van speed limits

[smellmycheese]

Just recieved a ticket in the post from mister plod intending to prosecute me for speeding. A483 junction 7 rossett wrexham. Aparently a well known spot for traps. I did see the camera van on the bridge overhead and made sure I wasn't speeding but what I didn't know is the limit is lower for vans. Does anyone know the criteria for a speed awareness course? I was doing 68 in a 60 (that was really a 70)

[spike60]

Think they are 10mph lower on national limits except motorways, 50/60, 60/70. Our Corsa van falls into this class

[New POD]

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

[alf892]

Depends on van weights and exact road type........nice little table in Highway Code/ on Google. Beware source on Google though

[Pillock]

No, I didn't know that either - Car Derived vans can do 70 apparently, Vans can only do 60.

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

[New POD]

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

 

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

 

Vans and ‘car-derived’ vans

Most vans are under 7.5 tonnes laden (loaded) weight and must follow the speed limits for goods vehicles of the same weight. This includes Ford Transit vans.

‘Car-derived’ vans weigh no more than 2 tonnes when loaded and are goods vehicles based on car designs, such as a Ford Fiesta van or Vauxhall Astra van. Check your log book under ‘body type’ if you’re not sure.

[New POD]

No, I didn't know that either - Car Derived vans can do 70 apparently, Vans can only do 60.

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

 

Unless a CAR derived van as PER the V5

[Mr Lobster]

Speed awareness course tends to be if you are around 5 - 10mph over the limit.  Limit would have been 60 for a van so you are certianly in the range of a speed awareness course, depends if they offer them I suppose.  

 

Arnold Clark now have speed limit stickers in their rental vans as a few years back a customer hired a van and got done for speeding in a very similar manner and took AC to court as they hadn't made him aware of the lower limit and they ended up paying his fine and costs or something similar

[dollywobbler]

Note the two-tonne gross vehicle weight - apparently some Berlingos (and of that ilk) are above that limit, but most are below. An awful lot of people don't realise the lower limit for commercials. 

[spike60]

Used to to able to tell from the the tax disc, unless was a DC or PC it was a van. As I already said, our Corsa is one, I guess the cart springs on the back mean it's not a car based van

[cros]

Don't know what you were driving, but in some cases an otherwise identical vehicle with windows in the side would be in the clear. Perhaps if you're 'lucky' enough to receive a day of lectures on road safety they'll tell you how many lives that piece of fuckwittedness saves.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Never heard of this and don't see why they should be different

[alf892]

Speed awareness course tends to be if you are around 5 - 10mph over the limit.  Limit would have been 60 for a van so you are certianly in the range of a speed awareness course, depends if they offer them I suppose.  

 

Arnold Clark now have speed limit stickers in their rental vans as a few years back a customer hired a van and got done for speeding in a very similar manner and took AC to court as they hadn't made him aware of the lower limit and they ended up paying his fine and costs or something similar

Seems a bit 'nice' for uncle Arnie!

 

Up to driver to ensure he knows the law as it applies to his vehicle Shirley ?

 

I used to run reminders in team briefs every so often and while people were often surprised it didn't slow them down at all

[dollywobbler]

Never heard of this and don't see why they should be different

 

Well think about it. The greater the weight, the greater the stopping distances in most cases. Clearly no-one told anyone who drives a Merc Sprinter!

[twosmoke300]

It's also to do with the lack of visibility I think . Any copper who pulls vans for doing 70 is gonna have a busy day

[smellmycheese]

Long wheelbase hightop tranny. Don't know what's worse.... an sp30 on my clean licence or listening to some wanker bang on all day about road safety.

[HillmanImp]

Never knew this either, I knew about lorries but thought vans were just the same as cars. Not that I drive vans that often. 

[AlabamaShrimp]

I thought stopping distances and speed limits were all bollocks now with much better breaks and tyres?

 

I know they haven't been changed just that they need to be

[alf892]

It's also to do with the lack of visibility I think . Any copper who pulls vans for doing 70 is gonna have a busy day

 

It's those camera vans that do very efficient work in these cases though.

 

Bit like trucks who are supposed to do 40 on single carriageways. Seems to enrage car drivers and makes them go to suicidal lengths to get by. But if truck driver does 50 and generally makes things better/safer some twunt in camera van will push the button.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Awfully bad luck old bean. Normal speed for a rusty Benz sprinter on the M4 is 100.

[Richard]

I think the HGV speed limit might be going up to 50 on single carriageways soon. It already has done on the A9.

[scruff]

 

Bit like trucks who are supposed to do 40 on single carriageways. 

 

 

Not for much longer my friend!! Woo hoo

[alf892]

Not for much longer my friend!! Woo hoo

 

About bloody time though..........although it never really mattered before camera vans

[alf892]

Jumps on soapbox.....

 

I reckon this is why cameras are wrong..........you just get a ticket and you think fuck you coppers.

 

Back in the day a copper pulls you over,and, as long as you weren't driving like a twat, copper would give you some verbal guidance and off you go with a lesson learned and a much better opinion of the law.

 

Not because you were let off but because it was applied with common sense.

[New POD]

Used to to able to tell from the the tax disc, unless was a DC or PC it was a van. As I already said, our Corsa is one, I guess the cart springs on the back mean it's not a car based van

 

What does the V5 say ? My old fiesta turned out to be a car derived van with rear side windows on the V5

[oman5]

As of April this year HGV limits are going up, it will be 50 on a single carriageway and 60 on dual carriageways.

[alf892]

Nice bit of irony with that 60 though.........

[2MB]

I'm genuinely shocked by that. Guess reading the highway code is too distant a memory. Are pick up trucks classed as cars, or goods vehicles?

[wuvvum]

As of April this year HGV limits are going up, it will be 50 on a single carriageway and 60 on dual carriageways.

But you can guarantee that Tesco will keep their trucks to the old lower limits, because, as their patronising little stickers proclaim, "Tesco takes your safety seriously" (i.e. "we're desperately trying to get double figure fuel consumption out of our shitty Axors to help avoid being bankrupted by Aldi").  Apparently nobody's pointed out to them that the 40mph single carriageway speed limit is one of the most indirectly dangerous pieces of legislation out there.

[dollywobbler]

I'm genuinely shocked by that. Guess reading the highway code is too distant a memory. Are pick up trucks classed as cars, or goods vehicles?

 

Same - goods vehicles if over 2 tonnes gross weight (ie laden). How that affects double-cab pick-ups, I've no idea. I do know that Mitsubishi Delicas are counted as trucks by the toll booths on the M6 Toll, and that no amount of arguing will get them to change the price. As my very argumentative friend discovered. I think his rant lasted 20 minutes and annoyed the people behind him very much.