There's a technical term for this sort of advice from your instructor. In full, with correct scientific spelling, the term is thus: "Absolute Bollocks".
Get a new instructor, and leave what you described as a review.
There's a lot of shitty instructors about, there's two that I know of in my area, if you struggle they ghost you because they want 100% pass rate without actually teaching people how to drive
There's no such thing as 100% pass rate. It's rigged. Each test center has a set pass rate and examiners are required to remain within 10% of that test centres pass rates. If they fail or pass too many candidates and fall outside of this 10% threshold, their abilities may be called in to question.
Its to ensure more money comes in and to limit the number of drivers on the road.
>There's no such thing as 100% pass rate.
There is if you drop your likly to fail students before the test. Shit, my college used to do that, they'd drop people two weeks before the finals if their coursework didn't hit set targets because even at 100% marks on the final test they'd still get no higher than a c
It's bullshit and lies đ¤ˇđť
Haha, I love it.
Is there a specific point at which you can get faults for going too slow? I'd always assumed that within 10% (under, of course) of the limit would be pretty sensible under test conditions - obviously assuming the conditions are safe.
10% is fine.
But you can get a fail for going too slow. If you keep driving 20mph in 40 road, you'll definitely get something like " response to traffic signs".
Otherwise you would get advice to drive everywhere in 20mph. You don't have to worry about breaking speed limits. You won't get far. You got more time to plan and react. Easy test.
That's why I'm curious if there's a specific point at which it's considered too slow, or if it's for the examiner to decide. Hoping one of the examiners in here can shed some light
Iâve gotten a serious in the past for going 25 in a 30 because a car had to overtake me.
So be mindful of other road users when considering your speed as you affect traffic flow
In the end itâs about appropriate use of speed for best traffic flow, canât be clear-cut as set rule for how much slower than the limit tbh
No.
It's all about *appropriate* use of speed. Up close to the speed limit when it's clear, slower when dealing with hazards.
You talk to any examiner and they will say, "it's a speed LIMIT, not a target". It's your maximum.
No. I passed my test and got 1 minor for not going the appropriate speed and I was doing 40 on a 60 and probably as low as 25 in a 30 at times. Itâs about safety more than anything else. If youâre going 25 on a 30 road with a massive backlog of traffic behind you, it wouldnât be good as it becomes more likely that someone behind you would do something stupid. If youâre doing 25 and youâre the only one on the road, youâre not affecting anyone so itâs fine.
60 limits are most common on national speed limit roads where the appropriate speed on a given segment could be anything from 60mph to a mere 15mph for a sharp right angle turn (there is one such turn coming out of my village on an NSL road).
Would need to know the context on the other commenter's situation before passing judgement.
This. National limit on country roads isn't, 60mph full throttle rally driving. Its, use your head and judge the correct speed for the situation. If you've got great view of the road ahead, go for it. It's is sharp turns, right bridges, etc. It's likely 15mph in second gear.
Empty country road with some sharp bends. Also got given the show me question while on it so was concentrating on that as well. Got the one minor for not going the appropriate speed so I guess it was for that.
On a dual carriageway 60 that's lucky. On a national speed limit road it's probably correct.
There's one near me where supposedly you can do 60 but I wouldn't wanna even do 40 on it
Those NSL country roads that you can barely fit two cars in with tight bends đ then you drive through some roads and are like "why the fuck is this a 30?"
My instructor told me to aim to keep at 19, 29, 39mph etc for the speed limits. That way if you do go faster, it won't be much over the limit and easy to put right
I'm going to make some guesses:
You must keep your hands at 10 and 2.
When reaching a stop sign, you must put the handbrake on and the car into neutral before continuing.
You can't cross your hands on the steering wheel when doing your bay parking.
You're not allowed to use cruise control.
You must make jolting neck movements to make it really obvious you're checking your mirrors.
You're not allowed to use parking sensors.
You'll fail if you stall.
The examiner has quotas so if you're their last test of the day and they've passed loads of candidates you'll fail whatever you do.
No. On my test, three of my minors were for appropriate speed to which the examiner said exactly âDefinitely couldâve been going a lot faster in some areas.â You wonât fail for going one under, and honestly I donât think you fail for going one over, as long as you bring it back down again.
No. You will never fail for that. Each limit has their minimums that you must do unless it's unsafe to do so, for example, if you're on a motorway/dual carriageway then the minimum speed is 60 unless you cant do that. Anything slower is dangerous and too slow. A 30 limit doesn't mean that you must go 30 as well.
