Speed limit to be raised to 80mph

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JOURNEY times look set to tumble as the motorway speed limit rises to 80mph.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to announce the plan at the Conservative Party conference this weekend, in a victory over Cabinet sceptics Chris Huhne and Andrew Lansley.

Health Secretary Mr Lansley fears the change would lead to a rise in road deaths and Energy Secretary Mr Huhne worries the environment will suffer as drivers burn more fuel at faster speeds.

The policy is part of Tory plans to win the “Top Gear vote” and Mr Hammond said yesterday: “The speed limit is nearly 50 years old, and out of date thanks to advances in motoring technology.

“Increasing the motorway limit to 80mph would generate economic benefits of hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times.”

The new limit could be introduced by 2013, but road safety campaign Brake said: “The Government should be looking to reduce deaths on our roads, not making proposals likely to increase them.”

And the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety says an 80mph limit would increase motorway casualties by up to 10%.

But ministers argue that improved car safety has led to a 75% fall in fatal accidents since 1965 when the 70mph limit was set.

Speed limits are lower here than in many other EU countries, with France on 81mph. Germany has no restriction on some roads.

Official figures show that more than half the cars on British motorways already break the speed limit and a fifth exceed 80mph, although police tend to only book drivers going at least 85mph.





Speed limit to be raised to 80mph - mirror.co.uk
 
New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

The speed limit on Britain’s motorways is set to rise to 80mph but with a big expansion in the number of 20mph zones in cities and towns, The Independent has learnt.

The Government's intention to bring in the new speed limit will be announced at the Conservative Conference next week by the Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, as part of a deal negotiated with the Liberal Democrats.
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Ministers will consult on the proposal later in the year along with plans to expand significantly the number of areas covered by a 20mph limit.

Mr Hammond argues that the new 80mph limit will shorten journey times and help boost the economy. But the move will be criticised by environmentalists who point out that cars use about 20 per cent more fuel at the higher speed. Road safety campaigners condemn the proposals, saying it will lead to an increase in deaths and serious injuries.

Police currently turn a blind eye to most motorists who drive at 80mph, and they are rarely prosecuted. There are concerns though that if the change goes ahead, 90mph could become the new 80mph. As part of the deal, the police will be expected to enforce the new speed limit more rigorously.

A source close to the negotiations said: "The Tories wanted to announce the 80mph limit next week because it appeals to their base and they can sell it as promoting business. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats claim there is strong evidence that, in road safety terms, expanding 20mph zones saves lives. A deal has now been done and will all go into one consultation paper."

The latest Department for Transport statistics show that 49 per cent of cars travelling on motorways last year exceeded the 70mph limit. One in seven was recorded at 80mph or faster.

Mr Hammond has already made clear his concern that anti-car campaigners have for too long used road safety as an excuse to prevent the speed limit on motorways being raised.

He believes that safety cannot be the sole determining factor when changing limits, and that the economic impact must also be taken into account.

He has called for a "rigorous cost-benefit analysis of speed limits" which will look beyond simple safety issues. "If you took just that view, you would have 10mph limits everywhere," he said.

Ministers and experts argue that raising the speed limit could boost the economy. They say that a modest rise would mean quicker journeys for employees, reps and delivery vans. Lorries above 7.5 tons are restricted to 60mph on motorways. This is expected to remain.

Supporters of raising the limit point out that when 70mph was introduced, in 1965, it was the maximum speed of most cars at the time.

Opponents say it will lead to an increase in casualties. There were 132 deaths on motorways in 2009, when the total number of road deaths was 2,222 – the lowest since records began.

"The Government should be looking to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads, not putting forward proposals which are likely to increase them," said Ellen Booth, of the campaign group Brake.

Britain has some of the safest roads in Europe, as well as a lower speed limit than most. The maximum in France and Italy is 81mph, while in Ireland, Spain and Portugal it is 75mph. Germany's autobahns are unrestricted.





By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor
Exclusive: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns - Home News, UK - The Independent
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

choices, choices. A 80mph limit but strictly enforced or a 70mph limit but sensibly enforced. While I agree that cars are better able to handle the speed these days there are many times more cars on the road and I don't think there has been a great increase in the quality of driving. If people stopped hogging the middle lane you could probably save billions in road building.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

I think we could easily have a 80 or a 90mph speed limit. However I feel we would have to go through re-educating the majority of drivers. I am on the road quite often, and the motorway manners of most drivers is diabolical.

If you leave a safe distance in front, some driver thinks that's a space for me. Drivers who sit in the middle lane, drivers who come of the slip road and cut across all 3 lanes of traffic.

