Speed limits - identifying them. All you need to know as a car driver in the UK (but not Wales!) 

Thank you! Feel free to share the video.

Thanks very much - appreciated! 😊 And best of luck with the test!

Many thanks for some very much appreciated feedback 😊

You’re very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment. And you’re right! After 14 years teaching speed awareness courses I’m no longer amazed how little some drivers know!

@@DrivingvideosUK you're welcome. Thanks again. After nearly seven years of independent driving, I still watch driving videos. Always useful I find. Some drivers can get confused with advisory limits as they say max speed in them, e.g. max speed 40 when the maximum limit is say 50 or 60. Therefore, the driver would be confused what the maximum limit is; 40, 50 or 60? The way that I see it is that if the limit is in a red ring, that's the maximum, e.g. a 50 or 60 in a red ring, which means no more than 50 or 60 and advisory limits won't have a red ring around the number, e.g. max speed 40; the 40 won't have a red ring around an advisory limit of 40. It's still good to stick to advisory limits I find though and a good way of practicing driving safety. There's a road near me which has a maximum limit of 40 and has a sharp bend on it and an advisory limit of 30 on both directions of the bend. I always stick to the advisory 30 on that road, even if the maximum is 40.

Spot on. Red ring is mandatory. Mandatory speed limits are a maximum, and at all times your speed needs to be appropriate. There are blind bends on national speed limit roads where 20mph would be way too fast.

@@DrivingvideosUK exactly. On the road I was referring to, you can get up to the maximum limit of 40 on some the straighter and flatter stretches of that road, but going down the hill at the full 40 would be foolhardy. I often drive down that hill in a low gear (a sign on that road even advises this), say third, even if it makes the revs increase and the limit is 40. On the up hill, I have to often go down to second as it is very steep coming up the hill and getting up to the full limit of 40 is nine times out of ten unachievable. On the bends slightly after and slightly before the hill, there is an advisory 30 limit, which I always stick to and sometimes have to go less than the advisory 30, even if the legal maximum is 40. Driving round those bends at 40 would be very risky. And indeed, many country lanes are national speed limit (60), but you can rarely get to 60 on those roads. Even 30 can be hard to get to at times. There's a road near me which is national speed limit (60) and on some parts of the road, even 30 isn't always achievable. That road should have a 30 limit, not a limit twice as much. Drivers just need to use their common sense and study the road and conditions of it and drive accordingly. That's why a speed limit is called a speed limit, not a speed target.

As you say, it’s a maximum and we always need to drive WITHIN the limit, not AT the limit. Speed limits are set due to risk. Mostly the risk to others. They’re not going to set the limit lower where there are bends and brows of hills. That’s down to the driver. Imagine how often the limit would change on a road somewhere like the Lake District. National for the long straight bit, 20 for the tight bend, back to National for 1/2 a mile, 30 for the bend etc. If they did that then drivers would blame the limit when they spin off into the ditch. The limit is never a guide to the right speed, just the legal maximum. The right speed requires judgement and depends on changing conditions as well as static hazards.

Brilliant - thank you!

Thanks for the positive feedback 😊

That’s a really nice thing to say! Thanks!

Many thanks for the positive feedback. Glad you got some benefit from the video. Enjoy your course!

You are welcome!

Thanks for excellent feedback! Cheers!

There are many reasons. Probably the most common, especially drivers with years of experience, is that the 20 limits are relatively new. 30 limits have been around since the mid 1930s.

Thank you! Much appreciated.

Thanks for the reminder. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle Wales. RU-vid don’t allow editing a video so I think I’ll need a new one just covering Wales.

You’re welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

What’s the source of this? The DVLA has nothing to do with speed limits.

@@DrivingvideosUK Sorry: Highways Agency not DVLA. Councils cannot just invent speed limits. They try, but, they are not enforceable, they are advisory (unless EVERY attempt is registered, which costs money) and people need to know that so that they can have this cash cow attempt laughed out of courts. 🤣 Go read the traffic act, instead of being suckered by MSM (just like people were with COVID).

The video is about understanding speed limits, not setting them, so forgive me if I spend no more time on this, unless you’re proposing that drivers should ignore speed limits because they haven’t been set properly, in which case I ask that you provide a reliable source for your information. Meanwhile please take a look at this: www.gov.uk/government/news/new-speed-limit-guidance-for-councils

@@DrivingvideosUK I suggest that speed limits are now becoming yet another cash cow from motorists. 20 mph carte blanch is ridiculous, and for the those that say "If it saves one child": that proves there is no benefit except for cash, because they have no argument.

A very valid point. My problem is that I’ve no idea how to help anyone with red-green colour blindness. If it’s red it’s law, if it’s green it’s not. Perhaps you’ll have to assume it’s law if unsure. Gemini, Google’s AI, after much persuasion to talk about the UK and not the US, still talked a load of bull about diamond and pentagon signs. The only useful advice I got was: * Nearby Signs: Look for other signs that might indicate a hazard or change in road conditions, as these can often be associated with advisory speed limits. Remember: If you're unsure about a speed limit, it's always better to err on the side of caution and drive at a safe speed.

It’s also worth considering the placement of the signs, as most mandatory speed limit signs are at junctions, and most advisory ones are not. This is no guarantee, so I hesitate to recommend using this.