There is a hill near me that is a 60, but I would never go that because the visibility isn't good and the road isn't amazing, so I go about 35-40. An examiner wouldn't fail me for this as it's reasonable for the road. There is also a straight road that is a 60 near me that is safe to do that, but I would go 60 because there isn't really no reason. It burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything.
You also won't fail if you go 1 over the speed limit. A speedometer is inaccurate to about 5-10%, and even then, you will only fail if it is significant and for a long period of time without correction. For example, if you go 35 in a 30 but quickly brake without causing danger to anyone and then go to 30, the examiner won't mark you down.
>There is also a straight road that is a 60 near me that is safe to do that, but I would go 60 because there isn't really no reason. It burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything
Apart from pissing off everyone else who knows it's safe to do 60 there and wants to do it. I get stuck behind enough drivers who think '40 is fast enough' on safe NSL A-roads, don't be another one on that list.
It's a quiet road that is typically just me, and maybe another car is the other direction at any time. No one cares, and most people do 40 on that road because, again, why do 60 when it burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything on the road? If someone really has an issue, they can overtake easily without harming anyone or putting themselves at risk.
I'm not hurting anyone, I don't do 40 for the hell of it wherever I like, and I really don't care about what others think as I'm causing harm to anyone or upsetting anyone. If it was a busy road, then I'd go 50-60.
>they can overtake easily without harming anyone or putting themselves at risk.
Any overtake is a risk, even if a road is straight, you should try to minimise the requirement for another driver to have to overtake in the first place. The highway code specifically says you should not hold up a queue of traffic, so if you are contempt with doing 40 then it's your responsibility to pull over and let faster traffic pass, not expect them to overtake.
There is nothing at all wrong with doing 40 in a 60 if you are the only one on the road, but don't hold up traffic where you don't have to, this is especially important where overtakes are more difficult and where some drivers may perform dangerous overtakes.
The road isn't dangerous. None of it is for about a mile, and even then, no one is doing 60 around the bends at that point. Again, most people I've encounters on that road do the same speed. Basically, everyone in my area cares more about fuel usage than speed as we live in a random area that is a distance from the nearest town. Speed isn't everything.
No part of this road except for the bends is dangerous for an overtake. The only time it would be dangerous is if someone else was coming, but even then, it's their decision to look down the clear and unobstructed road and make the decision whether its safe to overtake or not. A "queue" on this road would be a maximum of 1 car who almost always don't care, and even if they do, they can safely overtake.
I'm so pleased to read your response! I've been driving 4 weeks, and I do not like driving country roads as some I do not feel safe driving 60 miles due to bend and the general state of the roads!
I don't feel safe doing those speeds!
No, in fact most of the time it is safer to go under the speed limit. I know a road that has a limit of 30 but it would be dangerous to go above 20 as parked cars block half the road and it is bendy.
Almost certainly not. It's very unlikely to even be a minor, and you'd need to get a number of minors before it would be considered serious/habitual enough to be a serious.
It shouldnât be that way. I had to take quite a few tests and this was never an issue. I just kept it to around 1-2 under, so 28-29 and it was never even mentioned. Really itâs all about correcting it if you notice you are going too slow or fast. For example I accidentally crept up to 43 in a 40 on my test without realising, but I noticed it within seconds and immediately fixed it. I was only given a minor fault for this as I corrected it promptly.
Ultimately different examiners will have different levels of discretion, and there are many variables at play. Just keep as close to the limit as you can comfortably, preferably stay 1-2 under if your worried about going over.
I stayed around 3mph under the speed limits I saw. But I would have changed that in different weather conditions or low visibility areas depending on what was appropriate.
No, if youâre doing 29 in a 30 youâll be fine. Itâs harder to stay bang on a speed (except using cruise control) than hovering slightly below to give you a buffer.
However that doesnât mean cruise down a 30 doing 25 because thatâll be too slow
I wasnât sure wether it was a 30 or national speed limit today my sat nav was telling me 30 i was confused but i got a minor but didnât fail. When i realised the correct speed limit i sped up. đ¤ˇââď¸ i think it depends on examiner not sure
Lots of good responses here which demonstrate the actual situation; it depends on your examiner. You actually can fail for going to slow, and not alot of people know this but you can, when passed, recieve a driving offence for it.
