Safe Speed Forums

Do you have a link to some research backing those figures up jom? I'd be perfectly happy to believe that a truck can't stop as fast as a car, but those figures seem rather excessive to me. Clearly the people who write the Highway Code don't seem to be aware of it!

The other thing that people seem to be forgetting is that coaches don't weigh 40 tons like artics can.

Because you know me, or think you know me, you have not looked at what I said impartially. You re-read it; without bias this time.

I am still open to any argument for the pros and cons of coaches travelling at high speed or indeed HGVs. As already said, starting with making seatbelts mandatory would be a good start. One drawback I can see with allowing HGVs to go faster is you have one, (possibly tired), man without some passengers to oversee everything. Will you allow me to see how the debate goes before I make my mind up..

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I could refer admin to other posts by Weepy claiming near adhominin when he was challenged over answering questions and his subsequent submerging out of sight, but I'll not. But Yet again ,he's used the same tactic against other posters, without refuting their arguemants . Or is it that he's frightened that if speed limits are raised, he'd have problems ,on his cycle.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

This is pretty impressive. Not sure how it would handle with a load that could jack knife though, and this does seem "low" speed so I presume the system only works at the lower speed trucks are limited to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ridS396W2BY

Hugely impressive! I knew that various truck and bus companies are working on this sort of thing, but that's the first time I've seen it in action. The write-up says that the truck was fully-laden at the time too - 40 tonnes, which makes it all the more impressive. That WAS a "load that could jack-knife" though. Any articulated load can do that. It is becoming much less common now, as older trucks without ABS are taken off the road. ABS has been a requirement on HGV trailers for some years now, and this system is an add-on. It's the ABS that sorts out the jack-knife problem. The write-up on the Volvo website says that it works at up to 70 km/h. I don't know why they've chosen that as a cut-off though. All new HGVs will have to be fitted with Advanced Emergency Braking Systems by the end of 2015. I think the "clever bit" is the various degrees of warning it gives the driver before it actually takes over.

I'd like to see how it acts in the middle of a bend though - that would be a tougher test!

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I'd like to see how it acts in the middle of a bend though - that would be a tougher test!

No you wouldn't!

These days, the ABS should sort it out. It's unlikely to jack knife, but won't stop as well as in a straight line.