Basically their attitude is, "feck you, I am doing what I want and this is MY road!" I wish I had become a traffic cop, most drivers who were speeding I would let of, its the others I would have.
On the flip side, I believe the speed limit in towns should be heavily enforced due to their being kids and pedestrians.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

What difference is changing the speed limit to 80mph going to make? when morons out there already do that. If you set the speed to 100 mph someone will want to do 101 or more. Yet again a waste of time.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

It's not the speeding on motorways that is the issue, its the carelessness of drivers whom either drive bumper to bumper or career from right to left to get their exit, those that sit in the outside lane doing 60 and those that sit in the middle or left lanes doing 30-40 (which imho is more dangerous than anything)

I do a lot of motorway driving, and I agree with MH, some of the driving from people on them is diabolical.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

Everybody on the road think they are the greatest safest driver on the road but are you/they?. Perhaps if they brought a new drivers test out that you could take every couple of years just to check on your driving habits.That would be of more use than putting up speed limits. As stated before in a previous post there are to many cars on the road stopping you from speeding. Everybody wants to get from A 2 B as fast as they can in today's world no matter what the consequence's are.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

people brake speed limits no matter what they are - they were talking about it on question time and some plonkler was saying "people will respect the 80 limit" - no they won't!! it's just a licence then to sit at 90 all the way then claim the "10% + 3" rule when they get pulled!

oneman got it right, sensibly enforced 70 is fine, catch the BAD drivers, not always the speeders. it's a ploy to get the 'jeremey clarkson' fanboys onboard
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

Total waste of time. I wonder how many millions went into the study to decide to raise the limit to 80. Catch the tailgaters, the ones that sit at 60mph on the right hand lane, the ones going 40 on a 20 road.
spend the money on getting rid of the bloody pothole that costs people money on damaged cars and clamp down on cowboy insurance companies ripping people off.
If insurance was at a reasonable price, people would be able to afford it and drive carefully. There are too many uninsured people on the road who simply cant afford it and because they got a clamped out car, they dont care how they drive.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

I'm not sure what insurance has to do with it
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

I think MH hit the nail on the head.

I live in a small village on the main road through. The 20mph limit probably runs for just a few hundred yards and yet so many people just whizz through, saving what, 2secs at the most?

Kids walk up the road to the playground and it can be really scary.

What gets me is that it is not just down to boy racers: some of the worst ones are local mothers.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

Off a a slight tangent here.
I think its time for technology to lend a hand in speed limit compliance more so in 20-40 mph areas. Some cars have speed limiters built in. Now with gps technology and speed limiter technology available in cars it would not be too difficult to introduce this into new built vehicles as standard. Cars would be auto limited in built up areas by this technology. I know this sounds a bit sci-fi but its not that difficult in todays modern technology society surely.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

not been a driver, but i think 70mph is fast enough on moterways even better if they reduce it to 60, i hate motorways there just death traps.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

Motorways are generally the safest place to drive. If it's 80 though I see people doing 90. Just have no limit then us bikers can stretch our legs, lol.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

but i dont want to do 80 i want to do 60 its more economical
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

53.4 mph they reckon lol

Depends on the car, for me its 68mph because the weight carries me

On the other note regarding Bikers on a motorway, they are the worst offenders of all.....pretty much every single one must have skipped the part in the highway code regarding stopping distances, undertaking and overtaking..

Just because you own a bike does not mean you can undertake someone who is in the right hand lane and between two cars.
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

i wont mind seeing the speed limit raised to 80 tbh, makes you concentrate more on your driving instead of watching the scenery..

but i would like to see a minimum speed limit to be introduced to, i think slow drivers cause just as many accidents as do fast drivers. and no car should go slower than lorries and i see it all the time, and see loads of near misses ...
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

There is another one...lorries.

KEEP TO THE INSIDE LANE.......stop pulling out on people, stop changing lanes for no reason, stop going slower in the middle lane than anyone else.

I swear, they are just morons, I've seen people reading while driving, one guy even had a plate of food.....
 
Re: New 80mph motorway limit, 20mph in towns

EVERYBODY should have to take a 'refresher' test every 5 years at their own expense, if you fail, your license is suspended or set back to provisional untill you pass. a full retest at the age of 65. an enhanced test for new dirvers before theyre allowed on a motorway at all

this would also lower insurance premiums

before people start about 'why should i have to pay for a refresher every 5 years' itll ensure you are a safe driver, if you start to develop dangerous habbits, theyll be picked up and can be rectified, but mainly, having a license is a privelage, not a right, and i think every now and then you should have to prove that you deserve to be allowed on the roads

too many accidents happen because people dont know whats around them

today on the motorway, i saw a cop car, with blues going, in my side mirror, about 12 cars behind me, so i sped up a little, pulled into a gap, ready for the copper to just fly past me, 20 seconds later, the guy behind me pulls out, another 20 seconds later, the cop is trying his best to get the same guy out of the way, he didnt see the cop coming before he pulled out, and for about a mimnute, wasnt aware he was behind him, siren and lights going wild

i only have side mirrors, no back window, and am aware of EVERYTHING around me for as far as i can see the road, but most people can only see 6 feet in front of their bonnet
 
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