Do you ever break the speed limit ?

keithclancy · 13-10-2010 10:37AM #1

I usually keep pace with the traffic in 80 and 100 zones, in 50, 70 and 120 I religiously stick to speed limit with cruise control.

IMO nobody seems to stick to the 80 or 100 zones and I think its safer to focus on maintaining your distance and keeping a good average speed rather than just speeding up and slowing down to try and stick to the limit.

In the 50 zones they're usually hotspots for Cops or Gatsos,
In the 70 zones its usually a greenwave so its a target not a limit
in the 120 (motorway) I find its about the best fuel / speed ratio, 5.3 - 5/4 L / 100km.

If the motorway is conjested then I'll just try and stick to the speed the traffic is moving at, your just shooting yourself in the foot wasting fuel trying to keep up at the speed limit in that case.

Also partially becuase there isn't 1 speed camera between home and my route to work.

Thoughts ?

ytareh · 13-10-2010 10:50AM

70 zones?I think you mean 60kmh...?Anyway for all kinds of reasons I would seriously question the mental state of anyone who claims they have NEVER broken the speed limit ...OK so people will compare it with drink driving and claim that was (more...)socially acceptable 20 years ago but if 50-95% of the people on a particular stretch of road are exceeding the limit is it possible the speed limit is "wrong"?

Matt Simis · 13-10-2010 10:53AM

ytareh wrote: »

70 zones?I think you mean 60kmh...?Anyway for all kinds of reasons I would seriously question the mental state of anyone who claims they have NEVER broken the speed limit ...OK so people will compare it with drink driving and claim that was (more...)socially acceptable 20 years ago but if 50-95% of the people on a particular stretch of road are exceeding the limit is it possible the speed limit is "wrong"?

Check his location.

cadaliac · 13-10-2010 10:54AM

On average I would say that everyone breaks the speed limit at least twice a day. Once on the way to work and once on the way back.
Anyone with a reasonably long commute that is.
I know I do all the time. (no not condoning it)
It is actuactually difficult to obey all the limit changes exactly when keeping up with traffic on a mix of roads.
I travel the south link every day in Cork and I can easily say that if you keep up with traffic, you break the limit.

E39MSport · 13-10-2010 10:55AM

I think this was done a few months ago.

keithclancy · 13-10-2010 10:55AM

ytareh wrote: »

70 zones?I think you mean 60kmh...?Anyway for all kinds of reasons I would seriously question the mental state of anyone who claims they have NEVER broken the speed limit ...OK so people will compare it with drink driving and claim that was (more...)socially acceptable 20 years ago but if 50-95% of the people on a particular stretch of road are exceeding the limit is it possible the speed limit is "wrong"?

I think it may just be a European thing, some of them around where I live are variable, go between 55 and 70.

Edit: Heres what the Dutch ones look like. I.E. if you stay at that speed you'll pass thru 6 green lights.

Verkeerslichten%20op%20groen_tcm174-263377.jpg

Verkeerslichten%20op%20groen_tcm174-263377.jpg

996tt · 13-10-2010 10:56AM

what a stupid poll, what were you expecting? I dont think that there is anyone in ireland can say they dont speed

Jagle · 13-10-2010 10:57AM

very rarely do i drive at day or peak/common hours, i do most of my driving from 10pm-5am and let me just say i have rarely stuck to the speed limit, what works at 60kmph in the day yes just doesnt work at night when there are no cars/people around, call me irresponsible but i drive at a speed that i find is perfectly acceptable for the conditions at the time, and have often been over taken by our men in blue without so much as a flash f the lights at me

Minstrel27 · 13-10-2010 10:59AM

996tt wrote: »

what a stupid poll, what were you expecting? I dont think that there is anyone in ireland can say they dont speed

Lots of Micra drivers will prove you wrong.

13-10-2010 11:02AM

I break it most days to be honest, only exception would be a day where I go nowhere except the gym and into town, even then I reckon I probably nudge over the 50kph for a few hundred yards. Never been caught speeding either in 11 years and what must be 200K miles.

996tt · 13-10-2010 11:03AM

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Lots of Micra drivers will prove you wrong.

The poll says "No, I've never speeded"

Ive never seen anyone get into a car and stay under 50kph in city or country, most towns these days have an unrealsitic 50kph zone so its impossible to stick to it.

Anyway those mircra drivers are "Jerries" who cant use the internet so they cant vote:D

Atomic Pineapple · 13-10-2010 11:08AM

30kph speed limit in Slane, you dont even need a mechanically propelled vehicle to break that one! Of course everyone has broken the limit, people who say they haven't are liars.

Captain Commie · 13-10-2010 11:14AM

The only days that i dont break the speed limit are days when i dont leave the house.

