04/09/2021
An article by the Daily Express, which continues to peddle misinformation rather than facts, ran an article yesterday (Friday 3rd September) Saying that a new EU law would make driving in the UK more expensive.
This centres around EU legislation that has been in the pipeline for some time and which, if it is adopted in the UK, will be because our lawmakers choose to implement it; not because the EU are forcing it upon us.
We have, after all, ‘taken back control’!
If the UK government choose one to introduce this new legislation, surely it will be because it has been accepted that the changes will make driving on our roads safer for all.
Speeding on our roads is a major issue, leading to disruption, injuries and death.
However, there appears to be an attitude amongst many drivers that speeding is acceptable. I have, for many years, had people commenting on how noticeable it is that I strictly adhere to 20mph, 30mph and 40mph speed limits; those areas where passengers seem most aware of actual speed.
And it has always always irked me how many people seem to think it is okay to drive faster than the limit. Virtually every time I am driving in a 20mph zone, such as when picking my youngest daughter up from her mum’s, other vehicles come up behind me so quickly that they would appear to be driving closer to 40mph than 20mph.
On many of the roads around the town where I live, including the village where I live and the village where my girlfriend works, they have illuminated signs showing the speed of oncoming vehicles. Indeed, on the return return trip to take her to work or pick her up I can pass as many as seven of these signs. When I approach them these signs confirm that I am at, or under, the speed limit and (depending on the sign) frequently say ‘Thank You’. But, the amount of of times that I see cars ahead of me, pulling away, getting shown speeds in excess of the speed limit, flashing in red numerals, is significant. Frequently these are cars that I caught up to prior prior to the reduced speed limit area. They travel at 40mph in the national speed limit area, then continue without slowing down when they pass the 30 speed limit sign and are still speeding when they approach the illuminated signs a bit further down the road.
So, introducing technology to restrict cars from breaking the speed limit seems like an entirely sensible idea.
The article included ‘warnings’ about the impact this could have on insurance premiums. I say ‘warnings’, but this again was deliberately chosen, unsuitable terminology by the ‘journalist’ (I use than title loosely). The ‘warning’ was that it would reduce insurance premiums.
Has anyone ever felt the need to be warned that their expenditure will be reduced?
It is also worth noting that, whilst writing this blog post and looking back at the article, the headline changed.
The new allegation was that the new laws would make it difficult for drivers to concentrate!
Motoring lawyer Nick Freeman has warned new EU speed limiter rules could make driving “unpleasant” and “boring” and comes with massive safety risks. He warned drivers will become “lethargic and “complacent” behind the wheel which is likely to lead to accidents.
And yet, the previous wording specifically stated that the new laws would reduce accidents and, therefore, reduce insurance premiums.
They literally can’t work out which type of misinformation will best suit their ridiculous argument.
This version of the article continues to quote Mr Freeman as saying, “When you're driving you need to focus: What's the speed limit? How fast am I going? Am I within the tolerance zone?"
What exactly is the ‘tolerance zone’?
Is their a tolerance zone for other crimes? If you are caught stealing, from someone’s house, would you expect them to say, “they were only stealing 10% of the victim’s net worth, that’s within the tolerance levels”? Are there tolerance levels for violent crime, or embezzlement? The idea that there should be a ‘tolerance zone’ is, quite frankly, idiotic.
The speedometers in our cars have ‘tolerance’ built in. They, almost invariably, show a speed that is higher than that which we are actually doing. So, when someone is driving in excess of the speed limit, their car’s equipment will be showing an even higher speed.
When I pass one of these these illuminated signs, with my cruise control set at 30mph, the actual speed recorded by the system tends to be about 28mph.
I have actually been thinking about these illuminated signs for some time. I had been planning on writing a blog post arguing that all of them should have cameras built in and that anyone shown to be going even one mile per hour over the limit should be issued with an automatic fine.
You’d be surprised how quickly behaviour would change if people were fined for breaking the speed limit, even by a very small amount.
The motoring lawyer quoted in the Daily Express’ article referred to the threat of driving becoming ‘boring’. Perhaps that is where we have an issue. Some people seem to think that breaking breaking the law whilst driving makes it exciting, and that we have a right to feel excitement when driving.
If you want to gain excitement from driving, book a track day.
Don’t risk other people’s property and lives by seeking seeking that excitement on the public highway.
The introduction of the technology to restrict new cars from speeding is bound to be built into all new cars. Car manufacturers are not going to waste money creating creating cars for the UK market that don’t have safety features that are included in cars sold elsewhere in Europe and beyond.
Whether motorists are forced to add this technology to older cars in the UK is more debatable. Historic precedent would suggest that this won’t happen. As an example, when laws were introduced to mandate the fitment of seat belts in cars, there was no requirement to fit them to older cars.
However, it cannot be argued that such a law would not be for the greater good.
Comentários