National Speed Limit - Solution

Chocks away said:
A few weeks back I was overtaking at about 60mph. The car behind me moved into my space. The car I was overtaking decided to put the foot down while the car coming against me was closing in. I was able to accelerate out of trouble. For me, a car with a bit of poke is important. Both for what I mentioned and for passing out a slow moving vehicle on a road with few long stretches.
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.....not sure that proves anything other than that it wasn't safe for you to overtake in the first place. You may want to think about what would have happened if your engine started to fail at this point as you had no return route. Higher engine power can be used to reduce time exposed to danger but shouldn't be relied upon. The number of people I see doing this kind of manoeuvre on the N25 Rosslare road just off the ferry is frightening.

Personally I don't think the higher-powered Evos etc. are the major problem - although I don't see the point in paying that much money for power you'll never use - as they are often far more capable than their drivers and are chock-full of driver aids. The real menaces are the souped-up rotboxes owned by the baseball cap brigade - how many times do you see a news item where three "innocent angels" from a small village have been killed and the pictures reveal the cheap mismatched alloys, plastic "aerodynamic" Halfords tack-ons and inevitable Lexus lights on a 99 Saxo.

SSE
 
sparkeee said:
why would you need to accelerate so fast?
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Off the top of my head. Its very handly to pull out into and merge with fast moving traffic. Its also useful to minimise the time taken to overtake. Especially if its a large object, like a truck or something with a big trailer.

TBH you see a lot of poor drivers of all ages. Mothers with kids, Exec's, white vans, granddad on a sunday drive, bullies in 4x4, Luxury saloons, merc, bmw etc.
 
Limiting the engine to 120Kmh would not restrict the accelleration, as long as you were not trying to go faster than 120Kmh.

I have yet to see any reasonable reply to the following question;

Why does anyone need a car that can go faster than 120Kmh ?

It's like giving everyone who wants one a loaded gun, as long as they promise not to use it.
 
limiting the speed of a car to 120kph will not stop eejits driving at 120kph in 30kph zones. it will not stop people trying to do 120kph on a bend (any monkey can drive flat out on a straight stretch of road)

its not a solution at all i am afraid.

by the way there are alot of high performance vehicles in Ireland now, i have never seen a lambo, ferrari, jaguar or aston martin mangled on the front of our national newspapers, its always underpowered cars driven by people with no idea of the limitations of their vehicle (note: if your car has 100bhp it is not a ferrari!).

the speed limit is archaic, it heralds from a time when cars and roads were not as good/advanced as they are now.
 
TwoWheels said:
Limiting the engine to 120Kmh would not restrict the accelleration, as long as you were not trying to go faster than 120Kmh.

I have yet to see any reasonable reply to the following question;

Why does anyone need a car that can go faster than 120Kmh ?

It's like giving everyone who wants one a loaded gun, as long as they promise not to use it.
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I don't speed - I never have and I never would - I don't own a powerful car but for me the matter would be one of principle.

If I happened to want to buy a high performance car with all that goes with it, I would strongly object to the governement interfering with the functions of my own, perefectly legal vehicle - and I'm sure many others would too.
 
If i wanted to take my car on a track day what would be the point of a 120km limited car ??

I have the equipment to rape.....should it be removed in case i do ??
 
You know I'm about an hour from Laois. I could bring a large knife and some alcohol with me. Wouldn't be sore at all!

Ahem.... back on topic, I think from most posts you can deduct that some kind of speed inhibitor won't work.
 
These arguments have been done to death all over the world.

I'd expect that any speed limiting will be insurance/market-led rather than through legislation - what government would even try to bring it in?

Many UK company cars/vans are now fitted with speed limiters, tampering with them means summary dismissal. It is easy to see a situation whereby an insurance discount is offered if a customer has one fitted. If it is tampered with or not in use when an accident occurs then the insurance company will not pay out, just as now with drink/drugs. It won't be long before the car makers start to fit them as switchable standard equipment.
If you want to buy a 300BHP car that does 155MPH then that's fine. If you crash it with the limiter off you'll be in the mire, just as you are on a track day.

BTW - there is already a speed-recording device in virtually all cars.

As regards the blanket limit it's true that these were often set in the days of cross-ply tyres and drum brakes but very few cars. Given the inexorable rise in traffic since it's true that they are an anachronism, but are set too high for many circumstances. Variable speed limits are the way forward.

SSE
 
Smashbox said:
You know I'm about an hour from Laois. I could bring a large knife and some alcohol with me. Wouldn't be sore at all!

Ahem.... back on topic, I think from most posts you can deduct that some kind of speed inhibitor won't work.
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If its Bison vodka i might be interested.
 
In Japan cars used to be limited to 280 hp (since removed because they found no relationship between speed and road fatalities) and are limited to 180km/h. The latest GT-R has a limiter that knows when its at a race track (via GPS) and only allows higher speeds there.

[broken link removed]
http://www.caradvice.com.au/8998/2008-nissan-gt-r-speed-limiter-gps-enabled/

Of course theres always people who hack these things. Trucks and buses, I think often have speed limiters, and theres been trials in europe of a car limiters.

[broken link removed]
 
As a motorist I'd hate it, but as a cyclist I think it would be great. Not so much around town, where traffic limits speed itself. But on suburban streets and estates where I think speeding is the most dangerous.
 
thedaras.. whats your name and address so we can report you to the gardai?! :D

You got anything good that you can share with the group? I wouldnt mind being under the influence a bit..
 
Chocks away said:
the car coming against me was closing in. I was able to accelerate out of trouble. .
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I think this is a very valid point......A limiter on cars could become responsible for even more deaths on the road .

Just REDUCE your speed when necessary and drive according to conditions .

What some people don't seem to understand , is that if the speed limit says ' 80kmh ' one DON'T have to actually '' do what it says on the tin '' !
 
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