100Kph on M50 is stupid imho, its a motorway and most people seem to do 120 on it.

was driving down the m1 lastnight after a family do and was sitting at about 130-140 kph and was overtaken by a sting of cars doing easily 150-160, was also overtaken by cops at one stage, i saw them and slowed to 120 and they FLEW past me, no ligths or sirens either, just out for a fast drive.

I dont condone speeding, but when the limits are often too low for the roads and when the cops dont even stick to the limits then what point is there in doing it yourself.

Only time have ever been stoped for speeding (not counting getting hit by a gatso) was when in the north, and even that was just a talking to.

Maybe if the cops did something about it then people would slow down

um7y1h83ge06nx · 13-10-2010 11:23AM

I think I have broken the speed limit in every single zone at one stage or another - 50, 60, 80, 100, 120.

It's very hard not to being honest in some places.

Matt Simis · 13-10-2010 11:28AM

innovated wrote: »

I dont condone speeding, but when the limits are often too low for the roads and when the cops dont even stick to the limits then what point is there in doing it yourself.

Cops dont have to stick to the limits.

Was on the M3 this week and a Garda car in front leading a pack. Thankfully he wasnt the 110kph crawler type, was doing maybe 135-145 ish. Myself and someone else kept pace with a respectful distance (15 car lenghts) for the entire 35km trip. I suspect he was driving to work in Blanch or something.

Had he done the slo-mo driving they do on the M4, I would have gone out of my mind over such a distance. Was amusing to see the amount of people drifting out in front of him and cutting him off, some people genuinely must not look in their mirrors at all.

Cuddlesworth · 13-10-2010 11:35AM

keithclancy wrote: »

Edit: Heres what the Dutch ones look like. I.E. if you stay at that speed you'll pass thru 6 green lights.

That's genius. Unfortunately here I've found that on main routes into and out of our capital if you stick to the lights you get all reds. Either speed right up or slow right down to catch them.

13-10-2010 11:38AM

Yeah of course but I really try not to. I think some limits are really stupid especially the 80kph one near Liffey Valley.
But that argument is not going to stop me getting penalty points or a fine, and I'd be kicking myself to have either of those for something so stupid as speeding. Rather lose time and save money

Captain Commie · 13-10-2010 12:07PM

Matt Simis wrote: »

Cops dont have to stick to the limits.

Think im going to double check that, from memory they are only allowed to break the speed limit when they get a call and time is of the essence, ie going to a crash site or domestic, something like that. I know in Northern Ireland cops have to stick to the limit if their lights are not going. But im going to look into it to confirm

Atomic Pineapple · 13-10-2010 12:10PM

innovated wrote: »

Think im going to double check that, from memory they are only allowed to break the speed limit when they get a call and time is of the essence, ie going to a crash site or domestic, something like that. I know in Northern Ireland cops have to stick to the limit if their lights are not going. But im going to look into it to confirm

Gardai are exempt from the rules of the road, speed limits etc... even if they are not on a call.

unkel · 13-10-2010 12:31PM

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

That's genius. Unfortunately here I've found that on main routes into and out of our capital if you stick to the lights you get all reds. Either speed right up or slow right down to catch them.

That's the difference in traffic management between Holland and Ireland. In Holland if you stick to the speed limit on the signs, you'll get all green lights. Works great, everybody sticks to it (you'd have to be a complete fool not to). In Dublin (the quays) the system is designed so that you have to stop at every single light if you stick to the speed limit :rolleyes:

Bigtoe107 · 13-10-2010 12:37PM

keithclancy wrote: »

I usually keep pace with the traffic in 80 and 100 zones, in 50, 70 and 120 I religiously stick to speed limit with cruise control.

IMO nobody seems to stick to the 80 or 100 zones and I think its safer to focus on maintaining your distance and keeping a good average speed rather than just speeding up and slowing down to try and stick to the limit.

In the 50 zones they're usually hotspots for Cops or Gatsos,
In the 70 zones its usually a greenwave so its a target not a limit
in the 120 (motorway) I find its about the best fuel / speed ratio, 5.3 - 5/4 L / 100km.

If the motorway is conjested then I'll just try and stick to the speed the traffic is moving at, your just shooting yourself in the foot wasting fuel trying to keep up at the speed limit in that case.

Also partially becuase there isn't 1 speed camera between home and my route to work.

Thoughts ?

Seriously?. Does a bear **** in the woods? of coarse I and most other non geriatric drivers break the speed limit although I would only really do it to stick with traffic.

Viper_JB · 13-10-2010 03:02PM

Been messing with a GPS speedo in the car recently, for me to be physically going at 120 - needs to show 83mph or 133kmph on the speedo. Just getting at the point that a lot of the time you may not actually be speeding, and just because you are sitting at the speed limit as dictated by the car you may be pretty far off of it.

keithclancy · 13-10-2010 03:15PM

Viper_JB wrote: »

Been messing with a GPS speedo in the car recently, for me to be physically going at 120 - needs to show 83mph or 133kmph on the speedo. Just getting at the point that a lot of the time you may not actually be speeding, and just because you are sitting at the speed limit as dictated by the car you may be pretty far off of it.

