Speed awareness

[BENT_8]

So with all this talk of speed enforcement and the notion of having to gaze at your speedo every 5 seconds to avoid a fine, I thought i'd put up a poll to see how prevalent this is.

So tell us, do you find it easy to maintain a legal speed without 'speedo gazing'

Please be honest about this, and I would hope as many people will contribute to finally put this to bed.

To clear up any concerns, let 'Gazing' represent the need to continually check your speedo to the point of distracting you.

People always say they cant concentrate on driving safely as they are in constant fear of speed cameras and must therefore 'gaze' at their speedo's to the point of distraction.

[lucas2]

I find myself always checking my speedo, especially here in Victoria they have speed cameras hidden on parked cars and that small lapse in concentration can get you pinged at 3km/hr over the limit.

I think most people would check their speed almost subconsciously, like a habit, similar to constantly checking your mirrors.

[Alan D Segal]

I propose that the OP changes it to 'glancing', rather than gazing. You don't need to stare at your speedo when a half-second glance should be enough.

[Streets]

I find it easy to keep it at or under 60 without looking at the gauge every few seconds. However once you get to highway speeds it gets a bit harder to "feel" your speed. 80 and 90 feel very similar, as do 100 and 110. It doesn't help that the speed limit switches between these two pairs of numbers often (eg you are doing 90 and the speed limit drops back to 80 for a while).

[EVLKNEVL]

It's not that we can't do it, we just don't think it's absolutely the safest way to drive.

Personally I think the government could easily avoid all these speed camera criticisms by removing all speeding fines and adjusting the points system accordingly.

[WPR1]

Honestly around the blurbs there would be a window of around 10km/h. You might look down and your doing 50 next time you look you are doing 60.

On the freeways I always use cruise control as there is more chance for variation.

Unfortunately the authorities always say speed kills, what they should be saying and concentrating on is inappropriate speed kills.

[paule11]

Not going in this poll not enough choice I find speedos inaccurate and use gps and cruise control on the highway too easy to speed without cruise control

[Ducati888]

Generally I use the cruise control everywhere, and I mean everywhere. When I'm on the motorbike I glance at the speedo a fair bit because a 1mm movement of the throttle can be 10kph or more.

Perspective of speed comes with experience I believe, but in the car you can't hear the engine to gauge from. On the bike I can, and I generally know how fast I am going by what gear I'm in and the engine noise. You also get perspective from the other cars on the road, as well as fixed things like trees etc..

I road race motorbikes, and up until recently never ran a speedo. I had no idea how fast I was going on the track because there is no reference point like trees, fence posts etc. This year I have a new bike with a speedo integrated so I can't remove it. I was suprised to see that I hit 274 at the braking marker in to turn 1 at Phillip Island, and carried in excess of 150 around turn 2. It feels slow.

Some things you don't need to know.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Ducati888

Perspective of speed comes with experience I believe, but in the car you can't hear the engine to gauge from. On the bike I can, and I generally know how fast I am going by what gear I'm in and the engine noise. You also get perspective from the other cars on the road, as well as fixed things like trees etc..

This is exactly how I do it, only times Ive been caught speeding was in other peoples cars where the sounds, and sensations were different and I don't habitually check speedo every second.

JP

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Ducati888

Generally I use the cruise control everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

hooray.

+1 for this. i use cruise all the time. all zones from 50 through to 110.

[Bent8]

Yep, always glancing at the speedo, until I engage cruise and finally enjoy the drive.

Here in WA, drive past a speed camera at 65 in a 60 zone and you won't get flashed.... do it at 66kph and the WA Govt helps themselves to $75 from your wallet.

The word pathetic comes to mind...

[Sprint]

Originally Posted by prydey

hooray.

+1 for this. i use cruise all the time. all zones from 50 through to 110.

Dude this sounds so dangerous!!, do you have a cappacino machine on the passenger seat and classical music on as well while you read your paper?

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

Its just my opinion , But I think this is a silly poll and some of the answers are silly as well (some funny silly , some just plain silly ! ) . The way you drive your car is affected by the mood your in when you do it , by what is happening in your surroundings as well as whats happening in your life at that time . Like I said , just my opinion !

[Maka]

Originally Posted by Sprint

Dude this sounds so dangerous!!, do you have a cappacino machine on the passenger seat and classical music on as well while you read your paper?

