Raising the Limit
21 September
60mph...70mph...80mph...
While the government hints that they are considering raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph, this has prompted predictable warnings from safety organisations. But at the same time they have been welcomed by organisations representing drivers.
Who is right? And what would such a change mean for Britain’s fleet drivers?
When fleet managers were surveyed by pollsters a few years ago, they said a rise in the limit to 80mph would be beneficial for their businesses. But is that still correct?
The obvious advantage for professional drivers is the ability to reduce journey times by travelling faster. For example, a 200-mile journey takes 2hrs 51mins at 70mph, at 80mph it would take 2hrs 30mins: a saving of 21 minutes.
Over 20,000 motorway miles, a possible annual motorway total for a busy working driver, that means saving around 35 hours or almost a week’s work.
That saving has to be balanced against increased fuel costs. These are different across vehicles but all will demonstrate a marked jump in consumption from 70mph to 80mph.
It’s not a simple proportionate rise; your engine is most fuel efficient at 56mph. Above that, consumption rises sharply. Government figures suggest the change from 70mph to 80mph could cause a 25% increase. Other more favourable studies have still shown increases in consumption above 10%. Would the reduction in journey time be worth that hike in costs?
In the wider world, the increased speed will be linked to greater environmental damage from emissions and noise, and potentially higher accident and casualty rates. The Transport Research Laboratory warns that the rise could cause 18 lost lives, 64 serious injuries and 363 slight injuries a year.