Need for speed

[mike killay]

Back in 1967, we had all the same arguments when they introduced the breathalyser.
I bet that sooner or later, speed limiters will be fitted and we will all have to get used to driving with their limitations.

 

[flecc]

I bet that sooner or later, speed limiters will be fitted and we will all have to get used to driving with their limitations.

Amended text:

I bet that sooner or later, speed limiters will be fitted and we will all have to get used to disengaging them.

 

[DJH]

I'm all for freedom from regulation, but some people always take advantage of this freedom and this inevitably leads to the imposition of laws to curb these excesses. I've worked in two industries, aviation and farming that both now suffer from a surfeit of regulation and I'm quite pleased to be retired. I can see further regulation coming in for cars, I just hope regulation doesn't come in to curtail my new ebike freedom.

 

[neptune]

The world is changing . More people live in cities , and the population is ever increasing . When I was a kid , I lived in a village where everyone knew everyone else`s business , so no microchips necessary . You do not like the tacho idea . At least with speed limiters , you would not even need to think about them . Imagine driving a car made in 1920 .every time you changed speed , you not only had to push the accelerator down , but at the same time , you would have to adjust the air supply to the carbureter to keep the mixture right . As your revs increased, you would also have to manually advance the ignition . Of course these functions are now automatic , and you just step on the gas . Just imagine if a modern car had gauges on the dashboard to show fuel mixture and ignition timing , and they had to be constantly manually adjusted .But is that not what we are doing when we constantly have to take our eyes off the road to check our speed ,and manually adjust it ?
There was widespread panic in Road haulage when speed limiters were about to be introduced . Drivers said that they would never get all their work done in a day , and extra lorries would be needed. In the event , it made virtually no difference to journey times , but showed a measurable improvement in fuel economy .

 

[flecc]

I've driven cars and ridden motorbikes with mixture and timing controls, but there's no comparison with this present instance. They were an obstruction to driving, precisely what limiting would be.

The truck examples are completely irrelevant, they are driven for work and to do a transport job. Those things are only a part of car usage, often a very small part. A truck driver is pleased to finish his job at the end of a trip, while many go out in their cars at least partly for enjoyment and sometimes wholly so. Why do your think member amigafan2003 has his Westfield ?

 

[Fordulike]

Not a popular idea then . When I was in business , I paid £300 to have my van fitted with the nearest thing to a speed governer . This was an alarm that sounded when an [adjustable] speed was exceeded . Problems joining a motorway with a speed restrictor? I managed to do that for 20 years with a vehicle weighing 44 tonnes without a problem .If everyone is speed restricted , there would be much less overtaking anyway . It would save the nation millions of pounds in saved fuel . Less children killed in urban areas . The thing that bugs me is the sheer hypocrisy of it all . If the motorway limit is 70MPH , why sell cars capable of well over 100 MPH .Too many people have the attitude "Yes I know all about speed limits , they are for the proletarians , but I , and I alone , am such a gifted driver that they do not apply to me ." A question for you . If you could have a tachograph fitted to your car , and have the records made available to your insurance company , and get a 50% reduction in your insurance costs , would you go for It . If not , why not .All I am interested in , is the greatest good for the greatest number .Microchip in the neck ? If it would help to catch murderers before they struck again., bring it on ! Think of the children that have gone missing over the years , snatched by perverts . If those kids had been microchipped , and could be tracked by sattelite , they would be safe at home today .Madaleine McCann where are you now . As an old hippy , I am a big believer in personal freedom . But there has to be a balance between personal freedom and the wellbeing of the vulnerable .

Wow, a white van man with a conscience, now there's a first

 

[z0mb13e]

What happened to the GPS tracking that was mooted a few years back? I thought moves were afoot to mandate that in Europe...

Personally speaking, I don't enjoy driving very much any more. Mainly because of the amount of traffic and the standard of driving during the rush hour. But the cost is also hard to bear these days.

I do however thoroughly enjoy taking my slow and plodding VW camper into the wilds where traffic is light. Touring New Zealand in another VW camper was an utter joy because I could drive for miles without seeing another soul.

Driving an old, slow vehicle means you modify your driving style to suit. With a modern and powerful car you make use of the power. Both can be driven safely.

When I drive I generally drive up to the speed limit so I would accept a tacho if it didn't involve any cost, maintenance or faffing with driver cards etc, was voluntary, could be removed at will and brought a massive reduction in my insurance. But I doubt it would.

I wouldn't worry too much. We will all be driven by robot cars soon anyway!

 

[neptune]

@Zombie , you make some very good points . I always enjoyed driving trucks , and cars never really appealed to me . I loved motor cycles , but always rode at or below the speed limit . I always used to say i would rather drive 100 miles in a truck than 10 miles in a car . I fear that driving purely for pleasure will soon be a thing of the past , what with ever rising gas prices , and the Peak Oil thing . I am surprised that the insurance company Tacho thing did not catch on , cards would probably be necessary now , data being transmitted to a central point , or you download your tacho to your computer weekly .I knew when I started this thread that it was controversial , and would give rise to a lively debate . But it gave us something to talk about , and I would like to thank all who took part , whatever their views . Y`all take care now driving , whatever you drive .The only things I drive now are Ebikes and hard bargains .

 

[muckymits]

There was widespread panic in Road haulage when speed limiters were about to be introduced . Drivers said that they would never get all their work done in a day , and extra lorries would be needed. In the event , it made virtually no difference to journey times , but showed a measurable improvement in fuel economy .

