www.zxrworld.co.uk

So I was on my way to work this morning and because I rent in the middle of a council estate there are a lot of kids about in the mornings, hopefully on their way to school.

My estate is a 20mph zone as most are, and for a number of reasons I always stick to this, firstly if a ball rolls out I want to be able to get out the way so it doesn't go under my wheels, secondly the road surface is so crap its hard to go much faster and thirdly there are loads of kids and old people that make an awfull mess of a fairing if you hit them. Now just because I am going slowly doesn't mean I don't have to look.

Apparently all of the above doesn't apply to car drivers.

So as I said I was on my way to work and I spotted about 50 yards up the road 2 mothers with little toddlers on the opposite side of the road, so I slowed, before I knew it one of the toddlers was heading for the road as he stepped out, about 5 yards from me, I stopped pretty much on the spot under control.

However a car coming the other way had not been so careful and as the mother grabbed the toddler by the shirt to pull him back his head fell forward and was hit by the car, the toddler was a bit of a mess with a bloody nose and blood coming from his mouth. I called an ambulance and waited with the mother while it came.

The car driver turned around and came back, understandably the mother of the toddler was a bit upset (note serious understatement) she shouted at the driver of the car, who said that it wasn't her fault the child just ran out. I couldn't believe it, I said if she had been looking properly she would have seen the toddlers from the top of the road and slowed down meaning she could have stopped. I mean toddlers don't know better, so you should expect them to step out.

It just goes to show how much more vigilant you are when everything could hurt you. Oh and in case you were wondering the toddler was pretty much ok.

That is the major argument against arbitrary limits set too low.

Basically it has been scientifically proven that driving slowly on open roads adhering to speed limits promotes people to effectively switch off their perception sense.

People are fucking retarded as a rule.

If you make them drive slowly, they also then associate that with 'not needing' to pay attention or stay alert.

Its also been proven that bikers who ride 'to make progress' irrespective of the speed limit are about 3 times less likely to have an accident for the same reason.

Go figure.

The most damming evidence of all suggests that if you just let people drive at whatever speed they feel most comfortable, they will generally drive slower than the current national speed limit, be more alert and more considerate to other road users.

The very fact there is a limit promotes excessive speed and more recently excessive speedo watching imho.

Exactly as Gubbs says!

People use their speedometer as a barometer of safety - if the road is a 30mph zone, then they will do 30mph... if 40mph they will do 40 etc.

Most won't pay road conditions, visibility or any other factor any attention at all, and just concentrate on travelling at that speed.

This is why speed cameras are such a bad thing.

Thats one thing id hate to see and thats a kid hurt. If all of the above is true then i support that. It is funny tho, if there is a speed limit people will stick to that a close as possible. I suppose speed limits are set given the surrounding area, but ive been down country lanes which are natoinal speed limit and its no where near safe to do more than 30 let alone 70.

Yer, I read somewhere that when approaching/goin past a gatso you look at your speedo 3 times, once when you see it, once just as you get to it, and once again as you go past it, next time you get to a gatso count how often you look I bet its at least 3 times. Thats 3 points when you aren't looking at the road!

Got a call from the mother a minute ago, cos I left my number incase the police needed a witness, the kid is fine just a nose bleed and a cut lip, so lucky this time.

I completely agree with what you say about speed limits ect.

Speaking of speed cameras i got fucking flashed last night on way to work. What i cant understand is that i was doing 30mph on a 30mph zone Im 95% certain i wasnt speeding, so im not overly worries about it, just have to wait and see. Bloody typical i got points to be taken off and now i might get another 3 put back on! Anyways, i wont tell the insurance if you guys dont