The french government is planning to start tests very soon in several departments where the speed limit on the interdepartmental roads will be reduced by 10kmh to 80kmh instead of the present 90kmh.
Many years ago the speed limit in urban areas was reduced to 50kmh from 60kmh. The aim is improve road safety and continue the gradual fall in road deaths since the 70s where people killed in road traffic accidents reached the 12000 mark ! The present rate is about 4300 for 2013 which is a great effort but more measures are required it appears to quite rightly reduce the death rate even further.
Travelling at 80kmh doesn't pose a problem for me. I recall the early days of the change in the urban speed limit change and found the initial adjustment tricky at times but it didn't take long for me to adapt so I assume the same will apply to any proposed 80kmh limit.
I spend a lot of the week on the road and feel confident this latest measure will be good for everyone. However, I can't imagine it will reduce the number of idiots of all nationalities behind the wheel unfortunately...
I shall never forget an encounter with a driver in Aberystwyth. He had boxed my car in by double parking outside a hotel. When he finally reappeared, there was the customary exchange of words. But he stunned me into speechlessness, as he drove away, with the rejoinder, "It's people like you who cause all the trouble in the World!"
Ah yes, our local Renault 4 driver. He is well over 80, thinks 50k is fast (or the car does) and that the white line is a kind of Scalextric track. When it is foggy he looms out of the mire and scares the wits out of everybody!
Or the white fog coloured ones !
"Farmers would often stop in the road to talk to a friend"
Probably talking to his cousin!. If it's anything like around here they're all related to each other.
I lived in rural East Anglia for many years where that was the same and other nice ones like somebody suddenly stopping his very big tractor that entirely blocked the road anyway, jumping down then strolling over to the nearest ditch to relieve himself (fair enough) then pulling out his pouch to roll a ciggie, smoking it oblivious to the rest of the universe then casually strolling back then going less than 100m to leave the road into field. Townie guests used to go purple with rage whenever any variant on either happened.
I used to live in rural Wales. Farmers would often stop in the road to talk to a friend going in the opposite direction. It was considered impolite for following drivers to show signs of impatience.
Then, in the approach to a village with a narrow high street, the Renault 4 van that appears from the right (where he has right of way) pulls out in front, takes AGES to get from 5k per hour to 15 k per hour, and then stops in the middle of the narrowest part, opens his window, shakes hand with a friend he has seen, and then proceeds to chat. Eventually moving off and, at the end of the village, signals right and turns left. Oh How I love it here!
Same as Mike, but we have a local haulage firm whose drivers are almost legendarily dangerous in this part of France. It is very reasonable to pass the snails but overtaking somebody who is driving over the limit themselves? This morning I had the warning light flashing on fast, normally open road to tell me I was aquaplaning and still had cars and trucks going past me flat out. I was taking it easy by driving at 80k!
I have a lot of respect for professional drivers. Most are very good and value their clean licenses. But I don't include jobbing builders in white vans!
when you're hauling 44tonnes of product, to a schedule.. against the tacho and driving hours.. running from Yorkshire to Lisbon, then across to Munich and up to Amsterdam.. all in a week.. divvy's driving at 70k in 90k, little ligier pop,pop's.. on 2 lane black top might find the truck wishing to make progress.. the trucks are limited to 90k.. is it not reasonable to want to the slo mo to get a move on, or allow the rig to pass??
erhh, I wasn't going to admit to it but yes, also guilty of the same thing !
I am, by nature a 'wind up' merchant...
I just put the hazard lights on, slow down and let them go.
Surprising how often they really don't want to overtake, because they are turning off at the next junction anyway.
But don't we love winding them up! Observe limit, go 5km under, reach the end of limit then foot down hard to sprint for the next slow bit. Or is it I am becoming sadistic as I get older?
Every time another vehicle (especially HGVs) want to kiss my exhaust pipe I slow down even more which really winds them up ! It's amazing that even when you keep to the speed limits ( a cardinal crime obviously !) many french drivers go ballistic !
And why do people think they can make you go faster by driving too close in the dark.Being dazzled by their lights through the back window, you have no choice but to slow down.
If the beam of your dipped lights illuminates the back of the car in front YOU ARE TOO CLOSE! What do they teach them to pass the driving test?
One of those "cars" with one headlight could be me on my motorbike:-)
Have you ever noticed how many cars have faulty lights anyway? Or ones that clearly do not work at all, all those people with a single headlight for example.
It is nearly always the grey or dark colour which drives without lights. Our car is dark blue and this is one of the things of which we are very much aware.
Nearly got caught this morning, joining a road from a filter lane. Raining - road-coloured car - NO LIGHTS!
Has anyone else noticed that when a line of cars is coming towards you in poor light, it is always the one in front that doesn't have lights on? Or is it just my imagination?