Using the cruise where logically possible helps me focus on the road ahead better than not using it imo, it guarantee's i dont speed. I have a steady foot too but cruise control saves me the hassle of having to glance at my speedo every minute or two especially in radar zones or school zones.

cheers, Maka

[malazn mafia]

Generally gauge speed against other cars on the road in suburbia and busy motorways, and am often below the limit by 5-10 for safety and practicality. Always drive slower than the limit when driving along a row of parked vehicles. But exit suburbia and give me an empty highway or nice straight stretch I can see the end of, no way in hell am I sticking to a legal limit.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Sprint

Dude this sounds so dangerous!!, do you have a cappacino machine on the passenger seat and classical music on as well while you read your paper?

care to elaborate??

using cruise is dangerous because i'm spending too much time looking out the windscreen??

you do realise the cruise buttons are right there on the wheel (FG) and can be activated and cancelled with a simple press on one button, without even moving my hands. you do also realise that it can also be set in 1km/h increments and that if using cruise, you don't HAVE to set it on the speed limit!!

its in human nature to push boundaries. if the speed sign says 60, how many people drive at a touch over that because they bank on the 'tolerance' of the camera's?? is there any proof that the tolerance that was always given, is not still being given, and that they just tell everyone there is zero (or 3km/h or 1km/h)tolerance just so people don't push the limits.

i drive about 20000km/yr including at least one trip to brisbane and back, and i haven't been done speeding in over 15yrs. just lucky i guess!

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

its in human nature to push boundaries. if the speed sign says 60, how many people drive at a touch over that because they bank on the 'tolerance' of the camera's?? is there any proof that the tolerance that was always given, is not still being given, and that they just tell everyone there is zero (or 3km/h or 1km/h)tolerance just so people don't push the limits.

i drive about 20000km/yr including at least one trip to brisbane and back, and i haven't been done speeding in over 15yrs. just lucky i guess!

And that right there is as honest summation as you will get.

This isn't about the money at all, its about us as humans rebelling against any restriction that is put upon us.
Its not that we cant avoid the trap that is a speed camera, its that we don't want to, or furthermore, don't want that threat placed on us in the first place.
Then when some of us fall victim to them, we get on the pedestal and cry that our rights are being eroded and the same old reasons why paranoia has set in and it is so dangerous and doesn't address the problem.

Well, what if they did away with speed cameras as some suggest and the roads became anarchy, remember, not everyone is as rational thinking as the next person. What about the extra Brockys that would come out of the woodwork then, blasting past the speed limit signs knowing full well there aren't enough cops to go 'round.
I suppose that wouldn't happen as that doesn't fit the argument.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by prydey

care to elaborate??

using cruise is dangerous because i'm spending too much time looking out the windscreen??

you do realise the cruise buttons are right there on the wheel (FG) and can be activated and cancelled with a simple press on one button, without even moving my hands. you do also realise that it can also be set in 1km/h increments and that if using cruise, you don't HAVE to set it on the speed limit!!

its in human nature to push boundaries. if the speed sign says 60, how many people drive at a touch over that because they bank on the 'tolerance' of the camera's?? is there any proof that the tolerance that was always given, is not still being given, and that they just tell everyone there is zero (or 3km/h or 1km/h)tolerance just so people don't push the limits.

i drive about 20000km/yr including at least one trip to brisbane and back, and i haven't been done speeding in over 15yrs. just lucky i guess!

Fully concur.

The FG is well equipped for this day and age of speed cameras. When the cruise control is set, my eyes are 100% on the road the whole time.

My speed is prominently placed right in front of me digitally, so with a quick glance I know exactly what speed I'm doing. No guesswork trying to judge where the analogue needle is sitting against the markers on the speedometer.

The cruise control set speed is just below this digital speedo, which is adjusted by the buttons as mentioned by Prydey. And I do use the cruise control whenever travelling at a constant speed, whether it is 60, 70, or 110, provided there is no slower traffic ahead, of course. I feel totally secure against speed cameras when its set, without having to look at the speedo at all.

I must admit because of my speedo accuracy and excellent cruise control, I push the boundaries. Knowing that the speed on the digital readout are within 1 km/h of GPS speeds at 80, 90, 100 and 110 kph, also at 60 the digital speedo reads 62, I can set my cruise control confidently at 1 or 2 kph greater than the speed limit (provided there are no steeper downhill stretches where the car can inadvertently increase in speed). I haven't yet been pinged once with a speed camera since they were introduced many years ago. ButI know if I do get pinged, I only have myself to blame for pushing that boundary.

