Why does the Government fib? 1
The other day I checked the distance it would take to stop (on an empty road) at 70 mph. When travelling at this speed, I waited for a mark on the road to come up and then I braked hard. The car came to a rest with no drama. I noted the position and parked up to pace out the length. I had stopped within half the distance given in the Highway Code.
The Highway Code is way out of date. Since the braking distances were first published over half a century ago, better wider tubeless radial tyres covered with stickier rubber are now fitted to vehicles and all round disk brakes are now commonly found on cars. Parts are optimised using computers and the invention of transistors has led to antilock braking.
Clients dutifully learn the braking distances for the theory test. They are largely irrelevant to anything other than a veteran car!
Why does the Government fib? 2
I recently noticed the removal of signs on the A325 dual carriageway through Farnborough which proclaimed that there were 18 casualties along that road in one year and that we should comply with the 30 mph speed limit. The signs were fibs and this was unearthed by the Aldershot News. Just one accident along that stretch was speed related according to unpublished Government figures. This happened when an inexperienced motorcyclist on a new machine struck a kerb and was thrown off his motorcycle.
The results of Government fibs
If we are fed with false propaganda in order to justify the placing of speed cameras, motorists will be antagonised. Genuine safety initiatives will not be respected.