Caravans being towed over the speed limit
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Catsize, Yes I tended to do that too, but I was made aware of the new speed limits by a friend who was fined fairly heavily this year . He, - until that moment was unaware of the new policy of enforcing the lower speed limits now in force.
On speaking to several others recently they wern't aware either. We are clearly sitting ducks for the French Police. They love to target "Foreign Tourists"
TF
may be especially now what with us proper foreign types soon to be outside the EU!
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If a 5mph difference in speed tips you over the edge from relaxation to a bag of nerves, perhaps a retest is advisable. I still arrive perfectly relaxed at an indicated 65mph thank you.
Hear hear! Dave ....... Mind you when I get to the site and "R" is selected then i do resort to the latter "Bag of Nerves " and any road in South Devon that is'nt an A road increases my heart rate quite alarmingly .
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If a 5mph difference in speed tips you over the edge from relaxation to a bag of nerves, perhaps a retest is advisable. I still arrive perfectly relaxed at an indicated 65mph thank you.
Hear hear! Dave ....... Mind you when I get to the site and "R" is selected then i do resort to the latter "Bag of Nerves " and any road in South Devon that is'nt an A road increases my heart rate quite alarmingly .
I don't think anyone is suggesting going 5mph over the speed limit would turn them into a bag of nerves. What I said was that I find going that bit slower is a more relaxing drive. There is a difference. As for having to take a retest, if most of you
took one you would fail for exceeding the speed limit.0 -
If a 5mph difference in speed tips you over the edge from relaxation to a bag of nerves, perhaps a retest is advisable. I still arrive perfectly relaxed at an indicated 65mph thank you.
Hear hear! Dave ....... Mind you when I get to the site and "R" is selected then i do resort to the latter "Bag of Nerves " and any road in South Devon that is'nt an A road increases my heart rate quite alarmingly .
I don't think anyone is suggesting going 5mph over the speed limit would turn them into a bag of nerves. What I said was that I find going that bit slower is a more relaxing drive. There is a difference. As for having to take a retest, if most of you
took one you would fail for exceeding the speed limit.Write your comments here...but of course on a driving test you would drive completely different.
As a Motorhomer do you tow a caravan as well?
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As a newbie tugger ( motorhomer for years) I read everything I can on towing and I do keep to the speed limits but I'm confused by the difference in the speed limits in France to the ones in force here. Do the increased speed limits on the French Autoroutes
result in more caravan accidents? As someone has said their roads are in a lot better condition that ours but having said that if speed is a major problem then you would expect to see statistics that point to a major increase in caravan accidents in France
than in the UK but do you?0 -
Went to Germany this year and kept to the 50mph limit and I don't recall holding any traffice up. I also felt less tired as well.
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I am a motorhomer towing a car (now classed as a trailer) and whenever possible will stay under 60mph on the motorway. On gradients I will over take larger vehicles slowing down, this is a given, what I dont understand is 'tow-ers' tearing pass me clearly
at 70+. even with light traffic. Out in my van I'm on holiday, therefore I take my time whether departing or heading for home, I am on holiday after all, leisure time at a leisure pace. Before all the cynics shout out, I will pull over (where able) to let
anything pass, after all, a cup of tea is in order !!!.0 -
I am a motorhomer towing a car (now classed as a trailer) and whenever possible will stay under 60mph on the motorway. On gradients I will over take larger vehicles slowing down, this is a given, what I dont understand is 'tow-ers' tearing pass me clearly
at 70+. even with light traffic. Out in my van I'm on holiday, therefore I take my time whether departing or heading for home, I am on holiday after all, leisure time at a leisure pace. Before all the cynics shout out, I will pull over (where able) to let
anything pass, after all, a cup of tea is in order !!!.I agree it is a holiday. We aim to keep daily mileage under 250 and speed down to just under 60. Those doing 70 must have very deep pockets to pay for the fuel.
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I agree it is a holiday. We aim to keep daily mileage under 250 and speed down to just under 60. Those doing 70 must have very deep pockets to pay for the fuel.
I recon we all in this caravanning and motorhoming game must once have had those deep pockets; if is "holidaying" we could have used hotels
But then I don't agree it is a "holiday", it might have been once but now long since it is what we "do", it is "living".
I plod at about the speed limit, where ever we are when safe to do so and will creep up above it to safely overtake a lorry, if that has a habit of dying in front of me up inclines.
