Top Ten Tips

RoSPA's practical tips for drivers who find it difficult to stay within the speed limit. 1 Check Your Speedometer Regularly 2 Know the Limits - Look for Signs 3 Assume Lamp Posts Mean 30 mph 4 Speed Limits are a Maximum 5 20's Plenty When Kids Are About 6 Try no Higher Than 3rd Gear in 30 mph 7 Recognise What Makes You Speed 8 Concentrate - Distracted Drivers Speed 9 Slow Down When Entering Villages 10 Give Yourself Time • Refresh Your Skills

Try no higher than 3rd gear in a 30 mph limit

It is easier to notice if you are creeping above 30 mph when travelling in 3rd gear, and this can act as a warning to reduce your speed.

Drivers should, of course, choose the appropriate gear for their speed and the road, weather and traffic circumstances, and change gear as those circumstances change. The most appropriate gear to use when driving at 30 mph will depend on your engine size, but in many modern cars it is possible to drive at 30 mph in 3rd gear without making the engine labour.

If you struggle to keep your car within 30 mph when driving in a 30 mph zone, try driving in 3rd gear (or lower when necessary). If you can comfortably travel at 30 mph in 3rd gear without feeling that the engine is laboured, adopt ’no higher than 3rd in 30 mph’ as a principle.

Automatic cars normally have several forward gears, so the driver should choose the gear which makes it easiest to keep the vehicle under 30 mph.