I'll try and get this thread back on topic
I have a slightly different view. The law is an (overly) complex beats and the man on the street doesn't understand it. I'd go so far as to say that even the police don't understand large chunks of it.
that said, most people have their own sense of right and wrong and they tend to live by their own code of what they should and should not do. by and large this accords with the law and hence we live fairly happily and not in jail.
that said, there are often ways in which the normal person thinks something is right but in fact it is against the law. Even when they find out that their actions are illegal, they tend to continue to do them anyway as it fits their own thoughts of what is right.
a good example of this is ripping CD's onto their computer for use with an ipod or other similar device. generally people don't think anything of doing this, but actually, there is no provision in law giving you the right to do it. there is an america, but not in the UK.
does that fact stop anyone doing it? not at all. they feel that they have the right to do so and thus they do.
now onto speed limits. I think that most people who have driving for several years have a good understanding of what the combination of the road, their car and their skill and confidence level will allow. This feeling is based on many factors such as the width of the road, the sharpness of the curves, the visibility, the type and state of their car and their confidence for example.
this is why on country roads with NSL signs up, they'll go fast on the long straight bits and slow down much more for the winding, low visibility corners. Also it explains why people will happily drive down a road at 30, and thenh slow to 15 or 20 when there are cars parked on both sides of the road, even though the posted speed limit has not changed. suddenly the width and visibility have changed and drivers feel uncomfortable going so quickly.
Yes, there is some variance in what they think they can do, and what they actually can do. and also, some corners are a lot sharper than they look by I still think that by and large, drivers know what is roughly an appropriate speed limit for them.
however, in much the same way as the cd ripping issue I stated above, I think that drivers also tend to actually drive at the speed they think is appropriate, regardless of what the posted speed limit is. if the posted speed limit is "obviously too low" (for whatever that means), the you'll find a lot of drivers break it routinely unless forced to slow down by cameras and the like.
a good example of this is the normal motorway. I beleive that UK motorways are designed for a speed of 100 miles an hour. while the man on the street may not know this, they know that the width of the road, the wide visibility, the quality of their car etcetc means that 70mph is too low a speed for that road. because of this they feel confident in breaking the limit and driving at more than 70mph.
for those who have tried driving at exactly 70, you'll often find that the majority of traffic overtakes you. a DfT study in 2006 found that more than 50% of traffic on the motorways they studied was in excess of the NSL.
I don't think that the lowering of the speed limit on various roads across the country is generally due to revenue generation (perhaps in some cases though), but more likely due to a nannying influence and an attempt by councils not to be sued etc. but still, if people think that a speed limit is obviously too low, they will ignore it and drive at the speed they think is right.
I would even hazard to say that by and large, it's not too much of a problem either (dons flame-proof suit).
the big problem to me is that there are bits of the road that are deceptive. corners that are too sharp, places where traffic genuinely needs to slow down and it's not obvious to oncoming traffic why. these ares should have, and probably do have lower/correct speed limits set, but the prevalence of incorrect and obviously wrong speed limits dilutes these real areas of concern and because people ignore the stupid limits, they end up ignoring the proper ones.
*this* I feel is the problem.
Now obviously there is some variance in what different people think is appropriate, but If the gov/councils raised the speed limit (even over 70 in the right places) where appropriate and set generally realistic speed limits on the other roads, then I think that the danger areas where traffic really does need to slow down in case of accidents, will be obeyed more and thus, the public safer as a result.
thoughts on a postcard?
dave
PS. I hope that I've not managed to insult anyone with the above.. I don't think any of it was personal, anti-police, racist, sexist, fattist, though it might be a little controversial. for that I apologise...