Except Merc's which were designed to cruise at 70 plus so used more fuel, they had to re-jiggle the diff ratios after that

 

[DJH]

Driving an old, slow vehicle means you modify your driving style to suit. With a modern and powerful car you make use of the power. Both can be driven safely.

Most relaxing drive I have done recently was in the LR Defender from North Yorkshire to Kent, motorway virtually all the way and at 55mph. Overtook 4 vehicles going down and 6 coming back.................beats continually pushing the envelope!

 

[Cyclezee]

My Merc with CVT gearbox has both a speed limiter and cruise control.
Both systems can be set to your desired speed, but I prefer using cruise control on journeys as it can be overridden instantly by simply pressing the accelerator or brake pedal, something that is instinctive.
I find it all to easy to forget that the speed limiter is on until I try to go faster and nothing happens.

 

[neptune]

@DJH . You make a good point about not pushing the envelope . I would guess that the majority of car journeys are 40 miles or less . If you are driving 8 hours a day , or in the old days 10 or 12 , you need a different mindset .Pushing the envelope all those hours every day means your stress levels are constantly high .You learned to chill out . I could never see the logic of breaking the law to get the job done sooner and rob yourself of some pay . Before speed limiters , Scania trucks had a system called Econocruise . You drove the vehicle up to the speed you wanted , and then pressed the button . That set your maximum speed . To de-activate it , you pressed the button again , and the Econocruise warning light went out . It was a useful system . When limiters came in , I was doing a night trunk run from Lincoln to Glasgow , so it was up there one night , and back the next . Limiters increased my journey time between 15 and 20 minutes! Happy days .

 

[funkylyn]

WOW...Neptune, your posts have certainly made me think a bit.......

Tachograph in my car or motorhome.........
Micro chipped kids......

I can so see your points.......but.....I am trying hard to be honest here......no,I suppose, not in MY vehicles.....but its a good idea , it would cut insurance premiums......

Poor madeleine and all the other lost children, yes, at first thought, it could have saved them.....or would those terrible people just have removed the microchips ?
Easily done.....and can you imagine if we were all microchipped and could be tracked by the government....bad enough that they can virtually do it now courtesy of our mobile phones.

As I am getting older my anti establishment feelings are getting stronger by the day, I guess I just dont like being told what to do (my ex would probably confirm that LOL )......the idea of the government taking even more control over our lives is just horrific.
My life belongs to me......not some government official, and as long as I dont hurt anyone, I should be allowed to live it as I wish.
Sometimes I just dream of living on a deserted island somewhere (with internet of course ! )
I suppose we do need some laws for the common good......but I will admit to breaking them at times....and if the laws start to get even more punitive.....I WILL stand up and fight my corner, if I believe in something, and personal freedom is so important, then I would take it further, I just hope it never comes to that......and as for speed restrictions....well.....of course they dont apply to me, not only am I a woman, but Im an excellent driver
Bring it on........

Lynda

 

[eddieo]

we already have more CCTV cameras observing us then any other country........they even have cameras watching other cameras. I wonder who pays for it..Oh that will be us again!

 

[neptune]

@Funklyn , if my posts have made you think , then I am delighted , as that was my intention .If I was still driving , a tacho in my private vehicle would not fase me , as I lived with on for many years .In this thread , I may have come across as a strict conformist , but those who know me well would tell you I am anything but .I have done some pretty non conformist things in my life , including joining anti nuclear marches , and for a time , earning my living as a street musician [busker] . I am not whiter than white , and I have no doubt that I have broken laws from time to time . As I have always said , its all about a balance . I would be willing to be subject to more surveillance if it meant greater protection for the innocent , to me , a small price to pay. Oh and to show how naughty I can be , I was once fined for having an overdue library book !
I was always brought up to respect women [my mother was one you know ]. It is good for us to remember that in some countries women are not allowed to drive, and in other countries they are not allowed out in public without a coal sack over their heads . Full marks to you for fighting your corner girl . I like how you picked up on my "Bring it on " phrase . I stole it from Joe , the guy in the wheelchair on "family guy " , the most politically incorrect cartoon on TV , and also my favourite .

 

[eddieo]

dont worry yourself your in good company.........Most on here are addicts, alcoholics and speed merchants only on ebikes as banned from driving

 

[neptune]

Eddio , we are all different , and yet we share many of the same interests . It means a lot to me that we can debate controversial subjects , have different opinions , and still remain friends . As a matter of fact , I still hold a clean driving license , but I have voluntarily ceased to use it . I have lost the sight of one eye , and although legally entitled to drive , I will not , because there is always the chance that I could cause an accident . At least on a push bike , or an Ebike , I am more likely to hurt myself than others .

 

[tillson]

We don't need any intrusive or restrictive measures to keep us all safe. We need danger to keep the number of idiots to a minimum. Health & Safety and other such nonsense is meddling with nature by artificially preventing tw@ts from succumbing to their natural and intended fate.

 

[Cyclezee]

Come on Tillson, will you please stop mincing words and say what you mean please

 

[NRG]

We don't need any intrusive or restrictive measures to keep us all safe. We need danger to keep the number of idiots to a minimum. Health & Safety and other such nonsense is meddling with nature by artificially preventing tw@ts from succumbing to their natural and intended fate.

Exactly, we need Darwins law of natural selection to work!