Vorpal wrote:There is a reason that speedometers register the speed conservatively. It is a legal requirement that helps contribute to people driving at an appropriate speed. Satnavs may ergister a speed that is closer to actual speed in some conditions, but that doesnæt mean they are a better way to judge your speed. Yes, the little 'ding' when you exceed the speed limit is nice. BUT if you use your speedo, and it is legally calibrated, there is no reason ever to hear the 'ping'. So what if your speedo registers a few mph below the actual? So do most other people's.
Are you sure that speedos overstate speed for that reason? I thought it was just that they are inaccurate and affected by things like tyre wear, and for safety reasons cannot be allowed to understate the speed. If you use your speedo to judge your speed and take what it tells you literally you will be doing maybe 27mph when you think you are doing 30mph. If you then tell yourself that you want to be on the safe side and see a reading on your speedo 3mph below the 30 limit, you will take a further 3mph from the actual 27 you were doing, meaning 24mph. 20% below the limit.
Delivery drivers start their working day with a very tight schedule. Most are employed and don't get to draw up their own schedule. We the customers demand stuff cheap and moan if it is late. So the driver is under pressure at work, as most of us are. They have a duty to drive within the law and to maintain safely. But where safety can be maintained they have a pressure to do close to the speed limit so that they don't fall behind schedule. If we care about other people regardless of their vehicle we should factor that into our considerations. I'm not suggesting anyone exceed the limit or drive at an inappropriate speed.
A funny story, funny now but less so at the time. I was once driving from South Wales to the north of England and for some reason took the mid Wales route and ended up on the road between Llandrindod and Newtown. The car was a low powered Mk1 Seat Ibiza with a 1 litre Fiat engine, so very slow to accelerate. Overtaking was rarely possible.
I finished up behind a car driven by an old lady. On the straights it did a normal speed, upto about 40, so in my low powered car I couldn't pass. But on the corners, of which there are a great many, she slowed to 15mph or thereabouts. This was on a 60mph limit A road. This went on for maybe 15 miles. Crawl around a corner then zoom. Crawl then zoom. My mind went through its own journey, from incomprehension, through frustration, then resignation, then humour. I was on a private journey so I had time to play with, but that would have been very stressful for a delivery driver on a tight schedule.