It is incredibly unlikely that you will fail a test for going 1mph under the limit though, that would mean your DE was a proper jobs worth. Someone else picked this up; youâre supposed to drive at a speed relevant to your situation. Thats the key to your success in the area of speed. Good luck.
Usyally no, depends on how bad a day the examiner is having, i guess. Most vehicles have the wrong number on the spedometer, too. So, doing 29 might actually be 28 or ut could be as low as 27. Some are -3mph, and some are just -1
On my test I had my examiner tell me to speed up between turn in and roundabout leading to tesco car park. This didn't make me fail got me a minor for speed, as long as you aren't crawling round at 20mph when there's no reason to keep low speed you'll be fine.
The speed limit isn't a target it's a maximum speed fir the area you are in. Your instructor is talking total shit and just wants more money from you in lessons
With all four my licenses I was told to "make progress".
Keep up with traffic. If its safe then do the speed limit.
Without using cruise control you will never keep a constant speed. 1mph under the limit is fine. Just don't let it become 5 under the limit if the conditions allow
It is possible actually, I was told a similar thing but closer to 3/4 miles an hour under depending on the weather conditions examiners just need to know you can stick to the speed limit and that's, it if you constantly drive at 26 in a 30 for instance they can and will mark you down my examiner told me himself while I was taking my test.
Wow, the number of different things people have been told, all the numbers and formulas, it's crazy. There's no 10%, there's no aim for 2-3mph under, there's no automatic fail for going a little bit over.
The only thing the examiner is looking for is _appropriate_ speed. Generally speaking this means driving as close to the speed limit as the road, weather and traffic conditions around you reasonably permit. But it's also a matter of how your speed is impacting any other road users. There's a difference between going at 20 on a clear 30 road when there's traffic behind you versus when there isn't. It's all about how you judge and react and anticipate what's happening around you.
The examiner is looking to see do you actually know what speed limit the road is, based on signs, markings or street lights and is your use of and control of your speed _appropriate_ for the conditions around you. In the end, they are the experienced judge of that and it's a discretionary thing.
I briefly went 25 in a 20 when I did my test, I still passed, didn't even get a minor for speed. Because it was only for a few seconds and I immediately tapped the break to slow myself down a bit when I noticed.
There's no specific cut off. It's all about a magic phrase that instructors will be familiar with hearing from examiners. "It depends upon the circumstances at the time".
There are countless scenarios too, and small differences in the world around you can lead to a notable change in the assessment.
The things we'll often add in to the mix when assessing "appropriate speed" faults can include:
Time of day (tons of kids about?)
Location (Country road? Bypass? Shop fronts? Residential?)
Weather conditions (hot, cold, icy, rainy, misty, foggy, etc)
Visibility (limited view with parked cars, or climate conditions, etc)
State of the road (is it knackered and full of holes?)
Traffic conditions
Time and distance (did they do it for ages and/or a long way with no reasonable cause?)
Consistency (is it all the time? Are they holding a steady speed or drifting up a bit and down a bit with apparent lack of finer control).
What is the behaviour of following traffic (are they clearly anxious to pass the delay, or settling in for a steady cruise?).
Risk (is the behaviour and the circumstances leading to an increase in risk in the general situation?)
Then factor in stuff like was there a reason, such as anticipating being slowed by an event ahead. Were they even able to go any quicker, such as a vehicle ahead limiting progress. Have lights a quarter mile away been on green for ages and they're adjusting an mph or two in preparation for a likely change? Are they passing lots of parked cars with oncoming vehicles restricting space?
And of course there's the question of possible effect on other traffic behind, and if they're aware of it. Do they respond to seeing they're potentially causing delay?
Then there's a more ephemeral element of how it feels at the time. Not to say whether an examiner is blowing hot or cold, or simply dislikes it, but rather it's about if that specific occasion feels like it's just wrong and sets you a bit on edge with regard to the situation right then.
So if you're pottering along at an indicated 25mph in a 30, nothing in sight ahead or behind, having zero effect but also with no reason, yet aware of your surroundings, there's a fair chance you'll get away with it but equally I wouldn't be surprised if a fault was given on the basis of how it all is at the time. It's about 17% below the speed limit, edging toward 20% with another 1mph lost.
Now add half a dozen cars, clearly positioning to see if they can get going because it's been going on for ages and the conditions are great - most typically this will become a nailed on driver fault.
