Buzz Billsberry Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 In a list of people likely to speak out against the proposed 80mph motorway speed limit, you probably wouldn’t expect a Formula 1 World Champion to feature. But Damon Hill has today admitted that the prospect of people driving at 80mph “makes him shudder”, telling Sky News that he seldom drives above 70mph as “it’s too stressful”. Hill. Not looking stressed... The 1996 F1 champ says in his experience of motorway driving many people “drive too fast, too close to the car in front, and they think they know what they’re doing”. He even suggests that most drivers are not safe to drive over 55mph, such is the lack of concentration displayed by many. The retired racer refuses to accept any comparison between road and track driving, saying the former requires a “totally different state of mind” and that people simply don’t concentrate when on a motorway. An 80mph limit would only exacerbate the problems that arise from not paying attention, in his opinion. Would restricting drivers to 55mph on motorways make driving on them less stressful? Will raising the limit to 80mph make the experience worse? Damon Hill’s statement is certainly a bold one, but perhaps it would have been more appropriate to go down the route of calling for better driver training. After all, if we have to cater for the lowest common deominator, surely we should do all we can to raise the level of it? Either way, don’t expect the debate to die down any time soon This was posted on PH.... that'll save MattB putting a credit link to the story ;-) Buzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Right and wrong. In my experience it isn't speed that causes accidents on motorways. It's speed in the wrong conditions, impatience, and driving too close to the car in front. Add to that overtaking on the inside, at speed, should be an offence. Driving slower will not automatically make the driving better. Driving faster doesn't automatically make it more dangerous. I drove 80,000 miles a year for 10 years mainly on the motorways and never had an accident. In fact the only close call was a Vauxhall Senator crossing all the lanes on the southbound M1 where the M6 joins. He clearly either didn't see me or thought he was a lot faster than he actually was. I had to brake hard to avoid him. I had already moved to the outside lane as I saw him driving diagonally across the lanes. That was it, no other close calls in about 750,000 miles of motorway driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 "Add to that overtaking on the inside.." That should be impossible!! Always assuming people realise we drive on the left hand side of the road, not on the right except when overtaking, and not stuck in the middle lane regardless of what other traffic is on the road at the same time. In Norman's case that should be driving on the right hand side of the road of course!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 The point I was making is that "undertaking" on d/c and motorways was an offence. It was changed as overtaking on the inner lanes in slow moving traffic was technically an offence and it was difficult to get convictions. However, when you see a loonie coming up behind people in the centre lane at speeds which are in excess of the vehicle in front, tailgating then moving to the left to pass on the inside is common, and highly dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Maybe we should have an extra qualification on our licences. You have high speed training, pay for it and then you are allowed to drive at 80. This would also generate income for the govt and not everyone would be prepared to go through this, therefore keeping some of the nutters beliw 80 and out of the way. Also whilst i am on my soapbox, anyone over 80 should have another driving test, especially as it is a medically proven fact that spatial awareness is reduced above the age of 70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
housebeautician Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'm staying out of this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Thats boring Tony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
housebeautician Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 But i dont get told off for anything if i stay stoom Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenandmean Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 The idea of undertaking is not fundementally wrong, my first time driving in America within 5 miles I was on the Interstate and been undertaken and did not have a problem with it, within a few miles I was also doing it safely and without drama. What is wrong as has been stated is the appalingly poor standard of driving in this country, driving tests should be much harder and have to be retaken periodically, I passed my test in 1966 and haven't been near a test centre since, much as I don't want to take a retest that can't be right There are a few more vehicles (and a lot more numpties) on the road since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Albert Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) Indeed, I pay far more attention and am much more alert when driving on de-restricted autobahns than on UK motorways, precisely because of the speed differential... Removing the 10% worst drivers from our roads would result in a far greater than 10% reduction in congestion and collisions. Idiots parking inconsiderately, not using available lanes at junctions, occupying centre, overtaking and sometimes both lanes cause congestion. Collisions are caused through inattention and lack of anticipation, inappropriate use of speed e.g. heavy rain, fog and ignorance. Sadly, under our current system, no government is going to antagonise 1m voters by acting in the interests of the other road users and the economy... Edited July 3, 2012 by Fat Albert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2rrr Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I tend to agree with Damon Hill, most of the general run of the mill people I encounter every day are either half asleep, eating their toast, having a coffee, talking exitedly with face pointing to the passenger. They certainly aren't concentrating nor driving what is to all intents and purposes a deadly weapon. We all consider ourselves as the best drivers on the planet but I come across the numpties daily and they of course come across me. I do drive too quickly at times and take avoiding action well before I need to, I do tailgate occassionally but only to reduce the chances of numpty just pulling straight in front of me, without as some of us were taught mirror - signal - manoeuvre. I think thats long gone. I do let people in and out sometimes and I treat all other drivers as people who can do me harm. I drive in defensive mode and consider myself to be an average driver. However I do concentrate on the job in hand and know exactly where everyone is around me nearly all of the time. I don't use my phone nor wear headphones or earpieces and I can hear whats going on around me without having the soundsystem on deafen mode. I don't use my car as an office because it will become a place to stretch the boundaries of what I am doing away from driving. I have rolled one car on the M6 and even the police range rover lost it when he came to see how we were so felt a bit better for that. Its just a pity the standard of driving these days is abysmal to say the least and getting worse so on that basis only, you have to protect some people from themselves. I would like it to go to 80 personally but----------can't see it. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Some good ideas there. Can we look at them? Hi speed driving courses = higher speed. How do you police this? Answer is you can't, you'd have to stop everyone driving over 70 to see if they are licenced to go to 80. New driving test over 80. Again how do you police this. Stop every old looking person to check their licence? Periodic driving tests. Well, if taking and passing a driving test made one a safe driver we wouldn't have the problem. Passing a test does not mean you'll be a menace on the road. The best way to get better driving standards is to have more patrols on the roads and use more video evidence and hand out far more driving bans. The message would soon get through. By the way the driving standards in the UK, in my experience, are far better than in the USA or France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Norman You mention the policing of drivers over 80 mph, why dont we put all the motorway gantry cameras to good use and have them link to a database of everyone who is allowed/ has passed the 80 mph qualification? Just like the ANPR cameras that the police have in their cars. That way if you are going over 80 and you have not passed your test, its an instant fine in the post- yet more money generating!! I agree the age based criteria would be hard to monitor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Trying to work out if Damon Hill has just been misquoted or has actually turned into a complete nob. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I think he is wrong. The speed limit has nothing to do with the ability of the drivers. If the ability is lacking we should deal with that not try to pander to a lowest common dinominator. This is what is wrong with society in this country, everything from driving to TV has gone down to pander to the inept and those who are unable to reach a normal standard of intellect and behaviour. The economy is disadvantaged by the current speed limit which is the only reason the Tories want to raise it to what is in effect the default speed anyway. The problems arise when the middle lane moron sticks there as no one ever pulls them over and tells them. And don't get me started on the 4 lane sections where they still sit in the next to outside lane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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