fast and (not so) furious: UK vs USA speed limit differences

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

We're just a few away from 22,000 subscribers! If you're seeing this comment and haven't subscribed, consider whether you can find it in your heart to hit the subscribe button! Pros: it will make me happy, you won't miss any videos, you will tell KZbin that the content is enjoyable and KZbin will personally call me to ask me to make more of it (not entirely true) Cons: can't think of any, really, unless you don't actually want to see more of my videos, in which case, I would ask, why are you here??

[@chippydogwoofwoof]

My favourite speeding story was about Police in Kent who got in trouble for "playing snooker" with speeding stops, just like how points are awarded in snooker these police would have to stop a red car (one point) then could stop a car of any colour yellow car two points green car three points brown car four points and so on all the way to maximum points for stopping a black car after a red then at the end of the shift they would all get together to tally up the points to see which police car won that day!

[@byronchavarria4954]

A Motorway In New York State Is Called A Parkway

[@noelsalisbury7448]

People in the UK drink PINTS of Beer.. ( or- water, etc ) And, the British & Australian pint is TWENTY Fluid ounces . The US pint is SIXTEEN Fluid ounces. In cooking, Tablespoon volumes are different -in all three countries.....Aus=20ml, USA=14.2ml & UK=17.7ml. Who knew? Cooks, I hope.

[@noelsalisbury7448]

​@@byronchavarria4954Because of all those trees, flower beds, benches we always see ?

[@adamclark6756]

As a tram driver in Nottingham, we use Kilometres as the speed measurement while the track widths are measured in feet!

[@ianmontgomery7534]

well perhaps fraction of a foot. They are 1435mm or 4ft 8-1/2in. In Australia we call this Standard Gauge. Our trams are all SG but rail varies between states except for major interstate tracks which are SG>

[@davidioanhedges]

They are officially Standard Gauge : 1,435 mm ... It is the same as 4ft 8 1/2in ... but it's measured in mm ..

[@dtvjho]

4:25 Florida actually raised their max speed for local roads to 60 mph. Pennsylvania’s handbook states that the default speed is 55 unless otherwise signed. There are many rural roads with long stretches with no speed signs. PA will post for example a 45 to mark the beginning of a reduced speed zone, then put a 45 sign at the end, and above the sign will be a mini sign that says END.

[@johnrhodez6829]

Metrication? We are getting there inch by inch....

[@omgitsabloodyandroid5161]

152.4 is a mouthful….convert it.😂

[@alanmon2690]

The inch is actually a metric unit -back in the 60s it was defined as being exactly 25.4 millimetres.

[@jogon331]

And a meter is 3ft 4 inches ​@@alanmon2690

[@omgitsabloodyandroid5161]

6inches…. 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈

[@trytellingthetruth.2068]

Base 12 will always be superior to base 10. We live our everyday lives by it, so does nature.

[@2001perseus.]

You missed out one major road sign difference between UK and US road signs. UK signs don't have bullet holes in them.

[@BrianLeicester]

Have you not been to Nottingham? Gun crime capital of the UK - they have more than two shootings a year sometimes - the place is awash with guns, it is so frightening to go there...

[@anonymes2884]

@@BrianLeicester No, you're misinformed. As far as cities go, Birmingham is the current "gun crime capital" of England and Wales. In county terms, perhaps surprisingly to some, it's Cleveland in the north East that's the worst. Nottingham suffered a spike in gun crime 15-20 years ago but hasn't been the worst for many years (in fact by policing region, Nottinghamshire isn't even in the current top 10). The policing region numbers are all readily available from the Office of National Statistics website for anyone that wants to check (for England and Wales that is - each constituent country gathers its own statistics so you'd have to check those to see if Scotland or Northern Ireland have any cities with higher rates in order to make an informed claim about the UK as a whole). (and of course it's still the case that even at its worst, the gun crime in Nottingham amounted to basically a rounding error in US terms)

[@theirisheditor]

Here in Ireland, they make heavy use of manned speed camera vans with only a handful of fixed speed cameras. They regularly catch out people towing trailers as the speed limit for towing a trailer is 80KPH even in 100KPH zones and motorways (120KPM).

[@mark_8719]

National speed limit means different things to different vehicles, hence the symbol, not a number.

[@alanhughes8492]

It also allows for the speed limit to be changed by legislation, without having to physically change all the signage.

[@reinhard8053]

The symbol is just a cancelation of previous limit signs. Hence only the national limits remain. In Germany it also cancels "overtaken forbidden".

[@TheKievKen]

Finally, the correct explanation 😊

[@dinger40]

Drove two lots of "identical" vehicles one registered as a commercial the other as a car (Bedford CF's, long time ago) one was 40 single carriageway 60 dual carriage way, the other was 60/70. Was annoying in parts of the Country where the Police were hot on speeding it irritated people when I was pootling along like a caravan.

[@phalanx-it]

Crikey! I had no idea, other than that it meant 70 (ahem!) miles per hour..

[@Gideonsmythe]

The red "O" on our road signs means whatever in within the sign is an "Order", the triangle represents a warning rather than a mandatory order. I was taught to remember that by making a triangle with my thumbs and forefingers (aka "Index fingers") then open them out to make a "W". Boring fact for you there.

