🚀 go-pugleaf

>Martin Croxford (martin@praxis.co.uk) wrote:
>
>: My view is that it is reasonable to drive above 70 when the conditions
>: allow. The important point about speed in any driving situation is to drive
>: within the limits imposed by the road/traffic conditions, the weather
>: conditions, the ability of the car, the ability of the driver. This view
>: is supported by the practical application of the law by the police who
>: advocate an increase in the speed limit to 80mph. Yes, it hasn't happened
>: yet, but the police impose a practical speed limit of 80 in good
>: conditions.
>
>It's interesting to note that when attributing causes to accidents,
>the police are ALWAYS careful to use the words "excessive speed".
>They NEVER say "exceeding the speed limit".  The distinction will be
>lost on many people, but it is deliberate and twofold: under some
>circumstances, exceeding the speed limit is not of itself dangerous,
>and under other circumstamces driving at the speed limit is not safe.
>--
>				Steve Hunt	steve@acorn.co.uk
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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I was travelling on the M6 recently, it was dark, wet and traffic was heavy.
I was in the middle lane, steady 65-70mph when I got tired of the lorries
surrounding me, you know the situation where they overtake on the flat and
then slow right down up hill. Fair enough normally but I had no visibility
due to their spray and felt extremely vulnerable with lorries only feet away.
I took the opportunity to get into the outside lane and picked up speed to
about 80mph. Out of the lorry spray visibility was good and there was a fair
distance to the cars in front. Suddenly a car appeared on my arse, as close
close as it could get. I had no intention of increasing my speed and there
were no gaps in the middle lane I could use. Then I noticed the car behind me
was sporting a blue flashing light, the idiot wanted me to pull over.
It took some time to get over to the hard shoulder as you can imagine. The
police checked my documents and asked how many lanes I thought there were on
a motorway and wanted to know why I hadn't let them past. I was annoyed to
say the least, my response was that I felt that endangering my life by pulling
into a gap I'd have had a job parking in wasn't a risk worth taking to allow
some policeman to get home for his tea. They tried to convince me that I
was expected to allow any car behind me to make progress even regardless of
the fact it is doing a stupid speed.

Andy T.