50mph on the motorway.

[Langtoftlad]

Leaving Kerry in charge?

Nah - she'd be asleep

 

[Ivory55]

There are lots of terrible drivers full stop,,both private and professional,,Cannot believe how driving standards have deteriorated this last few years..You are now frightened to go past parked vehicles with oncoming traffic because most seem to need so much room. I see cars stop to allow oncoming traffic where there is room for a truck to go through.Rant over.BUSBY.

I don’t mind the stoppers, it’s the ones with stainless steel mirror protectors on both sides. You know that they don’t stop for anything.

 

[georgio]

I can get 22+ at 55 and 15 at 70. Sometimes not about fuel economy, it’s about going much longer between fill ups

good afternoon

Well of course you are going to go longer between fillups, its going to take longer to get there

 

[busby]

good afternoon

Well of course you are going to go longer between fillups, its going to take longer to get there

Tortoise and hare..Trucks limited to 56 mph put probably better journeys times in than many Motorhomes..It's maintaining a good average speed not just hitting high speeds.BUSBY.

 

[ceejayt]

good afternoon

Well of course you are going to go longer between fillups, its going to take longer to get there

Double bubble. Longer and further (and less streesful)

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[JockandRita]

Completely agree with you. I was retested every three years whilst in the Fire Service both at normal road speed and on blue lights. This retest was initially a four day retest then reduced to two days. Always enjoyed my EFAD requals.

Ours was an annual assessment Glenn, whilst on duty. I was one of two EFAD Assessors on my watch, as well as being the Brigade Towing Instructor, (Class 1 HGV), for those who held the B+E (and above) categories on their licence, but had no experience or training with towing).
For others reading this who may not be aware, EFAD stands for Emergency Fire Appliance Driver.

I too would welcome a retest after a certain age, or at least regular assessments. I'm also of the opinion that just because you reach 65 years of age, that alone should be no reason for an annual HGV/PSV medical, especially if your due medical medical approaching age 65 showed no health issues at all. Once a health issue arises, then that may be justification for an annual medical.

Re Motorway driving, plated at just under 7 x tonnes I tend to stick to 60Mph, keeping slightly ahead of Truck speed limiters, but because of the increasing number of middle lane hoggers, I often find myself having to do 70Mph in the outside/overtaking lane to get past them quickly, then back over to the nearside and down to 60Mph again. I'm lucky that my vehicle is permitted to carry out that manoeuvre, as many are not, with their drivers becoming frustrated at the "lack of progress", due to the ineptitude and lack of consideration by others, towards others. It's all me me me these days, with a definite lack of etiquette on the roads.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[glenn2926]

For others reading this who may not be aware, EFAD stands for Emergency Fire Appliance Driver.

Or as some called it extremely fast and dangerous .

I think my old brigade has now gone to a one day annual assessment now. The original four day refresher was a great course. We got all over the North of England.

 

[Itsmcb]

Two more to reach the 100 posts, who knew this would be such a controversial question

 

[Billylid]

I don’t mind that they are doing 50 so much, it’s when they speed up when I get along side and can’t go any faster as am already on the limiter.

 

[Jev88]

Do what I do & have had done to me . Pull out, u alongside then indicate & start going back in.

Because yo would fail your driving test 50 years ago driving at that speed let alone now.

I doubt that it would make a difference when they reckon that now there are 3 million who don't have a licence. add in the uninsured as there will be plenty who have one & not the other. nless they can police it better it will never work.

They can't have it both ways. Yo fail a test driving at 30 in a 30mph limit. They can't the spot ****/cks on a course that that is acceptable.

As above indicate & cut them off. Totally illegal here , it was made a specific offence here to accelerate if someone pulls out to overtake you.

Thankfully I can ignore your opinion of why I understand some people drive at 50. Only 20 below the legal limit. And only 10 below other vehicle regulations. You think that is more of a hazard than the idiots doing over the legal limit? Really? What strange logic.

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[kevenh]

Thankfully I can ignore your opinion of why I understand some people drive at 50. Only 20 below the legal limit. And only 10 below other vehicle regulations. You think that is more of a hazard than the idiots doing over the legal limit? Really? What strange logic.