Very True,

My last car showed around 135 on the ODO against the GPS at 120
My current car shows 128 at 120 on the GPS.

On a trip to Belgium once I rang a mate who was following us asking why he was going so slow, he was doing 120 on his speed and i was doing 120 on mine, yet he was tagging way behind.

peasant · 13-10-2010 03:18PM

I can honestly say I never broke a speed limit

There were all still intact once I was through them

Plug · 13-10-2010 09:12PM

Im not going to lie but I break the speed limit most of the time and suffer from series road rage, not to the extent were I want to batter someone with a hurl or anything but cursing and finger signs. Im not proud of it at all and actually hate it, I'd like to go to a course on it to calm down. Im fairly sure they have them in the UK. BTW I'd say Im not the only one on boards like me and Im not being a troll.

Anan1 · 13-10-2010 09:23PM

Plug wrote: »

Im not going to lie but I break the speed limit most of the time and suffer from series road rage, not to the extent were I want to batter someone with a hurl or anything but cursing and finger signs. Im not proud of it at all and actually hate it, I'd like to go to a course on it to calm down. Im fairly sure they have them in the UK. BTW I'd say Im not the only one on boards like me and Im not being a troll.

Fair play to you for realizing it and planning to do something about it.

opinion guy · 13-10-2010 10:56PM

keithclancy wrote: »

On a trip to Belgium once I rang a mate who was following us asking why he was going so slow, he was doing 120 on his speed and i was doing 120 on mine, yet he was tagging way behind.

This exact same thing happened to me last week travelling in convoy with me da. My 120 was apparently 5-10 kph faster than his 120. We both had cruise control set to 120:eek:

Esel · 13-10-2010 11:05PM

Five liars so far...

sdanseo · 13-10-2010 11:40PM

Matt Simis wrote: »

Cops dont have to stick to the limits.

Was on the M3 this week and a Garda car in front leading a pack. Thankfully he wasnt the 110kph crawler type, was doing maybe 135-145 ish. Myself and someone else kept pace with a respectful distance (15 car lenghts) for the entire 35km trip. I suspect he was driving to work in Blanch or something.

Had he done the slo-mo driving they do on the M4, I would have gone out of my mind over such a distance. Was amusing to see the amount of people drifting out in front of him and cutting him off, some people genuinely must not look in their mirrors at all.

Gardaí don't take squad cars - marked or unmarked - home with them

Was probably TC doing the rounds.

If he was doing 110-115, so what? Overtake him and if you don't speed (while he can still see you :P ) then you're grand.

Fizman · 13-10-2010 11:51PM

Saying that you have never exceeded the speed limit is the same as saying that you have never had a ****.

angelfire9 · 14-10-2010 08:28AM

I can honestly say I don't exceed the speed limit
Of course that could be cos its ingrained in me not to being the daughter of a retired cop and wife of a serving one i'd be hung drawn & quartered if I had penalty points for speeding

Matt Simis · 14-10-2010 08:34AM

sdonn wrote: »

Gardaí don't take squad cars - marked or unmarked - home with them Was probably TC doing the rounds.

If he was doing 110-115, so what? Overtake him and if you don't speed (while he can still see you :P ) then you're grand.

I never said he was driving to/from home or that I dont overtake Gardai...!

angelfire9 wrote: »

I can honestly say I don't exceed the speed limit
Of course that could be cos its ingrained in me not to being the daughter of a retired cop and wife of a serving one i'd be hung drawn & quartered if I had penalty points for speeding

Lol, the Gardai and family of Gardai I know take the opposite view to that.

Mr. Presentable · 14-10-2010 08:36AM

Yep, it happens occasionally, but never by a lot and never by design.

Cookie_Monster · 14-10-2010 08:42AM

yes, most of the time

projectgtr · 14-10-2010 05:45PM

Fizman wrote: »

Saying that you have never exceeded the speed limit is the same as saying that you have never had a ****.

Exactly

angelfire9 wrote: »

I can honestly say I don't exceed the speed limit
Of course that could be cos its ingrained in me not to being the daughter of a retired cop and wife of a serving one i'd be hung drawn & quartered if I had penalty points for speeding

Fair play for posting unlike the other 5 but honestly i do not believe you, you may not intentionally speed but i bet you have broken a few speed limits by mistake before

I tend to drive to the road and the conditions around me, the only speed limit i stick to religiously is housing estates, id would be at a crawl. Ive driven on the the continent and that has thought me its not speed thats dangerous, its peoples attitudes and ability to driving, i felt safer doing 190-200kmh on the autobahn than i do doing 120kmh on the M1 some days, like i said its down to the road and the conditions for me