[@rickconstant6106]

The biggest surprise to me when I drove in the US (NJ, NY, PA) was the speed of the big trucks (semis). When you are used to them being speed limited to 56mph here, it comes as a shock to be passed by one on the freeway when you are doing 70.

[@PedroConejo1939]

I found that too. Watching fully laden trucks piling into the scenes of accidents at stupid speeds is horrifying, but it's the price of freedom.

[@Phiyedough]

Having seen some of those crash test videos for big vehicles at various speeds I would find that scary!

[@_starfiend]

Some HGV's might havce a limiter built into them to slow them to 56, but the actual speed limit for HGV's is 60 on a motorway or dual carriage way, and 50 on a single carriage way. (These numbers are different in Scotland: 60 50 40)!

[@gnomevoyeur]

Speed limits seem to only apply on the smaller roads. The interstate is a law unto itself. I regularly saw traffic whizzing past at 90 plus when I was doing 80 in a 70 zone and the visible police did nothing about it.

[@grahamsmith9541]

One point you missed about UK National speed limits. The speed is dependent on the vehicle you are driving. For example on motorways/ dual carriageways 70 MPH for cars and motorbikes. 60 MPH vehicles towing trailers caravans, goods vehicles 0ver 7½ tonnes. Buses and coaches up to 12m (39ft) long 60MPH on Dual Carriageway, 70MPH on Motorways.

[@rickconstant6106]

The reduced speed limits apply to all goods vehicles/vans, including those below 3500kg, and also on single carriageway roads (50mph instead of 60mph).

[@davidjones332]

Not quite correct. The motorway limits for buses and lorries are European standards, so our limits are the equivalent of metric units, which actually work out as 56 mph for LGVs and 62 mph for PCVs. Both coaches and lorries have by law to have speed limiters fitted calibrated to these limits, unless the vehicle's gearing means it is physically impossible for it to reach those limits.

[@ethelmini]

@@davidjones332 The legal limit is 60mph, even if there's a limiter at a slightly lower speed.

[@onehairybuddha]

@@davidjones332 All the limits are here: www.gov.uk/speed-limits Round numbers for mph with kmph equivalents in brackets.

[@bugaboo-bricks]

A motorway is a dual carriageway. A dual carriageway is any road where the opposing sides are separated by a central reservation or barrier. Theoretically a single lane road that is separated from oncoming traffic by a central reservation would have a speed limit of 70mph.

[@barneylaurance1865]

I'm reminded that lots of US road signs rely on English words. UK signs are much more likely to be wordless and rely on drivers understanding shapes, colours and pictograms - complying with international standardised road sign designs, and catering more for visiting drivers who might not understand English. Probably because we have a lot more people visiting with cars from non-English speaking countries. We get huge amounts of freight delivered by truckers on ferries from places like France and The Netherlands.

[@robinhillyard6187]

@@marydavis5234but it’s nothing like the same. There are very few words on road signs in theUK.

[@ballyhigh11]

UK roadsigns are actually pretty amazing as works of industrial art (yeah, I said art!) The motorway signage is of course rather famous for this. I'm pretty sure BBC4 even did a documentary about the blue signs

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@ballyhigh11 And KZbinr Matt Parker got a lot of material out of the brown signs.

[@davidioanhedges]

UK Road signs are based on the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals ...and so do not contain words, except for information (mostly Place names) The only word on a UK sign is STOP and the sign is otherwise the same all over Europe

[@anonymes2884]

@@davidioanhedges "Give Way" signs also have the words. And some signs are _accompanied_ by separate text boxes (e.g. the School sign will often have an extra sign under it saying "School", presumably so it's totally clear it's not warning drivers about taller people leading shorter people by the hand in the vicinity :). But true in general, most non-information signs don't have words.

[@GalaxyFur]

Outside of the northeast corridor of the U.S., you can generally cover greater distances in a shorter amount of time compared to the UK since U.S. roads are more expansive and they are much straighter and tend to stick closer to as the crow flies as it were. For example, here in the mid-west of the U.S., I traveled 750 miles (A distance greater than the UK is long) in just a hair under 11 hours. And that includes stopping once for fuel, a quick snack for the road, and a bathroom break. In the UK this would take about 13 hours with most UK vehicles. The main roads aren't quite as straight plus most UK vehicles would have to stop more frequently due to having smaller fuel tanks. With my pickup truck, I only had to stop for fuel once during that 750 miles.

[@rigamortice]

We cancelled our holiday in wales due to the speed limit being reduced to 20 MPH

[@billmmckelvie5188]

Depending in the industry you work in, we will use either full metric or half and half metric/imperial. Then you get some of oldies who will work in Imperial as that is what we were taught until decimalisation came in.

[@davidioanhedges]

All industries are actually metric, but some still work in imperial (but it's still metric underneath) e.g. a 2x4 is nominally 2 inches by 4 inches but is actually 50mm x 100mm (which is 1.9685 inch x 3.93701) A very few things are really imperial (Only : Pints, MPH, Miles, Troy ounces, Hands)

[@grahvis]

In Wales the 30 mph roads have not all changed to 20 mph, only some roads within the 30 mph areas are further restricted to 20 mph.