OK, but a lot of us are pointing out that just going a little faster than the lorries & arctics keeps things running a little better.
Some of that is a little persuasive right?

 

[Pausim]

Driving is not just about keeping to rules, on our crowded roads we all need to drive considerately. Driving too fast can be dangerous and driving too slowly can be inconsiderate. Constantly forcing trucks out into the second lane to crawl past a slow vehicle might not be as immediately dangerous as excessive speed but it adds to the congestion and frustration.

 

[cmcardle75]

Thankfully I can ignore your opinion of why I understand some people drive at 50. Only 20 below the legal limit. And only 10 below other vehicle regulations. You think that is more of a hazard than the idiots doing over the legal limit? Really? What strange logic.

No-one said it is worse than someone ragging it down the outside lane at 100mph. However, it is still more dangerous to do 50mph on a motorway than 56mph, as it causes heavy vehicles on the limiter to perform overtaking maneovures that would be otherwise unnecessary, thus causing a reduction in safety overall. Road haulage operations must operate to the limiter to be economically viable

 

[Jev88]

No-one said it is worse than someone ragging it down the outside lane at 100mph. However, it is still more dangerous to do 50mph on a motorway than 56mph, as it causes heavy vehicles on the limiter to perform overtaking maneovures that would be otherwise unnecessary, thus causing a reduction in safety overall. Road haulage operations must operate to the limiter to be economically viable

So does the argument extend to remove lorry limiters to let them all do 60? Far more lorries at 56 than MH at 50 in my experience.

 

[kevenh]

So does the argument extend to remove lorry limiters to let them all do 60? Far more lorries at 56 than MH at 50 in my experience.

What? No, maybe it could've been clearer, but ain't cmcardle75 describing how road users - mostly motorhomers for this thread - going 50mph create portable roadblocks for "heavy vehicles on the limiter".
They're not advocating heavy vehicles to have the limiter removed.

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[SpeedyDux]

Motoring organisations offer driving assessments for those who wish to have one, whilst a voluntary arrangement, I have met many who commit to re-testing every two or three years for precisely those reasons you mention. It reinforces good technique, boosts confidence and can iron out flaws before they become of greater concern. Whilst initially 'targeted' at the more elderly driver, more organisations are using them as a means assessing employees who drive on company business. £55.00 gets you an experienced driver assessment with a qualified examiner and a competency certificate on completion. Quite a few have been 'referred' by family members following a familiar conversation: ''Dad your driving is bloody awful, I think you need someone to assess you before you have an accident'' I have to declare an interest as I am an examiner for a road safety organisation, but I didn't include the name to avoid advertising.

A bit off-topic but anyway. I am in favour of your main point. However:

I didn't understand why one of these organisations gave an elderly gent I knew a pass after assessing him. He had already received a couple of warning letters from the Police about his driving. Being his passenger was terrifying. He even asked me to help him find the gearlever. I wasn't sure if he couldn't actually see the gearlever, or had forgotten where it was due to dementia. How could he have fooled the examiner? Within a few months, family pressure and deteriorating health finally made him give up driving. Meanwhile there were some prangs, fortunately none serious enough to injure anybody. Bet the lease company were thrilled about the various dents when they got the car back.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Back on the main topic. If they want to drive at 50 on motorways, fine with me. A new DPF will more than wipe out the fuel savings.

Like Gromett I sometimes slipstream a big truck at a safe distance doing 56 mph. You can feel the tow and I'm certain it saves diesel. Only if the conditions are right and another impatient truck isn't tailgating me. Otherwise I find a true 62mph feels about right. It's the sweet spot between aerodynamic drag (and wind noise) increasing noticeably and the van being happy to cruise quietly on a light throttle. Oh, and 30 mpg.

 

[Clipgate]

I think there should be some form of reassessment as we get older. As a fuel tanker driver we had a driving and operations assessment every year. It was done “in house” but we were expected to drive to DSA standards. Also 50 questions on the Highway Code and expected to achieve 90%.
We took it seriously as no driver wanted to be the first to be sent for retraining. I got a buzz when I got a high score.
I’m 69 and would ok with retesting.

DSA /DVSA standard, that's frightening to say the least.
If you said Cardington drive standard it would be a little more reassuring.

