution. Compare that to what is pretty much guaranteed with a higher speed limit, and it's obvious that the environmental argument is very firmly against increasing the limit.

Not only that but some cars can't manage 90mph (although they are crap) ... anyone heard of the Perodua Kelisa ... it's top speed is 87mph! (not to mention the G-Wiz).

In my experience, it depends on which part of the country you're in, what road you're on, and what time of day it is. It's been discussed on here many times that on Scotland's motorways, people tend to stay close to 70, but on the M40, for example, 100 isn't too uncommon.
Personally, I tend to drive between 80 & 100 where conditions allow, unless I'm going to be very early, in which case I'll slow down. And I tend to find that even at 80, I'm in the inside lane and mostly only passing speed limited vehicles.
I'm not bothered about camera vans or tripods on bridges. If you don't spot them, you're not paying attention, and that's worse than speeding. Lane hogs, on the other hand, should get instant bans for life.

My old Fiat Panda had a published top speed of 78, although I managed to get an indicated 93 out of it once on the M9. Not bad from a 33 bhp engine which sounded like a demented wasp.

I'm surprised by these observations. There are always some cars flying past at 90 - 100, but go at (indicated) 80 and I'll be passing many more cars than pass me. Got at (indicated) 70 and lorries are about the only thing I overtake. This is betweeen Penrith and Manchester, a journey I do quite regularly.

I'm often the fastest vehicle on the M6 between J32-33, and that's doing 85-90mph indicated.

When I started driving 4 years ago you'd have been flashed out of the way on the M6 there at that speed, so obviously the cost of fuel has affected driving styles significantly.

I maintain that the only way the motorway limit will rise is if we went metric and ended up with 120km/h limits like in Ireland.

As some folk will know, I like to keep my foot down on the motorways...

I've noted that when my cruise control is set to 55mph through a SPECS system, there is often at least a couple of cars per mile pass me, the M62 SPECS is a little different with the section between the two sets of works often seeing several cars/vans pass me at speeds upwards of 70mph even though it is signed as a camera enforced 50mph - fools or in the know ? my gut feeling is that its not in an enforced section, but don't wish to test the gut feeling to save 20-30 seconds on my trip which I could make up elsewhere at less risk

The M1 between Sheffield and Wakefield is prime foot down territory at 6am or after 6:30pm and I'm not shy of burning the fuel - I buy about £5k of it per year - yet I'm still passed by many vehicles of various types, I find myself sitting comfy at 80-85mph on the speedo, yet will turn it up to pass someone going about my speed as I catch them up slowly, slowing to 80mph or less if my spider senses start tingling and past on slips - I've never really tested my speedo for how accurate it is, the cruise seems to match the speedo

From my own experiences and from what my contacts in the police tell me, I'm convinced that you either have to be doing well over 90mph to get a tug or doing something silly to get a tug above 70mph, like texting, reading a map, pulling faces at the Police car etc...

That might be true in counties like Surrey, Lancashire or Hampshire, but I'm not so sure about rather more 'puritan' police forces like Essex, Strathclyde or Thames Valley.

In Traffic Cops, someone was pulled over for doing 85 on the A3(M), and someone else was doing a similar speed on the M27. One officer actually said "I know no-one sticks to 70, but...".

If it was on TV then it must be true.

I say lets be like Germany and remove the 70 limit increase it to 100 mph.

My limited experience of Police forces (or maybe it is less limited than it should be...)

Durham Police - 1987. 93mph in my brand new Nova (I had just run it in and was giving it its first taste of 70+). Threatened with court appearance, reduced to fixed penalty after I wet my pants (figuratively - just want to be clear). I was only 17 at the time.

Northumbria Police - 70 in a 50. "Hello, how are you, do you know why we've stopped you?' 'Absolutely, I was speeding.' 'Well you got that right for starters. Just take it easy, the roads are a bit wet'. And off I go with a warning...???!!!

I got let off about 3 times after that. Started to wonder if I had some sort of freemason's logo inadvertently stuck to my bumper or something.

Met Police 1995 - unfortunately (for me) I undertook an unmarked car in the Limehouse Link - pulled for 40 something in a 30 but I think I really annoyed him with my smart manouevre. I was late for my concert at the Royal Albert Hall as a result. Not happy!

Wiltshire - 1997 - 103mph. "[Grin] Got absolutely no problem with how you were driving mate but you were doing over 100... Keep it down to 85 next time. But make sure you get a lift to court because you won't be driving home [laughs]." Thanks for the tip! Anyway the happy outcome was that the excellent British magistrates had sympathy and I kept my licence! Started to check my clothing for inadvertent freemasons logos too.

Birmingham - an excellent old-timer pulled me over after having tailed me for miles on the M6 in his unmarked BMW. Doing 85-100mph - he expressed great dislike for Jack Straw who was Home Sec at the time and told me to keep the speed down. No ticket, nothing. Really starting to wonder now.

Kent - need to be going seriously fast to get them interested. Never even seen a flicker of interest from any Kent car.

What do I take out of this? I have found the great British policeman to be very fair-minded and willing to take a liberal line if your driving is safe and roads are clear. Just don't annoy them by silly manoeuvres; speak politely and respectfully; and more times than not you will drive off with a warning.

And last but not least Cheadle - just got GATSOed at 36mph on a two lane 30mph stretch shortly before midnight. I am sure you will all be pleased to hear that I am now off to a speed awareness course in April. Looking forward to it!

How do German accident figures compare with the UK, a quick look at the UNECE suggests we have less than Germany and about half the number of motorway accidents that they have in Germany.

I am never convinced of claims for advanced training in reducing accidents. I was just reading about the highest UK insurance claim of £300,000. The car was being driven by a "an internationally famous racing champ" i.e. someone with advanced driving training.

And I guess this is where the difference is between traditional police patrols and "safety camera partnerships". The former can look at the situation, make up their mind as to the severity of the offence, and take appropriate action, which is more likely to have a positive impact on the driver. The latter will just send you a fine in the post...