Do you need to slow down on British motorways when it is rainy?

Question

In Germany you are taught to drive more slowly on the motorway when it is rainy or foggy. For instance when it is really rainy I usually slow down from about 140 mph to 110 mph and sometimes even 100 mph.

In the UK the speed limit is 70 mph only, so basically people dont learn this lesson at driving school to slow down when it is rainy as they always drive slow anyway ???

Answer 1

on motorways in the uk there are flashing signs telling you to slow down to 50mph most people listen and slow down if its raining or bad weather people use common sense anyway and slow down but there is 6 people killed a week on the motorway in bad weather a week anyway not every one has common sense but they can pay the price by loosing there life by not slowing down

Answer 2

Dont get angry at him. He never said he was driving faster then 70 mph in the UK or that he was driving unreasonably. In the UK you always think of idiots when hear driving fast. In Germany almost everyone is driving fast from a British point of view. Even my mum or grandpa.

Slow and fast is a relative term. It depends on the roads as well and
your car. To me 70 mph (110km/h) is a slow speed. The speed limit in Germany is sometimes 120 km/h when it is foggy or rainy (electronic speed limits). 120 is still higher then 70 mph and if it was unsafe they would change it!

Assuming you have a safe car and traffic permits it, you dont need to drive more slowly then 70 mph when it rains...

Aqua planning is not a problem with new cars with the tires are in a good condition and you have ESP/ABS...and experienced drivers switch it off anyway.

If the road is icey, you should slow down however, or if the road is in a bad condition..but thats just common sence..

I am also from Germany, so I am a bit biassed - to me 140 is still a normal speed. People who drive Porsche or Ferraris drive 280+ km /h often which is about 175+ mph.

140 mph on a German motorway is not that fast. An example of reasonable and safe driving at hight speeds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coMNm7fOYJs

And now really terrible and bad examples in contrast to that:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsA2OZVqybU
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_B6B8ntwu8
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctI4Pf0IyaQ&mode=related&search=

You can drive decent and quietly at this speed and safely if there is not much traffic and if you are NOT in the UK but in Germany.

Most accidents occur on roads that are not motorways. So speed is not the danger, it is determined by other factors.

You should not judge people who drive fast in other countries. You can not possible think 10 million "fast" drivers in Germany were stupid. Maybe in the UK people who havent been abroad are just socially conditioned.

The number of accidents on German motorways has reached an all-time low as cars become safer and people also drive safer then 10 or 20 years ago. A free country for free people..not like the UK or USA.

I am against speeding! Only where it is safe a legal....

Answer 3

The speed limit maybe 70, but you'll find that the average on motorways here is between 70 - 95mph. If you get caught over 100 mph speeding you face a ban, under 100mph you get three points and a sixty pound fine.

To answer you first question, we are told to use common sense, however their are so many idiots on the road that this doesn't hold up. were taught overhere to leave a 2 second gap in the dry good conditions, and are warned that breaking can take up to 5 times the distance when wet and up to 10 times when icy.

Answer 4

It;'s not explicitly in the highway code - but should be - countries like France and Germany have slower speed limits in fog or rain. In the UK the speed limit stays the same - although you are taught to modify your driving according to the conditions - I don;t think it sticks with some people - variable speed limits are much better idea - we would be much better off if this was adopted in the UK. So often I see morons tailgating each other in the outside lane at 100mph plus in conditions where you can barely see the car in front - and then you wonder why accidents happen!

Answer 5

Hello,

In England we are told when we are learning to drive that we should always slow down and allow more stopping distance when its raining. It depends on the driver if they choose to listen or not.

Wether the speed limit is 70mph or 100mph or over it doesnt matter when the roads are wet. More so if the weather has been very hot recently and theres been a drought (no rain) then when it DOES rain, the roads are twice as slipperay than on a normal day. Stopping distances are determined by the speed in which you are doing.

Alt of people in England dont listen to the 70mph spped limit for motorways anyway. Alot do between 90mph and over 100mph. Ofcourse if they get caught then thats their problem!

At just 40mph on a slippery wet road it takes approx 9.4 seconds to stop your car. If your tail gating (driving bumper to bumper) your more than likely to hit the car infront of you and the car behind you is more than likely to hit you.

So if we increase the speed to 100mph or over the length of time needed to stop in heavy rain is greater.

Personally i cant say im perfect myself, I do often drive between 70 and 80 on a motorway but i HAVE in the past gone faster.

Answer 6

It is 'wise' to slow whilst it is raining or where there is 'standing water.' If not for ones self, but because of other traffic ahead which may need to slow or stop in an Emergency.

Likewise in foggy conditions too. I've had cars 'Zipp' past me where the conditions have been really bad in fog, and found that visibility has deteriorated amazingly so just a hundred yards ahead.

If I have to deal with an Emergency, then I really don't want some fool ploughing into my rear end and spoiling my day or my car because they are too stupid to obey rules or common sense.

Sash.

Answer 7

There are lots of evidence that driving at high speeds, Rain or not can cause fatal accidents.
We all learn the speed limit when we are learning to drive but it doesn't mean that no one will ever speed once they have passed their test.
You only need to look into the number of accidents on motorways in Britain every day.
You might be a great driver...It just takes an idiot who is driving his car at break neck speed weaving in & out of lanes on the Motorway.
Believe me..... speed kills

Answer 8

The speed limit does not alter in the UK for rain, drivers are required by the highway code to drive according to the conditions prevailing

Answer 9

Not legally you don't but sometimes it is wiser to do so as surfice spray can make it a very dangerous place to be plus there is a longer stopping distance of 4 seconds or more. I am not surprised with the amount of accidents as everyone seems to be in such a hurry nowadays and don't care what type of weather it is.

Answer 10

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