 

[jongood]

No-one said it is worse than someone ragging it down the outside lane at 100mph. However, it is still more dangerous to do 50mph on a motorway than 56mph, as it causes heavy vehicles on the limiter to perform overtaking maneovures that would be otherwise unnecessary, thus causing a reduction in safety overall. Road haulage operations must operate to the limiter to be economically viable

Very true, the problem with Road haulage is you have a finite amount of time to do the work and fit in statutory breaks, your speed is limited and your performance is continually being monitored, not only by a tachograph but also by the increasing amount of dashcams, kahn cams and telematics. If you re in a Scania they know every aspect of how that truck is being driven, In some cases they can even tell you you re about to break down before its actually happened!

Its not all like you and the missus bimbling off on your holidays (the amount of Motorhomers who refer to their vehicle as 'The Truck' really makes me laugh).

 

[2657]

No-one said it is worse than someone ragging it down the outside lane at 100mph. However, it is still more dangerous to do 50mph on a motorway than 56mph, as it causes heavy vehicles on the limiter to perform overtaking maneovures that would be otherwise unnecessary, thus causing a reduction in safety overall. Road haulage operations must operate to the limiter to be economically viable

Strange then that many large operators, supermarkets in particular, limit their trucks to 52mph in order to increase fuel efficiency which is normally of more importance than arriving at a destination a few minutes earlier.
Along with my son, who now does all the driving, I operate a 44t truck, whilst the limiter is set at 56 he aims to cruise at 52.
When in my campervan I drive according to the conditions and am always aware of other road users, hgv's in particular.
Most of my motorway driving is on the continent where roads are generally far less congested, I set the cruise control to 52 shown on the satnav, this means that hgv's can overtake relatively quickly, but on occasions I will speed up if the situation demands it.
When on the congested UK motorways this approach is difficult and I usually try to keep to around 56 adjusting my speed either way according to the situation.

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[Guigsy]

Strange then that many large operators, supermarkets in particular, limit their trucks to 52mph in order to increase fuel efficiency which is normally of more importance than arriving at a destination a few minutes earlier.
Along with my son, who now does all the driving, I operate a 44t truck, whilst the limiter is set at 56 he aims to cruise at 52.
When in my campervan I drive according to the conditions and am always aware of other road users, hgv's in particular.
Most of my motorway driving is on the continent where roads are generally far less congested, I set the cruise control to 52 shown on the satnav, this means that hgv's can overtake relatively quickly, but on occasions I will speed up if the situation demands it.
When on the congested UK motorways this approach is difficult and I usually try to keep to around 56 adjusting my speed either way according to the situation.

Drag is complicated, but generally goes up with the speed squared. And drag will be the main power drain at higher speeds, so dropping from 56mph to 52mph saves about 15% fuel. Over 100 miles I think that saves roughly £10 of fuel, but costs at most 8 minutes of time (and probably a lot less as much of it isn't spent at cruise). Extra cost of the driver for that time is a couple of quid. The bigger cost is probably that the truck is less productive... Factor other things like a company trying to reduce its CO2...

Short version is that it might be worth their while asking their drivers to go a little slower? Someone has a very big spreadsheet somewhere.

 

[Ivory55]

Drag is complicated, but generally goes up with the speed squared. And drag will be the main power drain at higher speeds, so dropping from 56mph to 52mph saves about 15% fuel. Over 100 miles I think that saves roughly £10 of fuel, but costs at most 8 minutes of time (and probably a lot less as much of it isn't spent at cruise). Extra cost of the driver for that time is a couple of quid. The bigger cost is probably that the truck is less productive... Factor other things like a company trying to reduce its CO2...

Short version is that it might be worth their while asking their drivers to go a little slower? Someone has a very big spreadsheet somewhere.

That’s all very well but it depends how the driver is paid. If they are on % or shift rate they won’t be to bothered about fuel consumption

 

[Phileas Fogg]

The guy ragging it down the road at 100mph in his BMW or Audi with all its safety features is probably much safer than the guy doing 70 in a clapped out old underpowered banger of a hatchback.
So it should be with all vehicles including RV's and caravans, some are far more capable than others and should be regulated accordingly.
As to not holding up trucks, I always try to stay at a speed that aligns me to them or faster if safe and keep out of the way as much as possible.

