Average speed.

Mr. Presentable

WHITE_P wrote: »

My point is that speeding is not as rampant on our roads as the authorities would like the public to think. .

Thank is plain untrue. If anything the opposite is true. For example, drive the M4 towards Maynooth at the limit and every other car truck etc will be going past you. Outside of a few stretches of M-Way where only a majority will be going past, if you travel at the limit you will be the slowest thing on the road.

breadmonkey

What bonkey said.

drunkdaz

nipplenuts wrote: »

Thank is plain untrue. If anything the opposite is true. For example, drive the M4 towards Maynooth at the limit and every other car truck etc will be going past you.

Biggest exaggeration ever? You do know the limit is 120kph? How fast do you think trucks can go? I used to drive this road daily and on the section to Maynooth I'd say the inside lane averages 90kph. M50 is even worse though...

WHITE_P

breadmonkey wrote: »

What bonkey said.

Please explain, as bonkey said quite a bit.

Mr. Presentable

drunkdaz wrote: »

Biggest exaggeration ever? You do know the limit is 120kph? How fast do you think trucks can go? I used to drive this road daily and on the section to Maynooth I'd say the inside lane averages 90kph. M50 is even worse though...

There's a long section of that road which is in roadworks at the moment - limited to 50-60kph

craichoe

Well if it makes anyone feel any better, its the same case all over Europe. Hence why GPS units have the speed camera databases. i do 120 kp/h on the slow lane on a dutch motorway, people are overtaking me in the fast lane and people are overtaking them on the overtaking lane

drunkdaz

nipplenuts wrote: »

There's a long section of that road which is in roadworks at the moment - limited to 50-60kph

What you clearly implied is that this was "always" the case, you didn't mention the roadworks. So you're taking it back, as you should. It's rubbish.

Road works speed limits and their relivence is a whole other discussion that has been done already (M50...).

20 second graph explaining how irrelevant average speed is to "speeding"

Assuming you must start at zero, and finish at zero,
then your average speed is brought down significantly by the time spent in lower speeds.

This graph shows average speed for journey (red line)
And time spent speeding and by how much (Red block)

people need to understand basic mathematical principles a little better me thinks...

WHITE_P

craichoe wrote: »

Oh no .. definetely not, their on a section of the motorway where it goes from 8 lanes to 6 then 4 so traffic is increased. Gets everyone to slow down and drive bang on the speed limit also you have to swap lanes to get into the correct one for your exit, so theres alot more going on.

Definetly improves things as its easier to get into the correct lane when everyones doing 80kp/h rather than 120 kp/h.

So they are effective where needed, interesting !!!

drunkdaz

I think the point the OP is trying to make is that in spite of what the media (and many on this forum) we are not a nation of raging speeders. Probably the opposite in general.

I cover large mileage. Most of this would be on Major N routes and motorways yet my average speed here always converges on 40kph. You just make far more progress abroad, people seem to dwadle less. I'm living in the UK now, and if you tried to drive at 60 or 70 kph on the m25 (a la the inside lane on the M50), well you'd be driven off the road by everyone else..

I have to admit I find it frustrating. I find the flow of traffic moves at 80kph on N routes outside of urban areas. It does grind me to have to drive in this while listening to some muppet dj on 2fm telling everyone to slow down.

Sure though, you use maths...

WHITE_P

drunkdaz wrote: »

I think the point the OP is trying to make is that in spite of what the media (and many on this forum) we are not a nation of raging speeders. Probably the opposite in general.

I cover large mileage. Most of this would be on Major N routes and motorways yet my average speed here always converges on 40kph. You just make far more progress abroad, people seem to dwadle less. I'm living in the UK now, and if you tried to drive at 60 or 70 kph on the m25 (a la the inside lane on the M50), well you'd be driven off the road by everyone else..

I have to admit I find it frustrating. I find the flow of traffic moves at 80kph on N routes outside of urban areas. It does grind me to have to drive in this while listening to some muppet dj on 2fm telling everyone to slow down.

Sure though, you use maths...

Thanks, you see what I'm getting at.

As for the raw maths it proves nothing.

javaboy

Neither does average speed.

fletch

I agree with the original poster, it's often quite surprising how low my average speed does be, even when driving on motorways and national primary routes. (Last week I took a motorway to work and averaged 9mph, 3 guesses which motorway it was ) I don't think the OP was condoning speeding or saying that nobody is speeding anymore, he was merely providing an observation.

Edit - I also see no problem with exceeding the speed limit in order to make a safe overtaking manoeuvre

WHITE_P

WHITE_P wrote: »

Thanks, you see what I'm getting at.

