If I look back even 15 years the cars I drove then were vastly inferior to today's cars.

My Peugeot 106 had brakes that were seemingly made of cardboard, no airbags, no ABS and even a manual choke. It topped out at 85mph, and driving at anything over 65mph required immense concentration just to keep the car from veering to the left at the slightest lift of the accelerator.

Nowadays even the cheapest cars are festooned with airbags, ABS is standard fit on almost cars, and suspension setups are much better at keeping cars in the required lane.

On an empty stretch of the M6 the other week I tested my Mini by lifting both hands off the wheel at 85 and it remained rock solid in the centre of the lane (I only did it for a few seconds, I'm not that brave).

The only objection to lifting the limit to 80mph that I can think of is fuel use, but even that excuse is flimsy.

My Mini Cooper D averages 60mpg, this is taken from the figures from the odometer and fuel pump, not the trip computer (which reads a steady 61.9mpg so isn't far out), I mainly drive at 75-80mph on the M6, with a short run at 50mph on a fast A road. I seem to remember that my old mini averaged around 250 miles on a tank, which is about 35mpg, most of it's life was spent running between north Manchester and either Runcorn or Manchester depending on where my Girlfriend was living.

My 106 was worse, barely scratching 30mpg, my next few cars were a bit better, but nothing came close to my Mini Diesel.

So current cars are faster, safer, and more fuel efficient.

The only thing that hasn't really changed is the idiot behind the wheel...

alan14 "The only thing that hasn't really changed is the idiot behind the wheel..."

Presumably you mean like the one you described who not only exceeds the limit, but then removes his hands from the steering wheel!! People in glass houses and all that.

badgery

The only thing that hasn't really changed is the idiot behind the wheel.

I have to agree with that.

Also the higher the speed the more likely that you will loose control if you have a blow out.

Then it is the innocent drivers and their families that you smash into that suffer.

I'd be quite happy if I could travel as fast as a constant 40mph at busy times!

Whenever a thread which involves 'driving' appears, it's always a case of everone knowing they, themselves, are good capable drivers and it's the other poor drivers that are at fault (too fast, too slow etc).

When you consider that someone can be deemed fit to navigate a ton of metal at speeds of 70mph (and more!) with only a rudimentary test of ability, it is astounding - and terrifying.

If we allow faster speeds, will it cure congestion? No.

Will it increase fuel consumption? Yes

Who are all these people desperately trying to get to their work a few moments earlier, and what's the point of doing 80mph in the few miles between holdups?