[@lottie2525]

Same in England.

[@simonrook5743]

But the default speed limit in a ‘built up area’ (has a system of street lighting) is now 20mph, like they can in the rest of the UK for a 30 the relevant highways authority can raise the speed limit by order and signage which is what they did for some of those 30s. But the limit otherwise set by the nature of the road is 20 if there are no contradicting signs.

[@GalacticAtom]

In Wales since Sept 2023 there are no "30 mph areas". The default urban speed limit is 20 mph and 30+ roads are explicitly-signposted exceptions.

[@vadosegalaxy1597]

In the UK a dual carriageway isn’t actually just a motorway (it usually is but not always) it actually refers to a road where the lanes for each direction are separated by a median or central reservation

[@garyjarvis2730]

In the US there is a definite correlation between donut shops and police presence. So the best way to avoid speeding tickets is to know where the shops are located (lol). In Florida the towns of Lawtey and Waldo were nationally famous for being money generating speed traps. Interesting topic. Thanks for sharing.

[@lmaoroflcopter]

The national speed limit sign is only used to signpost accessing an "unrestricted" road. The maximum speed for any public road in the UK is 70 (with central reservation) or 60 (without). The built up area or "restricted/urban" speed limit is only signposted on entry. You're expected to notice lamp post spacing and road furniture to know it's still applicable.

[@tonys1636]

Until the end of the 60's the National Speed Limit sign meant that the road was unrestricted, it was only that nearly all new models of cars were capable of nudging 90mph or more that a national limit was introduced.

[@BrianLeicester]

The fastest I have driven on a motorway was 90mph and still slowly accelerating. This was in a Morris Minor Traveller, so all cars made in the late 60s could more than "nudge" 90! I remember the "Deresitricted" speed limits.

[@robertzervos9319]

In Michigan, 3 speed limits on Interstates: 70 mph , 65mph for trucks, 55 mph minimum speed all vehicles. Residential streets 25 mph unless otherwise posted. State highways 55 mph.

[@billmmckelvie5188]

Various Councils have now started bringing out Average Speed Cameras that means on the entire stetch of road you must stick to the speed limit, until you leave the Average Speed check zone. Also these cameras will catch if you're using mobile phone, not wearing a seat belt, putting on your makeup doing your eyelashes etc.

[@Phiyedough]

Yes, I hate those average speed cameras. I tend to get fixated on the speedo and just glance at the traffic now and then!

[@billmmckelvie5188]

@@Phiyedough I fully understand what you mean. My latest car that I bought, six years ago comes with cruise control, I just lock it off and don't have to worry about my speed unless I am going downhill! It does give you an advantage so you can concentrate more & take evasive advantage due to others not having a good day.

[@Hfil66]

@@Phiyedough I would have thought the contrary. Instantaneous speed cameras mean you have to keep your eye on the speedometer as you pass the camera, but on an average speed camera I do not need to be as precise with my speed since if I notice I have been going a bit over the speed limit for a short while then I slow down to below the speed limit for a while after that to keep the average in line with the limit.

[@tonys1636]

@@Phiyedough Have owned a few sports cars where the speedo was on the passenger side, one soon got the hang of knowing one's speed from the engine sound and the occasional glance at the rev counter in front of one. Every experienced driver ought to be able to make an accurate assessment of their speed even in an unfamiliar vehicle from the engine sound and the gear engaged.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

Strange isn't it. Australia managed to change all their speed limit signs and I would not be surprised if we have more signs than the UK.

[@markpimlott2879]

We changed all of ours, coast to coast to coast in Canada as well, during our metric transition of the late 70s! 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦 🚗 🚘 🚔 🚚 🚛 🚔 🚗 🚘 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦

[@noelsalisbury7448]

The UK doesn't feature one with Skippy on it for sure...

[@nendwr]

The NSL sign used to be known as the derestriction sign. Until 1965, there was no speed limit on the roads that are now 60 or 70.

[@markpimlott2879]

I'm new but am enjoying your driving comparisons' 🚗 content (as my introduction to your channel)! I drove fairly extensively throughout Europe, Morocco and Turkey during the late 60s and 70s, but only rode as a passenger in the UK 🇬🇧 including on the Isle of Man! In Canada, our traffic laws including speed limits are Provincially regulated, similarly to the situation in 'The States'! 'No right hand turns on a red traffic signal in Quebec for example, unlike all of the other Provinces (unless otherwise posted)! 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦 🚗 🚘 🚔 🚚 🚛 🚔 🚗 🚘 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦

[@jerry2357]

During the oil crisis of the 1970s, the UK national speed limit was reduced from 70 m.p.h. to 50 m.p.h. for all roads. Later it was changed to be 50 for single carriageways, 60 for dual carriageways and 70 for motorways. Later still, it was changed to 60 for single carriageways and 70 for dual carriageways and motorways.

[@doughunt9621]

It was actually 40mph.

[@bonetiredtoo]

One irony is that the distance markers on UK motorways are in km...

