Random Questions - What I'd like to know is ......?

[CrunchieSquirrel]

As I am learning to drive, I often go through some single track roads like in Tingwall Valley and Nesting and this is my question. How fast does anybody go on these roads? I go at either 30 or 40mph, slower? faster? right speed? Is there a speed limit or anything?.

[JustMe]

Well unless in a built up area the speed limit on single track roads is the same as on twin track roads.......60mph. But there is another bit of motoring law that requires drivers to be sensible and roughly speaking that means, among other things, being able to stop safely. In this case both you and the driver of a vehicle coming the other way need to be able to stop safely in the distance from when you first see each other.

 

Obviously this varies. On the straighter bits of road on a good day 30, 40 or even 60mph might be OK but in ice or snow going round a blind bend 10mph might be about right. And you do need to remember that the other driver might be going faster than you are. But as guidance to a learner if you think you are going too fast then slow down and do the same if the qualified driver in the other seat says so.

[Scorrie]

As I am learning to drive, I often go through some single track roads like in Tingwall Valley and Nesting and this is my question. How fast does anybody go on these roads? I go at either 30 or 40mph, slower? faster? right speed? Is there a speed limit or anything?.

 

Always make sure you can stop safely in the distance you can see to be clear and always take into account the likely speed of any oncoming traffic on blind bends/hills.

 

And always be prepared to pull over to let traffic behind crack on, if they want to kill themselves - let them - then at least they won't kill you as well......

 

I'd suggest asking your ADI about anything you are not 100% clear about, I'm sure he/she will be happy to clarify.

[Sherlock]

My dear sir/lady, my fellow scribes are quite correct, in that most drivers forget what may often be the most important aspect of road safety, and the key to safely avoiding accident or injury.

 

I refer, of course, to your braking distance. I always employ a fairly simple and rudimentary formula, which allows me to calculate this in a moment. It is as follows.

 

Take your speed and convert to feet. This is your reaction distance (e.g. 30 mph = 30 feet.

Now half the first digit of your speed (i.e. 30 miles per hour, 3 divided by 2 = 1.5; 40 mph = 2; 50 = 2.5 etc).

Multiply your speed by this number, e.g. 30 x 1.5 = 45.

Add your reaction distance (45 + 30 = 75 feet)

This is your total stopping distance.

 

Written as such, it may seem complicated, however, if one stops to consider it, it becomes the simplest of arithmetical sums.

 

You will note, however, that by adding 10 mph to each successive speed, the stopping distance grows exponentially (as pointed out recently, in another thread). Ergo, at 30 mph, your stopping distance is 75 mph (supposing fair weather and road conditions, as well as good reflexes and decent brakes and tyre surfaces in your vehicle). However, at 40 mph, it becomes 120 feet; 50 mph, 175 feet; 60 mph = 240 feet, etc).

 

Try measuring out these distances on foot, in front of your vehicle, sometime. It is a sobering procedure, which should, I hope, provide food for thought and consideration, the next time you may be tempted to "boot it" or tailgate the idling chappie in front of you.

 

Please, one and all, if you value your lives and health, and love your families, please drive carefully and in accordance with road, weather and traffic conditions.

 

It is one of the saddest tasks an Officer must carry out, to knock on a family's door and impart that their loved one is dead or severely injured. In such instances, I would submit (once again) that it is the surviving family that are the true victims, as they shall spend the rest of their lives in mourning.

 

And just because the speed limit may be 60 mph, it does not mean you must drive at that speed, no matter how angry it may make the chap behind to have to follow at 55, or 50 miles per hour (or 40, or 30, etc, if the weather is poor and you feel safer travelling at such speeds).

 

I remain, as always,

 

Your humble servant.

[Scorrie]

Wise words from our Baker Street resident.

 

To add to the above:

 

For following distance, always allow a two-second gap between yourself and the vehicle in front.

 

The way to work it out is to pick a marker on (or at the side of) the road. When the vehicle in front of you gets to the marker (could be a fencepost or a gateway, for example) , say to yourself "only a fool breaks the two second rule".