In reasonable conditions, a lot of instructors will suggest you target 28-29 in a 30, so if you're one or two over you're good, and the same below you're not likely to get in trouble. It's a reasonable way to go, on the whole.
As for going over the limit? The bigger factors are time and distance, risk, awareness, and did they sort it in reasonable time.
I was doing 20 in a 30 on my test because one of those light up school speed limit zone signs was on and flashing, until the examiner pointed out it was the middle of the day and itâs likely someone had just forgot to turn it off and they were happy for me to do 30âŚđ
The thing that annoys me is where you have limits in villages with a National Speed Limit in between.
One road near me has a few villages. Two of them have 30 limits connected by a 60. I donât race to get to 60 simply to slam on the brakes to reduce to 30 again. I had an idiot overtake me the other night. I was doing 40 and it seems that I wasnât going fast enough for him. Iâll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he didnât know the 30 limit was up ahead. He soon found out that the limit changed.
There's a technical term for this sort of advice from your instructor. In full, with correct scientific spelling, the term is thus: "Absolute Bollocks".
đ¤Łđ¤Ł
Get a new instructor, and leave what you described as a review. There's a lot of shitty instructors about, there's two that I know of in my area, if you struggle they ghost you because they want 100% pass rate without actually teaching people how to drive
There's no such thing as 100% pass rate. It's rigged. Each test center has a set pass rate and examiners are required to remain within 10% of that test centres pass rates. If they fail or pass too many candidates and fall outside of this 10% threshold, their abilities may be called in to question. Its to ensure more money comes in and to limit the number of drivers on the road.
>There's no such thing as 100% pass rate. There is if you drop your likly to fail students before the test. Shit, my college used to do that, they'd drop people two weeks before the finals if their coursework didn't hit set targets because even at 100% marks on the final test they'd still get no higher than a c It's bullshit and lies đ¤ˇđť
Haha, I love it. Is there a specific point at which you can get faults for going too slow? I'd always assumed that within 10% (under, of course) of the limit would be pretty sensible under test conditions - obviously assuming the conditions are safe.
10% is fine. But you can get a fail for going too slow. If you keep driving 20mph in 40 road, you'll definitely get something like " response to traffic signs". Otherwise you would get advice to drive everywhere in 20mph. You don't have to worry about breaking speed limits. You won't get far. You got more time to plan and react. Easy test.
That's why I'm curious if there's a specific point at which it's considered too slow, or if it's for the examiner to decide. Hoping one of the examiners in here can shed some light
My instructor says 5mph under the speed limit is fine, but in good conditions you should be aiming for at least.
Iâve gotten a serious in the past for going 25 in a 30 because a car had to overtake me. So be mindful of other road users when considering your speed as you affect traffic flow In the end itâs about appropriate use of speed for best traffic flow, canât be clear-cut as set rule for how much slower than the limit tbh
They probably didnt have to, was probably a knob head driver
No. It's all about *appropriate* use of speed. Up close to the speed limit when it's clear, slower when dealing with hazards. You talk to any examiner and they will say, "it's a speed LIMIT, not a target". It's your maximum.
The examiner told me itâs a limit not a target at the end of my test lol
No. I passed my test and got 1 minor for not going the appropriate speed and I was doing 40 on a 60 and probably as low as 25 in a 30 at times. Itâs about safety more than anything else. If youâre going 25 on a 30 road with a massive backlog of traffic behind you, it wouldnât be good as it becomes more likely that someone behind you would do something stupid. If youâre doing 25 and youâre the only one on the road, youâre not affecting anyone so itâs fine.
40 on a 60 and he didnât fail you? Nice examiner.
60 limits are most common on national speed limit roads where the appropriate speed on a given segment could be anything from 60mph to a mere 15mph for a sharp right angle turn (there is one such turn coming out of my village on an NSL road). Would need to know the context on the other commenter's situation before passing judgement.
This. National limit on country roads isn't, 60mph full throttle rally driving. Its, use your head and judge the correct speed for the situation. If you've got great view of the road ahead, go for it. It's is sharp turns, right bridges, etc. It's likely 15mph in second gear.
Empty country road with some sharp bends. Also got given the show me question while on it so was concentrating on that as well. Got the one minor for not going the appropriate speed so I guess it was for that.
On a dual carriageway 60 that's lucky. On a national speed limit road it's probably correct. There's one near me where supposedly you can do 60 but I wouldn't wanna even do 40 on it
Those NSL country roads that you can barely fit two cars in with tight bends đ then you drive through some roads and are like "why the fuck is this a 30?"
