[aargee]

There's a thread running on this already - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ian-roads.html

[MX6]

In US and UK, it's not legally 10 - 20% above speed limit. It's perceived as they don't catch such people often. There's always someone who does 20 mph above the posted limit and mostly, he gets caught.
So in a flow, all traffic keeping 80 on a 70 road in US think that it's acceptable to go 10 up on this road and cops don't catch. Not because it's allowed.
How did the speed come to 84 when you yourself stated that you were doing 95?

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by MX6

In US and UK, it's not legally 10 - 20% above speed limit. It's perceived as they don't catch such people often. There's always someone who does 20 mph above the posted limit and mostly, he gets caught.
So in a flow, all traffic keeping 80 on a 70 road in US think that it's acceptable to go 10 up on this road and cops don't catch. Not because it's allowed.
How did the speed come to 84 when you yourself stated that you were doing 95?

i have seen cops allow 70 in a 60 mph road in the US...in Turkey ..i have done 120 on a 100 kph road ...but have seen people going faster being c aught.

I remember doing 90-95 kph on the speedo ..guess the speed camera was more accurate .

The funny part ...most cars were overtaking me ..just that i was in the middle lane and they found their bakra in me .

[Lukeskywalker]

Ironic, i come across this thread when i got my first speeding ticket.
I was driving on the ring road between Tumkur road and Magadi road junction, I was driving at a sedate speed when I saw the interceptor and the cop waved me down, I parked and walked up to the guy with the speed gun and he said I was doing 71 in a 60kmph stretch, had to pay 300 bucks and got a receipt printed via a blackberry, funnily the cop did not ask for my licence but the receipt had some random licence number printed on it.

I did ask the cop if there was a tolerable speed above the limit as i had exceeded the limit by 10 kms, he said they challan everybody above the set limit.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

I have driven in the US ,the UK and Turkey and I do remember that you are allowed about 10-20% above the legal speed limit.
Please correct me if I wrong.

It is + 5 miles as a rule, but it depends on the cop if he is ok with +10 even. If cops are fining for overspeeding, then its good but, +4 like the OP said, is overly optimistic. Its like the cop is having a ball with the new gizmo in his hands. Blackberry. And yes, receipts should be printed. Period.

[n.devdath]

I have driven in the US and AFAIK it is a 10% error that is permitted. Fine for a car travelling at 84kmph for a 80kmph limit road is ridiculous.
This what makes people restless and agitated.

[tsk1979]

Note from mod: Threads merged

[tsk1979]

There is no acceptable margin here. Its on the whim of the police officer and volume.
for example, on NH1 90 is the limit, and upto 95 you are mostly safe, as they have enough number of cars doing 100+
In Delhi I have been pulled over and challaned for doing 81kmph in 80kmph zone.

[roy_libran]

I just got Challaned at 59 kmph, at a 50 kmph limit road. :(
Completely non-sensical, given that the road was 6 laned, and relatively empty!
Even the Traffic ASI said, I wasn't speeding, but driving very coolly, but I was clocked by the intercepter at 59 for a brief moment!

I paid the 400 bucks for Challan, and didn't try to bribe.

But, it's more than high time that we had some realistic speed limits out here.

[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I think the overall limit in India was raised recently from 60kph to 80kph (may be it was 70 by your experience). All over the world there is an informal grey area of 10-15 (kph/mph depending). But if the catch you then it is the whole hog.

There does not seem to be any uniformity in speed limits. Last month in New Delhi, I saw large signs advising speed limit of 50 kmph on the Dwarka Link Road (it connects Dwarka with NH8, along southern boundary of IGI Airport). (It's a bit ironic because most vehicles on that stretch do 80+ at the least) There are also some super-efficient cops with hand held speed guns who monitor the limits (I had an odd brush with them because I was driving very slow and got pulled over to show my driving licence and answer some questions but no harassment). Elsewhere in central Delhi I've seen speed limit signs showing 40 kmph for cars.

Now in Kolkata I see signs advising 60 kmph limit (on the E.M. Bypass) !! (where again ironically these day's its a struggle to do 50+ due to the congestion, diversions and bad roads)

[thoma]

I would like to get inputs on the topic, 'differentially increasing the speed limit according to vehicle capability'. Is this good or bad? And how?

My neighbor always complains that it is stupid that he can't go above 80 kmph in his Jetta. He has been fined twice caught on camera, breaking the limit. His question had set me thinking in those lines. Although I too had a related query in mind before his: how these high end / luxury car owners enjoy their car on the highways, as they never can push the car to its capacity. He is telling that okay, if you do high speeds in an Maruti800 or an Eon, things will be difficult to control, but if it is an Audi or Merc, the car has got much higher capability to maneuver, accelerate and stop. Then why are all cars barred to the same limit?

