Absurd limits
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Laws must be observed however absurd they are. And few are as absurd as speed limits. Originally introduced supposedly to improve safety they have been justified for fuel economy and emission reasons. None of these reasons holds water.
Roads have improved greatly since the first 30mph limits; the motorway limit came in "temporarily" during the 1960s and policing has not increased in line with traffic growth. Accidents occur mostly on urban roads, engine size is not legally restricted yet is a major determinant of fuel consumption, and lower speeds do not reduce emissions. The damaging effect of motor vehicle emissions is caused mostly by drivers stuck in stationary traffic who continue to run their engines for no reason.
Speed limits take no account of site and weather condition, visibility, traffic density, driver experience and a host of other factors which will affect the maximum safe speed at any given time. Far from improving safety many innocent people have been killed or injured over the years in police chases which started solely because a driver was exceeding an arbitrary limit. Speed humps can add to the injuries of patients in ambulances and cause hazards, especially to unwary motorcyclists It is ironic that in the week the DOT condemned speeding drivers it was proud of the fact that on the railways a new speed record had been set.
Anthony Phillips,
Upper Street, So&but):