Motorists. It’s all downhill from here…
In April this year the news broke that all new cars sold in the UK will be limited to 112mph. [see: https://www.evo.co.uk/news/22326/mandatory-speed-limiters-to-be-fitted-to-all-new-uk-cars-after-2022]
You could say I’m dismayed but not surprised with this change in regulation. It may be completely out of my control but I’m still losing a little sleep over it…we’re over half way through 2021 and I haven’t heard enthusiasts shouting from the rooftops, we need to be heard!
The motor vehicle used to represent freedom. As with many aspects of life its getting further absorbed into a vision that wouldn’t look out of place in George Orwell’s 1984.
I’m curious to know the dataset that led to the decision to limit to 112mph? What proportion of crashes occur at over 112mph? How does 112mph vs. 155mph (for example) change outcomes in an accident?
It’s being portrayed as a safety measure, when in reality its a cost save. Lowering top speed means lower specification tyres, brakes, powertrains etc… to still meet homologation requirements. It also means higher maintenance costs when (brakes, in particular) for more ‘normal’ driving.
For the same sale price. A less capable, more expensive to run car under the guise of safety.
And regarding the dynamic speed limiters, this will turn the drivers on todays roads into mindless drones. There seems to be absolutely no push to increase driving standards, only to lower driver involvement and enjoyment. Ultimately they are still the ones in charge of the vehicle, disconnect the driver from driving is a recipe for disaster.
Only recently I was sent a consultation from my local council (Surrey) regarding plans to lower the rural speed limit from 60mph to 40mph. An incredibly ham-fisted application of a simplistic logic with no real sense of the predictable outcomes. Those that assess the road and feel it safe to do 60mph will likely still do, the idiots who drive stupidly will still…drive stupidly. Only now there will be a greater speed differential, more situations of long ques of traffic trundling along — before someone brave or stupid puts themselves on the wrong side of the road and goes for an overtake.
Who has voted for this?
Who comes up with this?
Why is the emphasis never on safer driving?
We’ve reached and passed peak car, peak motoring, peak mobility — now it seems like a mission to undo the technological progress so many have put their heart and soul into.
Rant over.
