Tichborne continues to welcome careful drivers

Here are so useful tips for staying within the speed limit.

1. Check your speedometer.

This is an obvious one, but keep glancing at your speedometer to tell you how fast you are going. Your speed could be creeping up without you noticing and you don’t want to have to find out you were going too fast after the speed camera flashes.

2. Look for signs.

When joining a new road, look for signs to tell you the speed limit, don’t always assume it’s the same as the road you were just on. A lot of drivers who are caught speeding say it was unintentional, and they thought the limit was higher than it was. You often find this is the case when people think that the road has a 40mph limit when it’s 30mph, or a 30mph limit when it’s actually 20mph. Signs indicating the speed limit are often put at junctions, where the speed limit changes.

3. Street lighting often means 30mph, but it can also mean 20mph

It’s fairly common knowledge that if you are driving on a road with streetlights, the speed limit is 30mph. However, the limit could be lower.

4. Even if the speed limit is 30mph, it can be too fast

If you are driving in a residential area, you do not have to hit 30mph. In fact, the slower you drive, the better. Therefore, although the speed limit might be 30, 20 is always recommended.

5. Avoid distractions.

Your speed can creep up when you are distracted. This could be talking to a passenger, looking out the window at something interesting (Stonehenge is the worst for this) or even listening to music or the radio. Make sure you are free of distractions. Don’t listen to music if it’s going to distract you, or if you are talking with a passenger make sure that you are concentrating on the road first and foremost. If you are talking about something that requires your whole attention, then wait until you’re out of the car.

6. Watch your speed when driving through small villages and towns.

Speed limits are often the strictest and the punishments the harshest through villages and small towns. Tearing through a village can be dangerous and can also get you a hefty fine. Check the speed limit before you approach a village or a small town, and be aware of any signs that tell you to slow down or if there are speed limit changes. You will also want to be aware of traffic calming procedures such as speed bumps. It can be particularly common to speed through a village if you have come off a country road, because you might not have realised the speed limit has changed. Therefore, it is vital that you keep an eye out for speed limit changes.

7. Speed limits are a maximum, they are not a target.

They are there as a guide, and are not there for you to try and reach in the quickest time possible.There are times when driving too slowly can be dangerous, such as on the motorway for example, but a lot of the time, it doesn’t hurt to go slower than the speed limit.This is particularly the case if you are travelling on rural roads that have the national speed limit, or in residential areas or towns. You know how fast your car can travel without you feeling like you are losing control, or how fast it goes before you increase your stoppage time. Therefore, if you feel like you should be driving slower for the safety of yourself and others around you, then you should drive slower. If the roads are wet, it is dark or the weather is bad, then you shouldn’t feel like you have to do the speed limit if you feel that it is too fast.

In conclusion, the key to sticking to the speed limit is to avoid distractions and to keep an eye out as to what the speed limit is, especially if you are joining a new road. While the speed limit is often 30mph in a residential area, there is no harm in going slower, especially if you know that there are children playing. Keep calm on the road, and make sure you eliminate any triggers that may cause you to break the speed limit. Hopefully this has given you some idea of how to stick to the speed limit.

Many Thanks.