COMMENT: The Law is an Ass
Have you ever driven a 40-year old car? Try one out if you can. What was perhaps the apple of your eye does not handle, cannot stop and flat out at 85 mph is positively dangerous. Drum brakes were all the rage and a three-speed column gear change helped to propel the cumbersome contraption up to its top speed. Safety was making sure all the doors closed properly and the buttons pushed down and the top of the range Ford models featured a bench type front seat where three passengers could reside in reasonable comfort. If you are too young to remember such times ask your parents (indeed if they did have a car) or a mature person who would have driven in those far off days. Safety belts were for wimps and could be purchased at accessory shops.
In 1965 the government of the day decided that cars were going too fast and imposed a national 70 mph speed limit, which was reduced in 1973 to 60mph on certain dual carriageways and all single lane roads in a bid to lessen petrol consumption due to a fuel crisis. The petrol problem quickly disappeared but the decree remained.
Today”s cars are in a different world when it comes to safety, tribute to the engineers and those who impose the rules.
However the 70 mph rule is still with us and must be one of the most broken laws of all time. Sit on a motorway at 70 mph and you will be overtaken by all manner of vehicles including of course the white van brigade.
The fact that the law is wrong is essentially accepted by most police forces who tend to show a bind eye to motorists driving at a safe and steady 80 mph on motorways. They accept that the modern car, with a minimum of front disc brakes, seat belts, sophisticated suspension and many safety features is not a menace but an essential part of out lives in the 21st century. Officers also drive off duty and most would probably join the motorway traffic stream.
Now we learn that the Wiltshire police have taken upon themselves to stick to the letter of the law and introduce mobile cameras on the M4 in an effort to catch out motorists creeping ever so slightly over the limit. Nothing dangerous. Just a technical offence. But three points and a ”60 fine. Get caught twice and it could be a red card next time. Lose your licence and you have problems. Something is wrong. The police should be after the real speed merchants.
”De facto” most of us seem to drive perfectly safely at 80 mph on motorways. It is the law that is daft and the Wiltshire police for trying to impose it. Let the Department for Transport accept the many reports that the present limit is too low and needs to be raised. For a modern car 80 mph is perfectly OK and far less dangerous than its contemporary was in 1965 at 10 mph less. Today”s cars are safe. It is the law that is an ass.