[@ianmclaughlin7420]

I’m a Brit but I’ve visited the US and driven there for over 35 years and I’ve just returned home from Florida. The big difference to me is the traffic signals that take days to change. ( normally for good reason) and locals put their foot down when the light turn to amber as they don’t want to be late for something !!!

[@ballyhigh11]

Isn't that partly due to the lack of roundabouts in the US?

[@ColinRichardson]

@@ballyhigh11 I was speaking to some Americans while I was in Finland.. They encountered their first roundabout on holiday (a different holiday) and they were terrified about it. I showed them a picture of the Magic Roundabout.. (the 5 roundabouts acting as 1 giant one)... I don't think they will be driving anywhere near it.. LOL.. I've actually since heard, there is a roundabout in America, where the rules are backwards... You have to stop on the roundabout, and let people ENTER, instead of the priority is to people who are already on it.. I have no idea if this is true, and how that even works logically, but just that I was told about it.

[@richjames2540]

The US amber is much longer than the UK. In the UK you can be in a situation on 70 mph dual carriageways where they change and turn to red before you cross the line. Doing and emergency stop would ensure traffic behind would run into you. What I miss in US is Red and Amber. Americans are not as fast off the line in the Western States and Hawaii. so you can often count to ten before the traffic moves.

[@richjames2540]

@@ballyhigh11 Roundabouts in the US work best in North East such as in Boston or New York where people drive much more in the UK style with a Who dares wins approach. Americans often seem scared to make the decision to go. I also find it disappointing they do not indicate on leaving the roundabout mind you more and more UK drivers that the Indicators like a sports option.

[@ianmclaughlin7420]

@@richjames2540 , evening , the problem is that in the UK , when the lights turn amber , we slow down , in the states, the reverse applies they put their foot down. I do agree that there are places where there are lights on 70 mph dual carriageways….but at least they normally give warnings that they are coming up.

[@algernonblack]

The UK will never change to KPH as on the entrance to a Motorway the speed limit sign would say 120 and that is an invitation to do 120 MPH.

[@robinhillyard6187]

I would hope they wouldn’t write 120 kph as the equivalent of 70 mph. 110 would be closer.

[@BrianLeicester]

It would still be the national speed limit sign.

[@juliaw151]

It's not, really. Canada, Australia and New Zealand managed it. We just need to do it already.

[@gchecosse]

Ireland managed it a few years ago without difficulty.

[@noelsalisbury7448]

​@@juliaw151 Define 'need' please.

[@NickfromNLondon]

I seem to remember that the minimum spacing for lamp posts signifying 30 mph zones is different in Scotland from England. The London Borough of Islington is 20 mph on all roads. By the way 30 mph signs are only located where the speed limit changes, there are no repeater signs. If the location changes, rectangular repeater signs on a blue background can be temporarily erected for six months Sadly I had to use the Traffic Signs Manual for work. It is a free download and can provide hours of innocent fun.

[@neilmartin5063]

I must say I enjoy your chats, or as they say in Scotland ' yer pure dead brilliant hen', keep up the good work.

[@BrianLeicester]

GGL, Kalyn, Oh yes "keep at it Mi Duck", as we say here in Leicester (East Midlands). Do you prefer being "Duck" (a corruption of Duke from Norman French "Duc"), or "Hen" - maybe you would prefer "Hinny" from Newcastle - Hinny is an affectionate word for donkey. In parts of the South West people are called "My Lover" whatever tgender is speaking and whatever gender they are speaking to. Other places would just call you "Love" ("alright love?" or "Ee are love" (here you are dear) etc). "Squire", is a London one, as is "Me Old Cock Sparra" (Sparrow). Have you investigated the regional differences for how people refer to others?

[@steveknievel]

Good video! The speed limits are measured in imperial, but the signs themselves are all measured in metric lol standard 600mm roundells on 76mm posts, that increase in size depednding on the road class. Repeaters start at 300mm and should be alternating sides of the carraigeway, or two sided (but not always the case). Many are being replaced with yellow-backed versions (depending on the authority) which are condisered safer. Some drivers mistakenly believe that when you can see the signs you can speed-up, but the set of signs are known as speed terminals, which means the speed limit terminates at the point where the signs are located, not when they becoime visible to the driver.

[@RefutingTheDumb]

We use imperial and metric however, for some things it doesn't matter what standardisation is in place we will still use the familiar.

[@BrianLeicester]

We are capable of using what we consider the most convenient, I had a trailer once which had a load space that was exactly 2 metres wide by 8 feet long, so much clearer than 6'6" x 8', or 2m x 2.440m. It might have something to do with my having had model railways that were built to a scale of 4mm (on the model) representing 1 foot (on the real thing). So a building 30 feet long would be 30 x 4 = 120 mm long as a model.

[@frankmitchell3594]

There are 20mph speed limits on streets in English towns near schools and in residential areas.

[@DavidDoyleOutdoors]

Here in Belfast we have 20mph zones, mostly the city centre. Also here in Northern Ireland when crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland we have to switch to KM for speed and distance

[@Phiyedough]

USA may not expect you to assess the safe speed for a given stretch of road and they do more micromanagement but they do expect you to understand English. Most of the UK signs are the same as used in EU countries so are less language based.

