Top Tips
We asked Iain Gray, Senior Driving Instructor with Strathclyde Police, for his tips on what to watch for and how to make sure you stay within the speed limit.
1. Allow sufficient time for your journey.....if you are in a rush the temptation is to speed....remember you WILL be late if stopped by the police!
2. Be aware of the environment around you....streetlamps, pavements, houses all suggest a speed limit of 30 (but not always)....if there are no signs then assume a limit of 30.
3. Check your speedo....but don`t drive with your eyes fixed on it, lets be reasonable! Most drivers have an idea of their relative speed without looking at the speedo etc.
4. Look out for road signs....they are there to help you. There are always signs when the limit either increases or decreases. There may be small repeater signs on streetlamps on roads with a limit higher than 30.
5. Remember to check your speed when leaving the motorway....your speed may be higher than you realise, 50mph may feel like 30mph. Some slip roads or link roads between motorways have sharp bends!
6. Watch out for camera signs ....these are the black and white signs featuring a camera symbol and are used nationally to indicate where safety cameras may be. This is because crashes involving death and serious injury have happened on this road.
7. Don't rely on radar/GPS/laser warning devices....they may not be accurate or show the location of all cameras, remember some safety cameras are mobile. The police do not need radar/lasers to detect speeding, they can use their vehicle's calibrated speedometer or use a visual time and distance computer.
8. THE SPEED LIMIT IS NOT A TARGET....just because the sign says 30 mph or 70 mph, if the road conditions are not safe then you should lower your speed accordingly.