Leave aside the personal interaction with my neighbor, but let us discuss on the idea basically. One thing is sure, our cars and highways have outgrown the limits; but then why not allow.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by thoma

I would like to get inputs on the topic, 'differentially increasing the speed limit according to vehicle capability'. Is this good or bad? And how?

My neighbor always complains that it is stupid that he can't go above 80 kmph in his Jetta. He has been fined twice caught on camera, breaking the limit. His question had set me thinking in those lines. Although I too had a related query in mind before his: how these high end / luxury car owners enjoy their car on the highways, as they never can push the car to its capacity. He is telling that okay, if you do high speeds in an Maruti800 or an Eon, things will be difficult to control, but if it is an Audi or Merc, the car has got much higher capability to maneuver, accelerate and stop. Then why are all cars barred to the same limit?

Leave aside the personal interaction with my neighbor, but let us discuss on the idea basically. One thing is sure, our cars and highways have outgrown the limits; but then why not allow.

World over the speed limit for a particular stretch of road is determined by the nature of the area. Things like pedestrian traffic, type of neighbourhood such as residential or industrial, curve and width of the road etc are some of the factors considered. In the US for instance, highways in city area can have a speed limit of 50 mph (80 kmph) while interstate highways usually have a limit of 65 mph. If the highway is in a very open stretch like fields or desert all around with no habitation then the limits can sometimes be 70 or 75 mph (approx 110 to 120 kmph). In residential areas, the speed limit is restricted to 25 miles per hour across the nation unless otherwise posted. Hence it is the nature of the road that is the determining factor rather than the type of vehicle except that in California, trucks are restricted to a slightly lower speed and that is done in India as well on some highways. It is true that some low end cars might have poorer handling but the solution lies in improving safety features in all cars rather than allowing high end cars to drive dangerously.

Having recently moved to India from the US, I am amazed at how fast people think it is safe to drive here. In the US, most highways with 4 to 6 lanes, proper lane discipline, safer vehicles, no slow vehicles like bullock carts or tractors, no pedestrians or cycles, and the speed limit is around 80 to 90 km and here in India people often drive over 120 despite all possible distractions and obstacles. I believe that the speed limit should be 80 kmph on Indian highways and 100 tops on some super expressways like Yamuna expressway and Mumbai Pune one.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

World over the speed limit for a particular stretch of road is determined by the nature of the area.

Hence it is the nature of the road that is the determining factor rather than the type of vehicle

I was just thinking aloud...if the speed can be differentiated based on the type of the vehicle (truck vs car vs motorcycle etc), why not within the type? Because earlier, a car would have meant an Ambassador or a Padmini. Now this is not the case. An A8 is so so different from an Alto in handling, braking and moving away.

Why is the maximum speed of a car stipulated more than trucks and motorcycle? Because the car could be driven safely (without causing accidents) than the rest at that speed. The same reason I am asking here.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by thoma

I was just thinking aloud...if the speed can be differentiated based on the type of the vehicle (truck vs car vs motorcycle etc), why not within the type? Because earlier, a car would have meant an Ambassador or a Padmini. Now this is not the case. An A8 is so so different from an Alto in handling, braking and moving away.

Why is the maximum speed of a car stipulated more than trucks and motorcycle? Because the car could be driven safely (without causing accidents) than the rest at that speed. The same reason I am asking here.

I do see your point. However how would you judge which vehicle is safe at what speed? Ford or Tata might claim that their vehicles have as good handling and braking as a BMW or Mercedes. How will we judge this if both are equipped with ABS, ESP etc? It is easier in a car vs. truck scenario as the sizes and the weight of the vehicles vary considerably. Further, the police would have a hard time. Instead of simply seeing that a car is speeding, they would have to refer to some chart, try to see the make and guess the age of the car and then figure out if it is speeding. Speed limit signs would have dozens of speeds listed further confusing everyone. As it is there is very little speed limit enforcement in India and this will further dilute it.

Remember that the speed limit is the maximum speed allowed and only vehicles in perfect condition should attempt to drive at or near that speed. Anyone having an older car with less than perfect condition should stay at a lower speed than the maximum allowed. If I take a tractor on an expressway, I wouldn't try to drive at 100 even though that is the maximum limit. The highways are there to allow people to travel safely. They are not meant to satisfy the urges of those wanting to try out their fast cars.

[Sommos]

What you say may be very much possible, in theory, but practically it would be very cumbersome for the traffic police to actually implement such a rule. The classification within the category "car" would be very lengthy. The traffic policeman would most probably not be able to judge the differentiating factor between a Jetta and a Vento or City.

Originally Posted by thoma

Because earlier, a car would have meant an Ambassador or a Padmini. Now this is not the case. An A8 is so so different from an Alto in handling, braking and moving away.

Also, you will have to follow the same principle for all the categories.