[@matt_the_musician]

Wow, this is fascinating stuff! Here is a suggestion for a future topic: a video on driving on the left side versus driving on the right side (a major difference between driving in the U.K. and the U.S.), a bit of the history behind it, and why each country drives on the side they do. ☺️

[@oocares]

Driving in Japan last year; Towns : 30kph Roads between towns 50kph Toll roads between towns 70/100kph Freeways 100/120kph

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

What annoys me is the number of people that think the "national speed limit" sign means 60mph for car regardless of road type and sit at 60mph in the outside lane of a dual carriageway. I conducted a quick survey at work one lunchtime many years ago and approx half of the people asked thought it was 60mph on dual carriageway "because motorway is 70mph". Even travelling home from the airport one day a taxi driver complained to me about cars "speeding", passing her on the dual carriageway when we were doing 60mph and didn't believe me when I said the speed limit was 70mph.

[@robinhillyard6187]

True. It’s even worse when you realize that half the people think that a dual carriageway is a road with two lanes in each direction-when the actual definition is a physical barrier between the carriageways.

[@BrianLeicester]

@@robinhillyard6187: It also has to have signage relevent to a dual carriage road. Otherwise it is treated as a single carriage road with a long trafic island in the middle, rather than a central reservation. Silly, but true!

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

@@robinhillyard6187 That's interesting, I didn't know that. I assumed that the word "dual" meant two lanes.

[@phalanx-it]

The only 'mistake' that I could find in Kayla's video was that it's not just the unit of measurement that we have in common with our transatlantic cousins. Both countries send their best, brightest and most efficient Civil Servants to the respective departments responsible for licences etc, the DVLA in the UK and the DMV in the US. I understand from my friends in America that the service on both sides of the pond is about par. You may read into that what you wish!

[@robinhillyard6187]

One huge difference in speed limit cultures is that limits change here in the UK very frequently (by distance, I mean, not by time). However, cars (the newer ones anyway) show the current speed limit on the dashboard. That saves having to remember or when you missed that last speed limit sign.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Please forgive a minor correction to your intro. The UK is NOT the only independent Commonwealth country to use miles per hour. Others include: Belize, the Bahamas, St Vincent, St Kitts/Nevis, Antigua/Berbuda, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, plus 11 of the UK's Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies.

[@krashd]

The Irish use kilometres?

[@juliaw151]

​@@krashdIreland isn't part of the commonwealth....

[@mrboojay]

This is a neat video, very informative. I do want to make a note (idk if anyone else has) that in the US the standard speed being posted isn’t a guarantee, like in KY on a 2 lane highway the unposted speed is 55, and you know it’s time to go that speed when the signs either stop existing or there’s a sign that says like “END 35 LIMIT” or the like. So memorizing the speed in some states is needed. (Ope, someone did already say it)

[@mdnickless]

There was a time around 50 years ago when there was an attempt to transition to kilometres. Evidence of this still exists on some stretches of motorway where junctions are signposted at 2/3 and 1/3 miles (approximately 1km and 1/2 km).

[@cristelvideo]

I drove from Boston to Niagra at 55mph during the fuel crisis. It took forever !

[@alanmon2690]

Near me there's a narrow winding road between two towns, A and B. Coming from A the speed limit is 30mph; coming from B it's the National speed limit (60mph for cars). 25 mph is the safe speed!

[@stevelknievel4183]

Whoever said that everything is bigger in America obviously hasn't driven in New Hampshire where the speed limit is routinely 5 mph below what it would be on an equivalent road in the UK.

[@gar6446]

Its a bit weird that you can turn off a good wide well lit 40mph road, into a tight narrow practically single track road that meanders up down and around seemingly randomly and the national speed limit applies 60mph in a car.

[@grabtharshammer]

By the way, I don't know if it is still the case, but when I learnt to drive the difference between 30mph in a built up area and 40mph in a built up area was easy to tell even if you missed the sign, because it depended on the distance between the Lamp Posts.

[@neilfoster814]

There was talk a while ago about changing the UK speed limit on motorways from 70mph to 80mph. Cars have got safer, and have much better brakes and tyres than cars back in the 1960's and 70's. Some cars (Volvo & BMW) are also fitted with automatic braking systems where if you get too close to the vehicle in front it will apply the brakes until the correct gap for the given speed is reached.

[@WilliamBennett-up6gs]

Two villages in North East England has 20 MPH limit for about 5 miles its just practily impossibile to keep to

[@AntonLauridsen]

The situation of different speed limits in different states is similar to national speed limits within the Schengen area (EU... Kinda). Do a search for: Speed limit sign border Germany or pretty much any other Schengen country and you'll see a different way to handle default speed limits

[@raystewart3648]

Guernsey Island where I lived for a while has a national or max speed limit of only 35 miles per hour...........its slow, because the roads are narrow, not very long and the pot holes on the island (at least when I was there, 2002-2004) was like trying to drive through Grand Canyon.

