I also find it strange after taking my wife on holiday there and extensively traveling around for 3 weeks a while back, that she remarked that she hadn't seen one single accident, or indeed a vehicle broken down in all the time that we were there. Can anyone stand up and say that about 3 weeks in Toronto???
Much of this is due to the yearly Ministry of Transportation testing of all vehicles over 3 years old, which I personally think is a great idea for road safety. Another is the fact that British drivers tend to pay more attention to what they are doing.
Why? Because the British police used to have a firm reputation for stopping drivers for "real motoring offences" like careless driving, or driving without due care and attention.
To me, the British roads of the past were some of the safest in the world. On each visit that I have made until recently, this belief was further reinforced. I can therefore fully understand the British drivers' frustration now at having to slow down on roads where some speed limits have now been lowered by as much as 40%.
I personally see no possible benefits in reducing speed limits to what appears as unreasonable to the average driver, other than the obvious money generated. This system won't stop the crazies; they will still disregard the lives of themselves and others, and the posted speed limits.
What it will achieve is to create traffic nightmares throughout the country, and thus totally infuriate the average man and women in the street. Although many of them will not have to worry about that for much longer, as they won't actually have a driving license!
That is no doubt worrying for them, but what also worries me, is the cost to British tourism, as it is becoming nothing short of a nightmare to drive in the UK nowadays.
You see, many UK drivers make use of speed camera detectors in their vehicles, and apparently there is even a website which tells you which ones are working and which are not.
Add to that mix, one ex-Brit like myself, who was used to a certain stretch of two-lane road being 60 mph, which is now 40 mph, and commuters who know which cameras to slow down for and which ones not to. Literally, this becomes a game of "hit brakes, go past camera, and speed up again".
This is all well and good for those in the know, but for the poor tourist who's trying to keep up with the flow of traffic, it's just downright scary. More than a few times I nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. It is especially dangerous when you're following a large vehicle or van, which suddenly hits the brakes like a crazed dog has run out into the road.
Much of this is due to the yearly Ministry of Transportation testing of all vehicles over 3 years old, which I personally think is a great idea for road safety. Another is the fact that British drivers tend to pay more attention to what they are doing.
Why? Because the British police used to have a firm reputation for stopping drivers for "real motoring offences" like careless driving, or driving without due care and attention.
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To me, the British roads of the past were some of the safest in the world. On each visit that I have made until recently, this belief was further reinforced. I can therefore fully understand the British drivers' frustration now at having to slow down on roads where some speed limits have now been lowered by as much as 40%.
I personally see no possible benefits in reducing speed limits to what appears as unreasonable to the average driver, other than the obvious money generated. This system won't stop the crazies; they will still disregard the lives of themselves and others, and the posted speed limits.
What it will achieve is to create traffic nightmares throughout the country, and thus totally infuriate the average man and women in the street. Although many of them will not have to worry about that for much longer, as they won't actually have a driving license!
That is no doubt worrying for them, but what also worries me, is the cost to British tourism, as it is becoming nothing short of a nightmare to drive in the UK nowadays.
You see, many UK drivers make use of speed camera detectors in their vehicles, and apparently there is even a website which tells you which ones are working and which are not.
Add to that mix, one ex-Brit like myself, who was used to a certain stretch of two-lane road being 60 mph, which is now 40 mph, and commuters who know which cameras to slow down for and which ones not to. Literally, this becomes a game of "hit brakes, go past camera, and speed up again".
This is all well and good for those in the know, but for the poor tourist who's trying to keep up with the flow of traffic, it's just downright scary. More than a few times I nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. It is especially dangerous when you're following a large vehicle or van, which suddenly hits the brakes like a crazed dog has run out into the road.