crr003 wrote:Horse wrote:And roads of the 1980s are not what they used to be either.
Have people changed? Eyesight and reflexes etc won't have evolved in 40 years.
So what are you saying? Reduce speed limits!
Those europeans have faster motorway limits; you don't hear them complaining.
Blimey, you managed to extrapolate a lot from a few words.
Let's take roads. Vast improvements, particularly in terms of things like the strength of barriers.
However, there's been a massive increase in traffic along with a dramatic increase in development alongside roads and, subsequently, decreased speed limits and far more double white line systems.
My experience is only of central South England. One example of a road I've used regularly over the last 40 years, the A30 from Hook to Basingstoke.
It was 30 to National, 5 or 6 miles, to 30.
Now 30 40 50 60 National 40 National 30.
It doesn't matter how much better cars are (and the drivers' capabilities have effectively remained unchanged, unless you know otherwise), the opportunities to use those improvements is more limited.
For drivers' capabilities, eyesight hasn't improved in 40 years, neither have reactions. Arguably, there are more distractions away from the driving task now, and some argue that lower speed limits can result in reduced concentration on driving. It could also be argued that increased numbers of road users, more signs and markings, etc., etc., mean that drivers have 'busier' more cluttered, environments to drive in.
Since the UK is supposed to have the second safest roads in Europe, what safety lessons can we learn about motorways? Higher speeds might not 'cause' more crashes, but they are likely to affect the outcomes.