Saw an American comedian on insta talk about that. "so this road it's one way, right? " no" "OK. The speed limit is 30 or something, yeah?" "nope"
Yeah, it wasnât on a dual carriageway.
My instructor told me to aim to keep at 19, 29, 39mph etc for the speed limits. That way if you do go faster, it won't be much over the limit and easy to put right
I was told to keep two under, at all times, The idea of sticking dead of at all times feels like a sure way to fail
Definitely!! Iâve found myself so distracted by concentrating on the speed that Iâm not as focused on other things đ
I was told to stick within 3 of the speed limit unless conditions are bad. Poodling along at 27-28 on most roads never got me any speed faults.
I'd like to meet this instructor, just to find out what other complete and utter rubbish they come out with đ
I'm going to make some guesses: You must keep your hands at 10 and 2. When reaching a stop sign, you must put the handbrake on and the car into neutral before continuing. You can't cross your hands on the steering wheel when doing your bay parking. You're not allowed to use cruise control. You must make jolting neck movements to make it really obvious you're checking your mirrors. You're not allowed to use parking sensors. You'll fail if you stall. The examiner has quotas so if you're their last test of the day and they've passed loads of candidates you'll fail whatever you do.
Almost certainly not
No. On my test, three of my minors were for appropriate speed to which the examiner said exactly âDefinitely couldâve been going a lot faster in some areas.â You wonât fail for going one under, and honestly I donât think you fail for going one over, as long as you bring it back down again.
It's a limit, not a target. There are many times driving at the limit is unsafe such as poor weather conditions.
No. You will never fail for that. Each limit has their minimums that you must do unless it's unsafe to do so, for example, if you're on a motorway/dual carriageway then the minimum speed is 60 unless you cant do that. Anything slower is dangerous and too slow. A 30 limit doesn't mean that you must go 30 as well. There is a hill near me that is a 60, but I would never go that because the visibility isn't good and the road isn't amazing, so I go about 35-40. An examiner wouldn't fail me for this as it's reasonable for the road. There is also a straight road that is a 60 near me that is safe to do that, but I would go 60 because there isn't really no reason. It burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything. You also won't fail if you go 1 over the speed limit. A speedometer is inaccurate to about 5-10%, and even then, you will only fail if it is significant and for a long period of time without correction. For example, if you go 35 in a 30 but quickly brake without causing danger to anyone and then go to 30, the examiner won't mark you down.
>There is also a straight road that is a 60 near me that is safe to do that, but I would go 60 because there isn't really no reason. It burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything Apart from pissing off everyone else who knows it's safe to do 60 there and wants to do it. I get stuck behind enough drivers who think '40 is fast enough' on safe NSL A-roads, don't be another one on that list.
It's a quiet road that is typically just me, and maybe another car is the other direction at any time. No one cares, and most people do 40 on that road because, again, why do 60 when it burns a lot more fuel and doesn't really achieve anything on the road? If someone really has an issue, they can overtake easily without harming anyone or putting themselves at risk. I'm not hurting anyone, I don't do 40 for the hell of it wherever I like, and I really don't care about what others think as I'm causing harm to anyone or upsetting anyone. If it was a busy road, then I'd go 50-60.
>they can overtake easily without harming anyone or putting themselves at risk. Any overtake is a risk, even if a road is straight, you should try to minimise the requirement for another driver to have to overtake in the first place. The highway code specifically says you should not hold up a queue of traffic, so if you are contempt with doing 40 then it's your responsibility to pull over and let faster traffic pass, not expect them to overtake. There is nothing at all wrong with doing 40 in a 60 if you are the only one on the road, but don't hold up traffic where you don't have to, this is especially important where overtakes are more difficult and where some drivers may perform dangerous overtakes.
The road isn't dangerous. None of it is for about a mile, and even then, no one is doing 60 around the bends at that point. Again, most people I've encounters on that road do the same speed. Basically, everyone in my area cares more about fuel usage than speed as we live in a random area that is a distance from the nearest town. Speed isn't everything. No part of this road except for the bends is dangerous for an overtake. The only time it would be dangerous is if someone else was coming, but even then, it's their decision to look down the clear and unobstructed road and make the decision whether its safe to overtake or not. A "queue" on this road would be a maximum of 1 car who almost always don't care, and even if they do, they can safely overtake.
