Team-BHP - Do you follow the official speed limit?

Voted Yes. As long as there's not a medical emergency I always stick to the limit.
Speed limits are designed considering various parameters which insure safety in most conditions.
When there's nobody to watch or traffic is less we tend to over speed but there's always possibility of some animal appearing in the middle of road, losing of traction due to wet surface, some construction work going on, etc.

Chose sometimes.

On highways- i am always under the speed limit by 5-10kmph. Just gives me the extra second or two that may be needed.

In residential areas- i do not dare to cross 15-20kmph even on my bike. Very very scared of kids running out.

In City- while driving i try and follow it to the extent possible but find myself 5-10kmph over the speed limit at times. There are some absolutely brilliant stretches of road in delhi with a limit of 50kmph. If i am at 50, some one will rear end me and i just don't want that. I guess its for my own safety that i go with the 'flow' of the traffic. On my bike- almost never. I mostly ride on sunday early mornings and i am guilty of violating speed limits. I don't chase high triple digits but in the strictest sense of the word, i am violating the rules.

Chose - Only If I am aware of speed guns/cameras.

I feel that the speed limits defined on Indian roads are woefully understated. City limits are usually a max speed of 50 Km/Hr, or sometimes lesser at 40 Km/hr. NH have a max limit of 100 Km/Hr, and only Expressways have a limit of 120 Km/Hr. There are only 5 expressways in India which are greater than a 100 Kms in distance, and another two that are in the 90 Kms range. The limit everywhere else is at max a 100 Km/Hr. I refuse to believe that it is practical to always stick within 100 Km/Hr on the rest of the roads in India.

I do consider myself a safe driver, mainly cause I feel that I stick within the limits of the car that I am driving and the road that I am driving on.

Its not simple to answer yes or no for me (I guess its true for most of us). but then its "most of the time" than sometimes, and of course always cautious when I know police is waiting in known junctions/stretch. So voted for Others.

All the cars I drive, mine or family, are by nature sedate vehicles (Ritz, regular Polo, Innova etc). In city 95% time I am in limit (even on elevated highways) and 5% time may over speed mostly to get rid of annoying back trailing car. On highway, in a way I am sedate driver only, maintain a speed 80 - 110KMph (of course it depends and when situation permits). In my 10 years of driving, I drove in 120+ kmph that you can finish counting in a finger or two. So can say around 50% time I drive over speed limit of 80kmph when on open highways.

Going through this thread, I feel like I'm one of those few people who never bother about the speed limit.

I generally maintain a speed based on
- the relative speed of vehicles around
- road and weather conditions
- a pace which prevents me from dreaming about and requires me to put in some concentration.
- % of urbanization ahead of me.
- limits of the car. This is when traffic is at its thinnest and is highly dependent on the tires the car is running on. Braking distance is key and right handed corners should be carefully handled especially with the medians with plants and bushes.

I've noticed that depending on these conditions, the speeds maintained hardly correspond to the limits mentioned on the boards and hence I hardly give damn.

Yes, I can proudly say this.

I generally don't go beyond 90-100 on any highways. Even on Mumbai-Pune express way, i maintain these speeds. IMHO, high speeds are always dangerous on any roads in any part of the world and increases chances of accidents drastically. I always like cruising at 80-90 KMPH speeds on highways as you are in full control of the car and you can really enjoy the drive. Anyways if you maintain constant speeds, generally it will not make much difference in time to reach your destination by much.

In my driving experience, moving with the speed of surrounding traffic is the best decision one can make while driving/riding in India. You are bound to be hit by other lunatics or even sane drivers who are keeping in pace with traffic.

Just yesterday, I tried to halt at an unmanned(read without camera) traffic signal on a highway near city entrance(I was the first to see the red and it was empty), and a truck ploughed through just leaving a feet of gap between my car and itself.

It is just plain dangerous and stupid to be the initiator of rule abiding behavior in India. Just do it where everyone is doing it - my 2 cents.

I generally follow the posted speed limit except when the posted speed limit is below 30 km/h and there seems to be no apparent reason (pedestrians or difficult driving condition) for such an impractical speed limit.

On highways, I like to play a game of beating my (self-imposed) mileage score and so my speeds tend to be a bit slower than average traffic.

I do. 100%.

I would have to sell my kidneys if I get caught speeding in Germany.

Although I must say, I compensate for the margin of error. I travel 121 in a 120 zone, 71 in a 70 zone, 51 in a 50 zone. So not really speeding. But compensating.

But if its a 30 zone, I travel 30 because rules are stricter in a 30 zone than in a 50 zone and the sensor margin of error is generally low at this speed.

Honestly, my speed depends more on safety and comfort coupled with availability of legible signages and markings.

I tend to drive at speeds which correspond to the planned schedule for arrival at the destination. I tend to increase or decrease speeds based on the road condition, rain, wet road, visibility, traffic, restrictions by authorities, etc., provided I am in compliance to statutory diktats and convinced regarding the safety of all. I also factor for large number of breaks when planning for long journeys, which per-se does not push me hard to drive at insane speeds but instead allows for a relaxed and enjoyable ride.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swissknife (Post 4663649)

However, where the speed limits are unreasonable (eg. Kathipara clover leaf in Chennai, where the speed limit is 20kph) I could be found to be over the speed limit.

The speed limit in the clover shaped bridge is restricted perhaps because the angle of turn in the circles is so acute that you will be thrown off if you exceed a certain speed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR-71 (Post 4663664)

I try to stick to limits where it is reasonable, but am also prone to making reasonable judgement calls where I feel necessary.

I drive between 90 to 110 depending on the time of the day and condition of the road and traffic.

With an handle like yours which represents the world's fastest plane capable of cruising at Mach 3, your on road speed is quite slow ;)

I take my time to reach a speed and maintain it as far as possible within the constraints of the traffic conditions. My speed will depend on the road and not punctuated by the speed limits. Whatever it is it won't be a Yo-Yo type - the kind many taxi drivers do - speed up to 80 km/h and slam on the brakes to crawl at 5 km/h for a few minutes and then accelerate again.

I chose "Yes" with a caveat. I follow official speed limits only when I go to office (Pun intended:))

In Bangalore, between my house and Electronic City, the moment, I am out of my house, road construction starts and never allows me to drive greater than official speed limits. On Hosur Road, yes, I can drive slightly more than official speed limits, but given the traffic density, even this is not possible.

However, during long drives, sometimes depending upon empty roads, I go slightly overboard.

Attachment 1917577

Attachment 1917578

Probably off-topic, but
Is it just me or are the Average Per Year calculations totally way off the mark.
Instead of diving the totals by 10, these have been divided by 2.
Presents a way scarier picture than the actuals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick.munish (Post 4665289)

The numbers would all reduce by the same factor. Further, it would need to be divided by 9 not 10.