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Was towing my caravan down the M5 recently doing the usual 60 mph when a gurt big lorry decided he was going to overtake me, Now if he wants to well thats fine BUT he decided that he was going to do it at 61 mph ish which meant I had this darn huge lump
to my right causing all sorts of turbulence. I have seen loads of lorries doing very similar and it makes my blood boilWhat did I do ? I accelerated to about 65 mph just to get away from him. What did he do ? Gave me a blast on his horn thats what he did. :- Numpty.
Write your comments here...I thought lorries (HGV's at least) had limiters for 56 mph? They also have tachographs to prove what speed they are doing?
As for safe speeds 70mph is not safe nor is 30 they are just the legal speeed limits intriduced inthe 1970's in response to the oil shortage. Nowadays with modern technology on cars they may no longer be sensible but I doubt the government will change it.
Even if you set it to 100 mph Mr BMW driver will still go faster.....(other makes of cars driven by inconsiderate idiots are available) more important is traffic/weather/road conditions etc. On an open motorway with no traffic it is safer to travel at a faster
speed but on the same road with lots of traffic even the speed limit is too fast.Its a bit like clothes dress for the weather not the season, on roads drive for the conditions not the limit.
Write your comments here...A couple of years ago the max speed limits fr HGVs was upped to 50mph on single cariageways and 60mph on duel and m/ways
Speed limit for lorries has been 60mph for donkey's years on motorways.
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Blaming accidents on the speed the vehicles were travelling at is used far too often because it's the "easy" option. Speed is easy to measure and it is not subjective because your either breaking the speed limit or not.
I'm far more concerned with drivers who load caravans incorrectly, have no towing mirrors, poor observation skills, those who drive without due care and attention etc. These are (mostly) alot more subjective and require professionals to make a judgement,
they can't be policed using automated cameras (not yet anyway!).If you just look at the statistics people killed on the roads in the UK has a downward trend. This is despite more cars on the road which are capable of higher speeds than in the past.
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"If you just look at the statistics people killed on the roads in the UK has a downward trend. This is despite more cars on the road which are capable of higher speeds than in the past."
That appears to be the headline figure, but you need to look behind it. Have a read of this
report which gives another viewpoint. For example this report states:"What we cannot conclude: Although the number of people killed
in road traffit accidents has decreased between 2014 and 2015, this change is small enough that it can be explained by the natural variation in deaths over time. There is no evidence that the number of fatalities has changed over recent
years."0 -
Yes in the last few years it's fairly steady. But if you look at the last 10, 20 years + you will really see a reduction. Which really shows that more and faster cars don't actually cause more fatalities.
But there had been an 8% increase of fatalities on motorways.
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No, Its the drivers that cause the accidents! Speed just makes the effects more serious. You appear to be saying that there isnt a problem now.
TF
What I'm saying is that there needs to be more emphasis that bad driving causes accidents. There are too many people who think they are good drivers because they always keep below the speed limits.
I would much rather ride in a car at 80mph on the motorway where the driver is alert and constantly aware of the cars around them. Than in a car doing 60mph where the driver is nervous and unsure.
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No, Its the drivers that cause the accidents! Speed just makes the effects more serious. You appear to be saying that there isnt a problem now.
TF
What I'm saying is that there needs to be more emphasis that bad driving causes accidents. There are too many people who think they are good drivers because they always keep below the speed limits.
I would much rather ride in a car at 80mph on the motorway where the driver is alert and constantly aware of the cars around them. Than in a car doing 60mph where the driver is nervous and unsure.
Write your comments here...good point or even worse doing 50mph in the middle lane oblivious to everyone and everything.
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Especially them!
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Yes in the last few years it's fairly steady. But if you look at the last 10, 20 years + you will really see a reduction. Which really shows that more and faster cars don't actually cause more fatalities.
But there had been an 8% increase of fatalities on motorways.
I feel that looking more to the growth of the mobile phone together with its abilities, to TXT, screen video and select music tracks, rather than speed, may hold the true reason.
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Yes in the last few years it's fairly steady. But if you look at the last 10, 20 years + you will really see a reduction. Which really shows that more and faster cars don't actually cause more fatalities.
I do hope your not saying that we have less fatalities because we drive faster or better??
Neither is the case, the reason for less people being killed on our roads is down to better built vehicles, how many airbags was the in the average car 15 years ago, how many now in the average car?, air bag, better crumple zones and the like are the main
reason for less deaths not us humansKev
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un-believe-able!