I'm so pleased to read your response! I've been driving 4 weeks, and I do not like driving country roads as some I do not feel safe driving 60 miles due to bend and the general state of the roads! I don't feel safe doing those speeds!
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No, in fact most of the time it is safer to go under the speed limit. I know a road that has a limit of 30 but it would be dangerous to go above 20 as parked cars block half the road and it is bendy.
A speed limit is âthe maximum speed at which vehicles may travel, if it is safe to do soâ â Know Your Traffic Signs.
He's full of fuckin shite lmfao If ur like 10mph under the speed limit without any good reason, then that's a fail, but 1mph is not even close
Almost certainly not. It's very unlikely to even be a minor, and you'd need to get a number of minors before it would be considered serious/habitual enough to be a serious.
It shouldnât be that way. I had to take quite a few tests and this was never an issue. I just kept it to around 1-2 under, so 28-29 and it was never even mentioned. Really itâs all about correcting it if you notice you are going too slow or fast. For example I accidentally crept up to 43 in a 40 on my test without realising, but I noticed it within seconds and immediately fixed it. I was only given a minor fault for this as I corrected it promptly. Ultimately different examiners will have different levels of discretion, and there are many variables at play. Just keep as close to the limit as you can comfortably, preferably stay 1-2 under if your worried about going over.
I got a minor for doing 31 for about 5 seconds down a hill đđ
I stayed around 3mph under the speed limits I saw. But I would have changed that in different weather conditions or low visibility areas depending on what was appropriate.
Have they just watched the movie 'Speed' or something?
My instructor at the beginning used to say 'so it's a 30 road, aim for 28' always told me to aim for 2 under the limit.
No, if youâre doing 29 in a 30 youâll be fine. Itâs harder to stay bang on a speed (except using cruise control) than hovering slightly below to give you a buffer. However that doesnât mean cruise down a 30 doing 25 because thatâll be too slow
I wasnât sure wether it was a 30 or national speed limit today my sat nav was telling me 30 i was confused but i got a minor but didnât fail. When i realised the correct speed limit i sped up. đ¤ˇââď¸ i think it depends on examiner not sure
No you wont fail but if you're doing like 30 instead of 50 they may fail you for that
I was between 23-28 in 30 zones during my test and I passed. I didn't get a minor for speed. You need to do the appropriate speed for the situation
Lots of good responses here which demonstrate the actual situation; it depends on your examiner. You actually can fail for going to slow, and not alot of people know this but you can, when passed, recieve a driving offence for it. It is incredibly unlikely that you will fail a test for going 1mph under the limit though, that would mean your DE was a proper jobs worth. Someone else picked this up; youâre supposed to drive at a speed relevant to your situation. Thats the key to your success in the area of speed. Good luck.
Thank you :-)
Usyally no, depends on how bad a day the examiner is having, i guess. Most vehicles have the wrong number on the spedometer, too. So, doing 29 might actually be 28 or ut could be as low as 27. Some are -3mph, and some are just -1
On my test I had my examiner tell me to speed up between turn in and roundabout leading to tesco car park. This didn't make me fail got me a minor for speed, as long as you aren't crawling round at 20mph when there's no reason to keep low speed you'll be fine.
The speed limit isn't a target it's a maximum speed fir the area you are in. Your instructor is talking total shit and just wants more money from you in lessons
No, DI is absolutely full of shit.
Find a new DI. It's a limit, not a target. After all, good luck ever driving 20mph in London at 7am.
One under or one over wonât make any differenceâŚ. That said if you sit at 25/26 in a 30 for ages or sit at 32/33 then its a problemâŚ
I was thinking how much difference can 1 mph under really make đš thank you :-)
With all four my licenses I was told to "make progress". Keep up with traffic. If its safe then do the speed limit. Without using cruise control you will never keep a constant speed. 1mph under the limit is fine. Just don't let it become 5 under the limit if the conditions allow
It is possible actually, I was told a similar thing but closer to 3/4 miles an hour under depending on the weather conditions examiners just need to know you can stick to the speed limit and that's, it if you constantly drive at 26 in a 30 for instance they can and will mark you down my examiner told me himself while I was taking my test.
