Supporting an Increase in the Speed Limit to 80mph

The UK Government is currently considering raising the speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80mph (source). This proposal has been criticised on grounds of safety and potential environmental damage (source and source) and seems to be no more than an attempt to win favour with motorists (perhaps to balance this proposal on fines for careless driving).

The argument is that a speed limit set in 1965 is out of date has been made redundant by improvements in the design of motor vehicles. An increase to 80mph makes sense in some respects - modern cars are undoubtedly much better able to copy with higher speeds - but it seems unlikely that improvements in driving have kept pace and it definitely isn’t a cost-free option.

One of the principles of good behaviour is that exercising one’s rights should not have a detrimental impact on the quality of life of other people (or, at least, that we should take all reasonable action to minimise the detrimental effects of our behaviour). As the environmental and safety risks of increased speed limits are non-trivial (additional CO2 emissions, for example, would have a negative impact on a very large number of people) it is necessary for the Government to take appropriate mitigating actions before increasing the speed limit.

Here are some ideas:

1. Improve driver training: require anyone wishing to drive at the new speed limit to complete an advanced training course, possibly with regular refreshers, to ensure that they have the necessary skills. 
2. Enhanced MoT: greater speeds will increase wear on cars and this should be countered by more detailed annual vehicle inspections. The scope of the MoT could also be widened to cover any safety equipment not already included. 
3. Tighter emission standards: fuel efficiency drops as speeds increase so vehicles should be restricted to speeds that ensure their emissions remain are below a per-kilometre limit. More efficient vehicles would thus be permitted to travel more quickly, encouraging investment in fuel-efficiency. 
4. Variable speed limits: trialled for many years on the M25, variable speed limits should be rolled out nationally to allow speeds to be automatically restricted during peak hours. 
5. Restrictions on older vehicles: if newer vehicles can handle higher speeds it is presumably true that older vehicles cannot. These older vehicles (pre-1985, maybe) should be restricted to slower roads or simply scrapped. 

It seems unlikely that these policies would ever be enacted. They might represent a reasonable compromise, allowing drivers to achieve higher speeds without endangering the rest of the population, but delivery would be politically difficult. A Government enacting such policies would be hailed by road safety and environmental campaigners but would lose the support of the right-wing press, who would see these moves as an attack on the motorist.

The most likely outcome to the consultation is the retention of the current speed limit. Anything else would be controversial, difficult and distracting, diverting the Government’s attention from areas that are, we could argue, more worthy of our limited resources.