[@jeffknight904]

The reason that the maximum speed during the fuel crisis of the seventies was 55mph was because the average optimum speed in terms of fuel economy for a petrol or diesel vehicle is around that speed. This is due to the trade-off between the time the engine is running and the amount of fuel per minute it is burning while travelling a fixed distance. Although an engine running a vehicle at half that speed, i.e. 27.5mph will burn a little more than half the fuel per minute, it will need to run for twice as long. So, for people wanting to burn less fuel, whether it be for environmental or financial reasons, 55 is the number to aim for.

[@michaeltb1358]

I know you are in UK, but many of the differences in UK are actually common in Europe and around the world. For example practically every country except the USA uses the same design for speed limit signs. Basically US signs use text while everyone else uses symbols which are recognisable regardless of language. Even Mexico uses international signage. Canada seems to have a mixture. Strangely Ireland has managed to convert from Miles to Kilometers. Keep up the great work.

[@natkretep]

So if you drive from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, the sign says 'Welcome to Northern Ireland. Speed limits in miles per hour'.

[@byronchavarria4954]

A Motorway In New York State Is Called A Parkway The National Speed Limit Is New York IS 55 MPH (90 km/h)

[@andrewcolton-jl3xj]

Check out reasonable and prudent in Montana . Think it lasted about 5 years.

[@wolfie854]

In the UK we buy our car fuel (petrol = gasoline) in litres, but the fuel economy of cars is measured in miles per gallon!

[@trytellingthetruth.2068]

If you fill your tank to the top then it makes sense to gauge in miles how far you can get on a full tank.

[@reinhard8053]

@@trytellingthetruth.2068But the tank and the fill up is measured in liter.

[@trytellingthetruth.2068]

@@reinhard8053 I don't think the size of a car's fuel tank changed when the sale of petrol/diesel changed to litres. You can work out either way how far you travel on a full tank, but working it out in miles is far easier.

[@DaveVespa]

​@@trytellingthetruth.2068would miles per litre be a better gauge? I've never really thought about it much other than not knowing what a gallon is.

[@reinhard8053]

@@trytellingthetruth.2068If you know the tank in gallons it will work easily. But if it's in liter and you fill up in liter you still need to convert. Or if you need to know how many liters you need to fill for a distance. It's always some fiddeling. In metric you have l/100km and need to divide your distance by 100km(easy) then multiply be l/100km. In Imperial you have mpg. You need to divide your distance by your mpg to get the gallon value.

[@leighreganarblaster9852]

Place like Australia we do speed Kph. Kph is 1.6 Kph to mph. This mean in Australia if 100 Kph this means mph will be around 50 moh

[@davealan5685]

When I was young, I got about 4 to 6 different Speeding Tickets for exactly 53 mph in a 35 mph zone within just a few years. I found that very disturbing because I didn't think there was any relationship between the speed limits and a reasonable speed to drive at, but the correlation seemed to heavily imply otherwise. ; - p

[@sidm3300]

England has a very effective speed limit....crap road surfaces. We don't drive on the left, we drive on what's left.

[@caitlinneil343]

The uk also loves its roundabouts. I live in the town with the most roundabouts in the uk

[@johnhupp8444]

Some places in the USA have electronic speed limit signs with variable speed limits.

[@MichaelHviid-d9m]

This is very educational. Thank You! 🙂

[@0utcastAussie]

Correction. A Motorway is a Freeway not a Highway.

[@Hirotoro4692]

a freeway IS a kind of highway, it's literally just another term for restricted-access highway. Not all highways are freeways, but all freeways are highways. She says they're also known as turnpikes, and interstates are typically freeways too. Why do the Americans complicate it? We have B-roads (minor, towns cities etc, white on map/signs) A-roads, (fast roads, often 4-lane, green on map/signs), and motorways (freeways, blue on map/signs) here.

[@leechjim8023]

​@@Hirotoro4692n the US different map publishers use differing colors.

[@psansom]

London is a nightmare now. 20 MPH on many roads. 24/7 bus lanes are becoming more common

[@JOHNSMITH-if9jr]

speed / red light cameas are every where in Victorria Australia 3-4 km over and you'll get a big fine

[@johnhockenhull2819]

In the UK if you’ve ever done a “Speed awareness Course” you have likely learned the trick of if there is no signed speed limit then No Street Lights = National Speed Limit

[@dprid]

My experience of speed adherence is the opposite - the USA has fewer speeders than the UK (and I've driven in every contiguous state). However, the closer you get to the big cities the faster the people drive, especially in the USA. Some of the most crazy driving I've seen anywhere has been on the freeways on the outskirts of major cities. Having said that, people are definitely driving slower in the UK these days. If you drove at 80 on a motorway 20+ years ago you would have had a constant stream of traffic flying past you, but now it's just a small number. Part of this I think is due to the increased use of speed cameras, particularly the average speed cameras, but also the increased cost of fuel means people are driving a bit more carefully to save money.

[@mothmagic1]

Most police forces in the UK will tolerate speed limit +10% + 2. Though some will book you for speed limit + 1. The usual crack down is in the month leading up to Christmas.