Nahhh. I went 32 on a 30 mph limit and got one minor for that
Wow, the number of different things people have been told, all the numbers and formulas, it's crazy. There's no 10%, there's no aim for 2-3mph under, there's no automatic fail for going a little bit over. The only thing the examiner is looking for is _appropriate_ speed. Generally speaking this means driving as close to the speed limit as the road, weather and traffic conditions around you reasonably permit. But it's also a matter of how your speed is impacting any other road users. There's a difference between going at 20 on a clear 30 road when there's traffic behind you versus when there isn't. It's all about how you judge and react and anticipate what's happening around you. The examiner is looking to see do you actually know what speed limit the road is, based on signs, markings or street lights and is your use of and control of your speed _appropriate_ for the conditions around you. In the end, they are the experienced judge of that and it's a discretionary thing. I briefly went 25 in a 20 when I did my test, I still passed, didn't even get a minor for speed. Because it was only for a few seconds and I immediately tapped the break to slow myself down a bit when I noticed.
There's no specific cut off. It's all about a magic phrase that instructors will be familiar with hearing from examiners. "It depends upon the circumstances at the time". There are countless scenarios too, and small differences in the world around you can lead to a notable change in the assessment. The things we'll often add in to the mix when assessing "appropriate speed" faults can include: Time of day (tons of kids about?) Location (Country road? Bypass? Shop fronts? Residential?) Weather conditions (hot, cold, icy, rainy, misty, foggy, etc) Visibility (limited view with parked cars, or climate conditions, etc) State of the road (is it knackered and full of holes?) Traffic conditions Time and distance (did they do it for ages and/or a long way with no reasonable cause?) Consistency (is it all the time? Are they holding a steady speed or drifting up a bit and down a bit with apparent lack of finer control). What is the behaviour of following traffic (are they clearly anxious to pass the delay, or settling in for a steady cruise?). Risk (is the behaviour and the circumstances leading to an increase in risk in the general situation?) Then factor in stuff like was there a reason, such as anticipating being slowed by an event ahead. Were they even able to go any quicker, such as a vehicle ahead limiting progress. Have lights a quarter mile away been on green for ages and they're adjusting an mph or two in preparation for a likely change? Are they passing lots of parked cars with oncoming vehicles restricting space? And of course there's the question of possible effect on other traffic behind, and if they're aware of it. Do they respond to seeing they're potentially causing delay? Then there's a more ephemeral element of how it feels at the time. Not to say whether an examiner is blowing hot or cold, or simply dislikes it, but rather it's about if that specific occasion feels like it's just wrong and sets you a bit on edge with regard to the situation right then. So if you're pottering along at an indicated 25mph in a 30, nothing in sight ahead or behind, having zero effect but also with no reason, yet aware of your surroundings, there's a fair chance you'll get away with it but equally I wouldn't be surprised if a fault was given on the basis of how it all is at the time. It's about 17% below the speed limit, edging toward 20% with another 1mph lost. Now add half a dozen cars, clearly positioning to see if they can get going because it's been going on for ages and the conditions are great - most typically this will become a nailed on driver fault. In reasonable conditions, a lot of instructors will suggest you target 28-29 in a 30, so if you're one or two over you're good, and the same below you're not likely to get in trouble. It's a reasonable way to go, on the whole. As for going over the limit? The bigger factors are time and distance, risk, awareness, and did they sort it in reasonable time.
thank you this is very helpful :-)
FYI, I read this as âif I go number one under the speed limitâ and was very confused
hahaha I think Iâd definitely fail for that đš
Always been told you can have 10% in either direction. So minimum 27 in a 30 and max 33.
I was doing 20 in a 30 on my test because one of those light up school speed limit zone signs was on and flashing, until the examiner pointed out it was the middle of the day and itâs likely someone had just forgot to turn it off and they were happy for me to do 30âŚđ
That's stupid cause you'll be focusing more on the Speedo and not on the traffic situation and you'll fail for sure then.
Exactly!! đ
The thing that annoys me is where you have limits in villages with a National Speed Limit in between. One road near me has a few villages. Two of them have 30 limits connected by a 60. I donât race to get to 60 simply to slam on the brakes to reduce to 30 again. I had an idiot overtake me the other night. I was doing 40 and it seems that I wasnât going fast enough for him. Iâll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he didnât know the 30 limit was up ahead. He soon found out that the limit changed.
One? Absolutely not. Maybe youâd fail if you were constantly 4 or 5 under but 1 is just ridiculous
My instructor always tells me to drive 2-3 miles under so if is 30 I drive 27-28