 

[pj650]

DSA /DVSA standard, that's frightening to say the least.
If you said Cardington drive standard it would be a little more reassuring.

Don’t be frightened Please be assured we were given lots of extra training periodically over the years. Every aspect of our driving was monitored by Microlise and we received a weekly report both for our driving and the vehicle’s performance. The company took it all very seriously. Vehicle limited to 52 mph and we were not put under any pressure to get the job done. There were no timed deliveries, just whenever we got there. All quite relaxed really and I like to think very safe.

 

[Guigsy]

The guy ragging it down the road at 100mph in his BMW or Audi with all its safety features is probably much safer than the guy doing 70 in a clapped out old underpowered banger of a hatchback.
So it should be with all vehicles including RV's and caravans, some are far more capable than others and should be regulated accordingly.
As to not holding up trucks, I always try to stay at a speed that aligns me to them or faster if safe and keep out of the way as much as possible.

At 100mph you're literally carrying twice the kinetic energy of someone doing 70mph. Braking distance is roughly double. And if you do hit something, you're probably going to hit it much faster because you'll have had less time to scrub off speed. Crash protection has got better in the past few decades, but not that much better. The Audi/BMW might have some gizmos like lane assist and better stability control, but they're also much more likely to need them when their closing speed on other traffic is several times higher. 80mph, yeah they'd be safer than the banger... But 100mph, nope.

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[Paul and Val]

It's all very simple dear friends.

Anybody who takes a vehicle onto a motorway (or dual carriageway) and drives at 50mph for any reason apart from very bad weather should be shot.

At the very least they are the morons who should be targetted by the highway Police who at present spend far too much time targetting people whe exceed the speed limit.

(I have a clean licence so I have no personal axe to grind).

Shoot them and hang them by the side of the road as a warning to other unsafe/discourteous drivers. (What? Too strong? I think not)

Safe and polite driving fellow road warriors.
Von Paulus

 

[Nigel P]

A bit off-topic but anyway. I am in favour of your main point. However:

I didn't understand why one of these organisations gave an elderly gent I knew a pass after assessing him. He had already received a couple of warning letters from the Police about his driving. Being his passenger was terrifying. He even asked me to help him find the gearlever. I wasn't sure if he couldn't actually see the gearlever, or had forgotten where it was due to dementia. How could he have fooled the examiner? Within a few months, family pressure and deteriorating health finally made him give up driving. Meanwhile there were some prangs, fortunately none serious enough to injure anybody. Bet the lease company were thrilled about the various dents when they got the car back.

I share your concerns that such poor ability would escape scrutiny and am surprised it would not be dealt with appropriately. Unfortunately the experienced driver assessments are not 'pass or fail' they simply result in a report assessing the driver's competence and attitude against a list of competencies. I have made a few recommendations in reports that advise the driver that it is time to call it a day; I have pulled the handbrake twice on the same assessment with one client; but the end position was only advice to stop driving, I have no scope to revoke a driving licence. In a former life, wearing another 'hat' I have referred drivers to DVLA medical branch for revocation on medical grounds (usually on eyesight failings).

As I mentioned I have a vested interest in promoting road safety and welcome measures that make road use safer for us all. Whilst I try and do my bit I don't have all the answers.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

My works transit will happily do 80mph fully loaded so why so slow?

But how well will it stop?
We cruise around 57-60mph.

 

[cmcardle75]

But how well will it stop?
We cruise around 57-60mph.

I imagine pretty well. The differential speed limits between cars and commercial vehicles were set in a time of hopelessly small drum brakes prone to fade, not in the modern era of large ventilated disc brakes with ABS.

 

[Gromett]

Vans have the same speed limit on a motorway as a car, and 80 on the speedo is just over 70 actual speed, my last Transit would do much more if I let it.

Van's don't have the same speed limit as cars (unless it is registered as a motorcaravan). It is 50,60,60 for any van.

The only vans that can do the same as a car are car derived vans.

My vivaro for instance is not much bigger than a car but is limited by law to 50,60,60.

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