[@Mayfairpagan]

The reason is going from mph to the other is that it be too confusing I mean people bearly stay the the limit right now compared to try to work out the other one

[@johnbath616]

the majority of roads in brighton are 20 mph

[@stephenlee5929]

Hi Kalyn, You neglected to mention our Minimum Speed Limits, the sign is similar to maximum speed limit but the border is Blue rather than Red.

[@jdb47games]

It's vanishingly rare, so hardly worth mentioning. The Blackwall Tunnel is the only place I have ever seen it.

[@dasy2k1]

Another thing to note is that the 3 national speed limits are the only ones that don't need mini reminder signs every so often.... Generally 60 and 70mph national limit roads will have the reminder signs but it's rare for 30mph roads in a built up area to ba etc any signs at all other than when the speed limit changes.... For example my local collector road has a 40mph limit. There is a 30 limit sign as you turn into the estate I live on from the rounderbout but that's the last speed limit sign you will see until you exit the estate or drive past the primary school (where the speed drops to 20... Then goes back to 30 a quarter mile later with 20/30 signs on the change )

[@timrobertson1571]

I was told once by a friend who was also a traffic cop that the police won't pull you if you drive at the speed limit +10% +2 (so in a 30mph speed limit the police in a police car won't pull you if your speed under 35). However going through traffic cams might be a different matter. It would be interesting to see what the differences are in penalties between UK and USA for speeding? (If you do I will add in your comments section the differences between UK/USA and France).

[@dianasullivan3285]

UK speed Limit is in miles, so we have 30 miles an hour speed limits, Ireland has Kilometres so theirs is 50k

[@reinhard8053]

Only driving as fast as the street and conditions allow should be common knowledge. In German laws I think it is one of the first rules. From US comments they don't mind that much. If the sign tells them a speed they don't care if they don't see anything or if the conditions are bad or the corner is just too narrow.

[@realhorrorshow8547]

The reason the speed limits are posted in MPH is because "muddling through" is the British way, nothing ever gets completely done. I buy petrol in pence per litre and have my car display fuel consumption in MPG.

[@BrianLeicester]

The refinaries work in Barrels!

[@arthurjamesforbes6883]

Kalyn, you perhaps forgot to mention the electronic signage that was introduced, primarily on UK motorways, that is used to reduce the speed of traffic, tell traffic to switch lanes, close specific lanes and end those restrictions. These electronic signs usually have 8 sets of lights, used in pairs, 2 pairs that are coloured AMBER and flash top-to-bottom that either show a numeric value ADVISING a lower speed, show an arrow indicating that a driver should change lane or exit the motorway; the 2 pairs coloured RED and flash left-to-right indicating a closed lane.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

thanks so much for sharing this!

[@arthurjamesforbes6883]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I really enjoy watching most of your youtube videos Kalyn, as well as the Canadian Alanna’s from the ‘Adventures and Naps’ youtube channel too! You mentioned her in another video. I don’t comment that often myself. Can you tell me if US roads use a similar system like the ones I highlighted. I’ve been to the U.S. three times, 1983, 1986 and 1997; all in California where I have relatives, mostly ex-pat Glasweigians (from Glasgow, Scotland). One of my late aunts, who followed her kids to the US initially in your home state of Florida. An amusing story I was told about her was one day, she decided that she’d walk to the store; something she usually did back in Glasgow. A police officer noticed her, stopped her and drove her to the store. At the store she thanked them for the ride intending to walk back home from the store. Much to her embarrassment, the officers informed her that they would be waiting outside the store for her to drive her back home. 😂

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

Apart from Motorways, the 30mph speed limit is determined not by whether a road is in a built up area but whether there is street lighting. Generally, if there are streetights it is 30 mph unless it is simply to illuminate a particular hazard such as a junction. No streetlights means the road is the National speed limit. Any difference requires regular "repeater" signs to confirm the limit. Motorways are 70 MPH unless signage indicates differently and many motorways have variable speed limits.

[@Keith-b4r8o]

The reason our national speed limit sign on motorways, duel and single carriageways has no numbers is that before 1965 there was no speed limit on these roads.

[@psansom]

It would be easier to swap to KPH than to switch sides on the road

[@DaveVespa]

I always find it odd that American speed limits end with a 5 so often. In the resort of the world it's pretty much oy multiples of 10.

[@brandongorte4746]

Miles are larger than kilometers. 1 mi = 1.62 km; 1 km = 0.62 mi (approximately).

[@ABPhotography1]

Hi Kalen xx. Re speed limits in Scotland I tend to drive slower on narrow twisty roads, much to the annoyance of idiot speeding drivers. There are too many RTAs in the Highlands, especially on the A9.

[@jamesbeeching6138]

Good video GGL!! British motorways used to be unrestricted and you could go as fast as you wanted!! This all ended when some idiot[ who spoiled it for EVERYONE] went from London to Birmingham in 40 minutes in an AC Cobra!!! It was so shocking at the time that questions were asked in Parliament and then an arbitrary limit of 70mph was imposed! [ Based on the average maximum speed a car could go at the time!!]😮😮😮😮

[@BrianLeicester]

There were lots of incidents, it wasn;t just the odd ones that hit the headlines.

[@DerrickWhittle-mm7jz]

Thanks driven in wales multiple times did not know the rules wete different.