But I do find myself annoyed with the drivers who just sped past me a minute or two before, suddenly braking and slowing down to more than 10 kph less than the speed limit at a speed camera, and are still in the right lane.

[mik]

it depends on what road your on, if you are on densely populated roads that speeds up and slow down constantly you have no choice but to keep glancing at the speedo, and cruise is not always an option, welcome to melb north.

[Chopped]

I check my speedo every now and then. I also car perve and lady perve whilst driving.

[XW-BAXR6T]

Originally Posted by Chopped

I check my speedo every now and then. I also car perve and lady perve whilst driving.

Im like what he said. ^^^

[flappist]

This is a very biased poll.

The first choice has nothing to do with the second choice unless it is to imply that only reason that a speed on a sign would be exceeded is that the driver's abilities were inferior to those of one who never exceeds the number on a sign regardless of what dangers, interference and inconveniences he causes to other road users.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by flappist

This is a very biased poll.

The first choice has nothing to do with the second choice unless it is to imply that only reason that a speed on a sign would be exceeded is that the driver's abilities were inferior to those of one who never exceeds the number on a sign regardless of what dangers, interference and inconveniences he causes to other road users.

Its ok, its not compulsory, and 5 people have understood it so far.

Its not rocket science, Answer yes, if the constant need to check your speedo is impeding your ability to drive, or no, if you can maintain a safe speed whist maintaining concentration on the road ahead.

This is the first poll I have posted, so please excuse any shortcomings in my wording, im sure you get my angle.

[pottery beige]

rev limiter 1st.. bit of skiddy into 2nd.. tap brakes.. hit the cruise set...

what's so hard about that....

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

rev limiter 1st.. bit of skiddy into 2nd.. tap brakes.. hit the cruise set...

what's so hard about that....

In ya shed too

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by DJM83

In ya shed too

lols how some can't work out how I pulled a static on the spot in a manual.....

[bangm001]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

rev limiter 1st.. bit of skiddy into 2nd.. tap brakes.. hit the cruise set...

what's so hard about that....

BAHAHA! Yep!

[2011G6E]

In a modern car or even most older ones you will not even be able to "feel" the difference between 100 and 102 or 3. The difference isn't great enough to say with absolute certainty which one of those speeds you are doing.

Even your cruise control will vary by that amount as you go up and down rises and falls in the landcape and you won't even know...and in a state where the limit is set to piddling percentages, the first you will know about it is when you start getting fines in the mail.

I'd agree that "glancing" at the speedo is a more accurate term, and it's something you simply have to do now that they are lowering tolerances to stupid levels.


As for bikes, yes, something powerful like my GSX1400 needs constant monitoring of the speedo if you suspect Plod is around...one tiny twitch of the throttle on a bump in the road or when you move your hand to adjust your grip, and you're almost instantly five kph or more over the limit.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by flappist

This is a very biased poll.

The first choice has nothing to do with the second choice unless it is to imply that only reason that a speed on a sign would be exceeded is that the driver's abilities were inferior to those of one who never exceeds the number on a sign regardless of what dangers, interference and inconveniences he causes to other road users.

The poll itself isn’t biased, but the question behind it is squarely aimed at people who speed and yet claim they are “safer cos I’m not constantly looking at the speedo.” Which is analogous to claiming that drink-driving would make you safe cos you were more relaxed.

Personally I have never had a problem, but it could be because I have long arms & legs, and so drive with my seat all the way back. Consequently the speedo is practically within my line of site, so I can periodically register what it is indicating. I did find it more challenging when driving a truck, but then I am also good at maintaining speed, particularly in vehicles I am familiar with.

I have however found some people (eg my wife) who are always constantly either accelerating or braking. Not only does this give me the ***** and destroy my fuel consumption, but it means they cannot judge their speed without frequent references to the speedo.

I'm also a bit over the whole whining about speeding fines. I have never been pinged when I didn’t deserve it. If you are that worried about getting pinged at 66kph in 60 zone, then aim to stay under 60 not 65.

[BENT_8]

I have edited my OP to include this, I hope it clears up any confusion.

Originally Posted by BENT_8

To clear up any concerns, let 'Gazing' represent the need to continually check your speedo to the point of distracting you.

People always say they cant concentrate on driving safely as they are in constant fear of speed cameras and must therefore 'gaze' at their speedo's to the point of distraction.