 

If you are still saying this as you pass the marker - you are less than two seconds from the vehicle in front, bear in mind that this is for dry conditions. For wet - double up - say it twice.

[JustMe]

Seen today while in a bus heading north out of Lerwick. Car some way in front braked when approaching a slow moving tractor despite the second lane being clear for overtaking. Then proceeded to pass the tractor by pulling out over the double white lines into the lane for people coming into Lerwick. Good example of how not to drive!.

[Ian_H]

A lot of good advice given above. To the question doglover asked, I think 30 to 40 mph on these types of single track roads is pretty reasonable.

 

As above, there is no single right answer, it depends on conditions. 60 mph (unrestricted) is the maximum speed not a target. Don’t worry how fast anyone else goes, you have to drive at what is safe for the conditions, and safe/ comfortable for you yourself. As a learner, you will get more confidence with time and experience, to judge what is right for you.

 

While 30 to 40 will be reasonable much of the time, there are places where 20 is too fast, and others where 50+ is okay. So drive to the actual conditions as you find them, and don’t be bullied by the car behind.

[abraxas]

Abso-frickin-lutely! I mean, formula 1 drivers have wangled a bye in the past on speedin charges by virtue o the fact the road was clear an they are pretty durrrrrn goooooooooood (Damon Hill, i think it was) at drivin a tad faster than ye or me (tho in Shetland, sometimes I ain't so sure ) where ye'd get yer muckle sphincter handed te yez on a silver platter if ye went toddlin on at 60 on an icy winters day an wiped out another car thanks te yer unsafe an inappropriate speed! I remember back home, we got a video on this (an other public info messages) in high school. I take it there's nothin like this here? Pity, if no.

[Shetland_boys]

Did the taxpayers bail out the Bank of Scotland?

[MJ]

no, not quite, Llyods bailed out Bank of Scotland, the tax payer bailed out Llyods.

[unlinkedstudent]

^ They did?

 

The Royal Bank of Scotland were bailed out by the tax payer, as were Lloyds. I didn't think Bank of Scotland was as I thought they were owned by the Halifax?

 

As a result, most of the RBS English branches are being sold to Santander and it a right messy process transferring to a Scottish branch, unaffected by the sale. The blooming EU decided RBS have too much of a monopoly and in order to say 'yes' to the bailout by the tax payer aka Government, they have to sell the English branches. Now how this means Santander won't have a monopoly beats me!

[MJ]

(Okay 3rd time lucky)

 

Bank of Scotland bought Halifax, and moved it's headquarters to the Halifax's one. HBoS was the 2nd bank to admit to being in trouble, to avoid the same chaos as with Northern Rock, LlyodsTSB was encouraged to take over HBoS. Llyods found out how deep a hole they'd been conned into and got bailed out by the Government. When Royal Bank of Scotland admitted to it's problems (after trying to illegally con more money out of it's share holders) the government just had to step right in as they couldn't find anyone foolish enough to take it.

Those of us with Scottish TSB accounts are finding ourselves transferred to the Cooperative Bank at some point, which is more like the TSB was than Llyods ever has been.

Avoid Santander at all costs if a business user, tbh just avoid Santander, the horror stories of the last 2 years plus do you really want your money in a Spanish Bank with the current financial crisis in Spain?

 

Edit - just discovered a piece of news slipped by me during our last sunny patch, Coop has pulled out of taking the Scottish TSB accounts, we may be headed for NBNK...

[unlinkedstudent]

^ Cheers for that info.

[lynnR]

When I think in my head I'm either 'hearing' what I'm thinking or picturing it.

 

How do deaf people 'hear' their thoughts?

Also how do blind people picture their thoughts?

 

Hope it makes sense.

[tlady]

 

Same carry on wi Al Fayeds castle , its pink too bless him

That wouldn't worry me.. lol

 

The "wet bit" of the building has never changed, surely it should be shrinking?

 

So !! do I get a gold star for realizing that the whole thing was faulty? This will cost a fortune to sort oot! and should be the responsibility of the original contractor!!