[@michaelcarney6280]

If a 30mph isn't sign posted you can tell by the lamp post spacing.

[@Hirotoro4692]

not necessarily always

[@davidpnewton]

@@Hirotoro4692 yes always. If there are no repeater signs for a different limit then a restricted road (30 mph outside of Wales, 20 mph in Wales) is denoted by street lights every 183 metres in England and Wales or 185 meters in Scotland.

[@johnrhodez6829]

So, it can depend on the lamppost spacing.... I have often wondered what the reaction would be if you stopped In a 'No Waiting' area and got out a tape measure to check.....

[@davidmartin3947]

The official reason given for not switching to kilometers per hour in the UK is that: 'Couldn't be arsed.'

[@maximushaughton2404]

I always had the understanding that in the States, due to how the police are funded, as to how likely you are to be pulled over for speeding. City police from State funding, rural from fines like speeding.

[@djs98blue]

I’d also be interested to know how the penalties for speeding compare

[@alanbudgen2672]

Most of London is 20 mph too. I think you will generally get caught by a UK speed camera if you are going just a couple of mph over the limit. I think there might be a % - ie 5% over 20 mph...

[@pgbaines65]

A US mile is different to a UK mile any road with street lights is 30mph unless posted or a motor way. HGVs and vans have other limits imposed on them and are lower in Scotland. 👍🤠

[@richjames2540]

Sorry but UK Imperial and US Customary miles are exactly the same as defined in SI Units for our metric friends as 1609.344 meters. The US Survey miles are slightly different.

[@pgbaines65]

@@richjames2540 sorry my mistake I was getting mixed up with miles and gallons. It is the US gallon that is different and the nautical mile that is different than the land mile. 😳🤠

[@richjames2540]

@@pgbaines65 Thanks, no problem. It can confuse quite easily. As a list I am well aware of Knots, nautical miles and UC customary Liquids based on 16 US fl ox ro age pint and UK Imperial pints which have 20 fl oz.. As you know might remember there was a case in Canada when a transatlantic flight which almost crashed because the staff at the departure airport read the weight of fuel loaded was in Imperial which they thoughts was metric and the plane all but ran out of fuel. I am perhaps too old to get behind metric but I have an app on my iPhone which converts back and forth on all SI metric measurements.

[@obi-ron]

Many drivers stick to UK speed limits because it's safer to do so for themselves and for others. We also (to use an American term) get pissed at speeders because they are more likely to cause accidents involving deaths and that affects insurance rates.

[@chilledoutpaul]

I am a UK citizen and I feel 70mph here is a good speed but I mostly travel at 60, but I have travelled at a lot higher speeds but for a very short times, there are also speed cameras on our motorways too but mostly only come on for a speed restriction (Eg, road works, an accident, traffic calming etc) BUT I see the US is an awful lot bigger than the UK I dont know why they dont adopt a higher interstate speed say up to 100mph.

[@SantaFe19484]

The main thing that discourages speeding is narrow streets, and the UK definitely has a lot of them.

[@572Btriode]

I live in France as a UK ex-pat. We also have a national speed limit of 80km/h when unsigned, it was 90km/h but Macron lowered it, the outcry was such that individual departments were allowed to alter this to 90km/h where they see fit but then you will have the regular red circle signs. Divided dual lane highways are generally 110km/h and the autoroutes/motorways/highways (US) are 130km/h unless otherwise posted. Do not trust your car speedo for accurate speed, the makers are legally obliged to absolutely ensure that they can never, ever show a speed less than actual, thus they build in some flattery to account for manufacturing and tyre diameter tolerances, against a GPS you may well find it under-reads by up to 5mph, my VW under-reads by 6km/h.

[@SirLordCustardthe10th]

I feel the biggest thing you missed out in this video is explaining about the point system You very briefly mentioned but did not explain the consequences that happen after getting them

[@chrisaskin6144]

A national speed limit in the UK is the maximum speed you're allowed to do for a given specific type of road, unless a lower speed limit has been applied to that stretch of road, i.e. a 20, 30, 40 or 50mph maximum. In the UK, the national speed limit is signified by a round white sign superimposed by a diagonal black line, and for a single carriageway road (for cars and vans) is 60mph, on a dual carriageway or a motorway it's 70mph. National speed limits vary according to the type of vehicle i.e. HGVs, cars towing caravans or trailers etc.

[@Mayfairpagan]

And now in the uk housing estates. Have 20 mph speed limits

[@zandvoort8616]

We all have phones and GPS now and general speed limits for particular kinds of roads and so it’s about time the UK changed to metric.

[@Hirotoro4692]

changing to metric is not necessary.

[@johnrhodez6829]

We are getting there, inch by inch....

[@goaway9977]

Do the speedometers in UK cars show mph and kph like the ones in the US do? Or do they only show mph? Here in Aus our speedos only show kph. Although I suppose with so many digital speedometers these days if there wasn't already an option to switch to kph then that is something they could just add with a firmware update.

[@paulterry7620]

I was hoping for a mention of speed limit increments. 5 mph increments in the US vs 10 mph in the UK.