Here’s a question.
How fast can you drive on a road with street lights no more than 200 metres apart and without speed limit signs - known to most people as a built-up area?
30mph? That’s OK.
35mph? Probably OK.
36mph? Slow down.
Avon and Somerset Police follow national guidance when deciding how fast you can drive before you’re likely to cop it.
Its enforcement threshold is 10 per cent of the speed limit plus 2mph.
So, you’re unlikely to receive a penalty for doing 35mph in a 30mph zone.
You’re probably safe at 24mph in a 20mph zone, 46mph when the advertised limit is 40mph, or 57mph when it’s 50mph.
But 1mph in any of those cases and you’re fair game.
However, our local constabulary points out the10 per cent plus 2mph is “not an official allowance or ‘safe margin’ - it’s a technical threshold to ensure consistency and account for equipment calibration”.
The force adds: “The law is clear: exceeding the speed limit by any amount is still an offence.”
Does this mean the limit on the roadside speed sign is simply something you should aim for and it’s OK if you go slightly over it?
Or could you still possibly be hit with a fine and points for going 1mph over the official limit?
Confused?
Many motorists will be confused.
Would drivers be able to quote ’10 per cent plus two’ to get out of it if they were facing a speeding penalty?
I’m sure that wouldn’t work - the response would be: “The law’s the law.”
I guess the reason for the 10 per cent plus two policy is that vehicles are safer and more powerful than a few years ago - and slightly faster speeds should help reduce congestion by keeping traffic moving as more people than ever use our roads.
(At this stage I confess to once being pulled over in another constabulary’s patch - and reprimanded for driving too slowly).
I applaud the police for raising the threshold for tackling speedsters. But I believe they should have kept silent about it.
Most drivers will try their luck by breaking the speed limit - so if you’re behind the wheel and can quickly do the maths, you’re likely to head towards 40mph in a 30mph zone or over 60mph in a 50mph area.
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