As for the raw maths it proves nothing.

please explain how you managed to come to your conclusion that the maths proves nothing?

WHITE_P

Deleted User wrote: »

please explain how you managed to come to your conclusion that the maths proves nothing?

See your own post above.

javaboy

The OP used maths to say that he/she doesn't think speeding is such a problem. Then people come along saying they agree with the OP's point because maths is nonsense.


The point Axl Rich Llama was making is that a low average speed over the length of a journey does not preclude a period of time where the speed limit was greatly exceeded. The average is pretty much irrelevant to judging whether a lot of speeding takes place.

craichoe

WHITE_P wrote: »

Thanks, you see what I'm getting at.

As for the raw maths it proves nothing.

Ok .. i still don't get it ..

I drive alot in Europe, during the course of a journey i'll do 200 - 220 km/h but my average speed over the entire journey never if rarely goes over 100 kp/h.

As for the maths comment .. wtf .. thats just a ridiculous statement

WHITE_P

craichoe wrote: »

Ok .. i still don't get it ..

I drive alot in Europe, during the course of a journey i'll do 200 - 220 km/h but my average speed over the entire journey never if rarely goes over 100 kp/h.

As for the maths comment .. wtf .. thats just a ridiculous statement

It's only an observation of what I see on a daily basis mainly.

As for the maths, others here have basically proved that it proves nothing, as some have said, you could drive way over the limit and then slow way down, althought why you would do that is beyond me.

Good drivers tend to be consistant in their driving, and I find that when driving consistantly at or about the speed limit, your average speed will still be well below the speed limit, obvisiously.

Get over the trip computer / maths bit will you's.

WHITE_P

WHITE_P wrote: »

It's only an observation of what I see on a daily basis mainly.

As for the maths, others here have basically proved that it proves nothing, as some have said, you could drive way over the limit and then slow way down, althought why you would do that is beyond me.
Where?

Good drivers tend to be consistant in their driving, and I find that when driving consistantly at or about the speed limit, your average speed will still be well below the speed limit, obvisiously.
Who said anything about good drivers? I thought we were discussing speeding?
Get over the trip computer / maths bit will you's.
So, ignore facts?

..

Balfa

drunkdaz wrote: »

I think the point the OP is trying to make is that in spite of what the media (and many on this forum) we are not a nation of raging speeders. Probably the opposite in general.

Ah, yes, by informing us of the average speed on the on-board computer in one person's car, the OP can prove that most people don't go above the speed limit.

OP, take a second to read your post...

WHITE_P wrote:

Very rarely does the average speed on the trip computer even get near the national speed limit

WHITE_P wrote:

I'm happy enough to travel at or about the posted speed limit

I think with those two statements, you've disproved your point about average speed having anything useful to show us. Thanks.

Out of interest, what is your average speed? Last time I checked, mine was about 38mph (I don't reset it for trips or anything), and yet I still sometimes approach 80mph on nice stretches of I-35 (limit: 60).

bonkey

WHITE_P wrote: »

Good drivers tend to be consistant in their driving,

Good drivers tend to be consistent in terms of driving to the conditions.

If you get stuck in a jam, you slow down, right?

Get over the trip computer / maths bit will you's.

So you're accepting that your entire "average speed indicates lack of speeding" argument was wrong? Fair enough.

Pherekydes

WHITE_P wrote: »

As for the raw maths it proves nothing.

Actually it does. The mean value theorem states that if a body travels at a particular average speed, then at some period during the journey the instantaneous speed must exactly equal the average speed.

So if you drive from Dublin to Cork at an average speed of 80 km/hr, then at some point on your journey you must have been driving at exactly 80 km/hr.

You can also show (mathematically prove) that at some point the instantaneous speed must have been greater than 80 km/hr.

This has implications if your average for the full journey approaches the speed limit.

breadmonkey

I don't think it's a good idea for the mathematically inept to use mathematical concepts as the crux of their argument.

WHITE_P

Mods will one of you please close this thread before all the mathematical geniuses, here blow a gasket.

I was merely making an observation, based on what I experience on a daily basis, out on the national roads.

My mistake for offering a valid observation based on experience here.

Although I can't help but wounder how many miles a year these mathematical geniuses travel.

Pherekydes

WHITE_P wrote: »

Although I can't help but wounder how many miles a year these mathematical geniuses travel.

I'm not a mathematical genius-you don't need to be to understand the mean value theorem-and I drive quite a bit, but there is no relationship between average speed and accident rates. Where speed is a factor, it is the instantaneous value (i.e. the speed you are travelling at at the time of the accident) that is relevant.

peasant

move to maths forum?

-Chris-

Please!