Should The Motorway Speed Limit Be Raised To 80mph?

At the dawn of the UK’s motorway network, there wasn’t a speed limit at all. That ended in 1965 as 70mph speed limits were introduced, but over 50 years have passed, so is it time for an update?
Improvements in crash safety, brake technology and even road technology since then have been massive, so it’s no surprise that the idea of an increase in speed limit has been raised by both campaigners and members of parliament in recent years. It’s even been discussed in the House of Commons, but proposals have never been given the go-ahead.
Upping the speed limit would mean quicker journey times and this will benefit the economy, not to mention making long trips less frustrating and slipways more entertaining…
Thanks to new ‘smart’ motorways with variable speed limits it’d be easy to introduce 80mph limits in test areas, or even roll out a higher speed limit on all newer sections of motorway, leaving older, less safe parts at 70mph.
On the other hand, bumping up the speed limit could still lead to an increase in accidents, even if the 315 foot 70-0mph braking distance given by the Highway Code is rather generous (with most modern cars, you’re looking at around half that). You’d get a substantial increase in emissions across the motorway network, too.
So with these things in mind, what’s your opinion? Get voting!
Comments
Doesn’t matter everyone does 95 anyway
Europeans should consider themselves lucky…over here in NZ we’ve got some stretches of new motorway that are easily as good as an Autobahn in terms of quality but the limit is still 60mph….
Which as a result, my car has hit 5th gear like 5 times in its 15 years on the road.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES. Speed is good. Speed is healthy.
No, it is too much for the Priuses and Audi Distance
You’re asking a site of car guys whether the top speed should go up or stay. What do you think the answer will be?
Judging by the number of idiots with licenses, i would rather break the law than have the idiots go faster…
Every country should do just like Germany. Go as fast as you want on the highway
There are not even many unrestricted Sections left.
So germany is creeping slowly towards the fully restricted Highways…
We have a 3 lane highway with digital speed signs here that could take away the speed limits at night (when basicly nobody is driving there), but instead you have to go with 100 Kp/h on a highway straight and wide enought that an Airbus could land on it…
M40 is basically a 80 already lol
Ours is 80 and may become 85
I think there are a lot of slower cars that would have trouble doing 80 mph for extended periods of time.
Pagination