How to Encourage Society to Drive at Safer Speeds and Save Gas

[trollbait]

If we were to enforce such stricter regulations for cars, we'd have to invest in better public transit, or we will end up with poorer people unable to get to work and going on welfare of some type.

[freeatlast]

Speed limits would be a good place to start. One way to make people keep the speed limits is require the manufacturer to install a GPS speed limiter in every vehicle where it reads the speed limit and will not allow the vehicle to go over that limit.

They already have them on GPS devices as warnings so this would not be a hard thing to incorporate into a vehicle.

[JockoT]

What is being introduced here in Scotland is Average Speed Cameras. There are a ton of them on the A9, between Perth and Inverness. The camera reads the number plate at the start then reads it again at the end. The time difference gives your speed, and if you are over the limit the registered keeper gets a ticket. The work on the new Forth Crossing has them, with cameras at every on and off ramp. Traffic sits at 40 mph, day or night.

[Draigflag]

Speed limits will always be ignored, but I have seen average speed cameras actually work. As soon as people see the signs, they assume they must adhere to it or face a fine, and now speeding fines have increased, you must pay a weeks wages in some cases.

[JockoT]

In Scotland, the signs are backed up by working cameras. The cameras are very evident too. If a camera is not on line, they have to put up a sign saying "Camera Under Test". Police Scotland seem particularly keen to prosecute motorists, with mobile camera vans working every day. As a part time van driver, I see our local one as it moves round the area. There was one spot, north of Glenrothes, where new signs were installed. On the morning they were unmasked (50 mph down to 40 mph), the camera van was booking motorists. It had been 50 for 20 or 30 years!

[JockoT]

The centre of Edinburgh is now a heavily enforced 20 mph zone. By January 2018 almost the entire city, with the exception of the main drags in (currently 40 mph), will be 20 mph, full or part time. When you have driven in the city for years it is very easy to get caught out. Despite the 6 foot diameter roundels!

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

Speed limits would be a good place to start. One way to make people keep the speed limits is require the manufacturer to install a GPS speed limiter in every vehicle where it reads the speed limit and will not allow the vehicle to go over that limit.

They already have them on GPS devices as warnings so this would not be a hard thing to incorporate into a vehicle.

That's brilliant!

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by JockoT

What is being introduced here in Scotland is Average Speed Cameras. There are a ton of them on the A9, between Perth and Inverness. The camera reads the number plate at the start then reads it again at the end. The time difference gives your speed, and if you are over the limit the registered keeper gets a ticket. The work on the new Forth Crossing has them, with cameras at every on and off ramp. Traffic sits at 40 mph, day or night.

That's ESPECIALLY brilliant!

[OliverGT]

The new Ford S-Max has "Intelligent Speed Limiter"

Does it work? Ford’s Intelligent Speed Limiter tested by CAR Magazine

This will read speed signs and adjust the cars speed accordingly.

Another step on the way to self driving cars.

[JockoT]

Quite a few cars have these now. Reliability varies. On the Honda Jazz site they say it recognises 20, 30 40 and 50, but fails to recognise 55, sometimes used at construction works.
I switched off my TomTom Satnav speed warning as the maps, though updated regularly were pretty inaccurate. You'd be driving along in a 60 when it would warn you it should be 30, when in fact it was the village the other side of the trees that was 30.