[Music] when was the last time you brushed up your knowledge of the UK speed limits you might think that they're fairly obvious but what if we drive a van or tow a trailer there are even minimum speed limits in some areas if we break the speed limit we could risk our safety and the safety of others receive a fine and points or even go to court where we could lose our driving licence in this video we will show how UK speed limits work so we are always aware of the maximum speed allowed before we start make sure you subscribe to our channel and click the bell so you are alerted when we upload a new video if you have any questions about this video then please comment below and we will reply as soon as we can [Music] most drivers are experienced and cautious enough to driver to speed that is appropriate for the type of road and level of hazards present however since some drivers are inexperienced and others reckless there must be speed limits to restrict the speed of traffic and maintain road safety the presence of a low speed limit should indicate not only the maximum speed allowed but also the type of Road environment and possible hazard level if drivers ignore the limit and drive dangerously at inappropriate high speeds it also provides a means of prosecution to deter this from happening again when starting a journey we must be aware of the current speed limit the presence of street lights generally means that there is a 30 mile per hour speed limit unless there are signs to tell us otherwise so if we start driving in this residential street even though we can't see any speed limit signs we can deduce that we are inside a 30 mile per hour speed limit area if we cannot see any street lights or signs then the default speed limit is the national speed limit the national speed limit varies depending on the type of road and vehicle driven the Highway Code details all the different limits and it is the duty of a driver to know the correct speed limit for their type of vehicle on each road for example the national speed limit for a car is 60 miles per hour on a single carriageway Road and 70 miles per hour on dual carriageways all motorways however other vehicle types have their own limits which is why no speed limit number is displayed on the national speed limit sign just to be clear a dual carriageway road is where lanes in one direction are separated from lanes in the other direction by a central reservation it doesn't matter how many lanes there are in each direction the presence of a barrier or central reservation is what makes a dual carriageway we might not see any signs to show that the speed limit has changed as we join a dual carriageway but we can now drive up to 70 miles per hour until we see signs for a slower speed limit or return to a single carriageway road the national speed limit applies on most dual carriageways but some have lower speed limits such as this one in a 30 mile per hour urban area the start of a new speed limit is shown with large signs and then there are sometimes small repeater signs to remind us of the limit afterwards you may see signs showing 20 30 40 or 50 miles per hour limits or a white and black sign that shows the national speed limit applies to remain within the law at all times we must reduce our speed before entering an area with a lower speed limit and wait until we reach the start of a higher speed limit before increasing our speed round blue signs with white numbers display the minimum speed required for some roads the end of the minimum speed limit is signaled by the same sign but with a red line across it minimum speed limits are rare but are present in areas where driving too slowly might caused increased congestion or danger such as in a tunnel there isn't an official minimum speed limit on most motorways but if we drive too slowly it might be considered dangerous and attract the attention of the police rectangular signs that state max speed 20 miles per hour or school safety zone twenties plenty give information to help us consider our speed they are sometimes used at sharp bends when the road has a loose surface or where there is hidden danger these are not an official speed limit and the previous speed limits still applies we should use our judgment to decide which speed we drive at depending on the situation for example if we see a 20 mile per hour school zone sign during school times we should consider slowing down in case there are children nearby but perhaps we wouldn't if in the same area late at night or at the weekend at busy times there are some stretches of motorway which have variable speed limits shown above the lanes the maximum speed limits shown on these signals are mandatory and appear on the gantries above the lanes to which they apply these speed limits are in place to enable traffic to proceed at a constant speed as this is being shown to reduce bunching by keeping traffic at a constant speed over a longer distance congestion has been shown to ease our overall journey time should improve by keeping to a constant speed even though at times it may appear that we could have traveled faster for short periods the speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not always mean that it is safe for us to drive at that speed for example when driving in a narrow residential street with cars parked on either side we may need to reduce our speed considerably when driving in busy areas we should be especially alert to all the possible hazards that could be present and driver to speed that would give us time to react safely we should also be particularly aware of our speed when driving in poor weather or on bendy roads the golden rule to remember is that we should drive at a speed that will allow us to stop in the amount of clear Road we can see when we can see a lot of clear Road we can increase our speed but if we spot a hazard or the amount of clear Road in view reduces we must reduce our speed we should of course ensure we stay within the speed limit on a driving test but this isn't always as easy as it sounds we will need to spot any speed limit changes we come across and understand where we need to reduce our speed further in hazardous areas if we do drive faster than the speed limit accidentally the examiner will consider the situation when deciding what type of fault to award if any we would recommend driving confidently and keeping up with the flow of traffic when the road is clear and driving as slowly as needed when we spot possible danger [Music] so remember to learn the speed limits for your vehicle type look ahead for speed limit signs driver to safe speed for the situation and conditions and consider any advice on rectangular information signs [Music] if you found this video interesting then please visit our channel as there are over 100 more tutorial videos to help you improve your driving if you would like to help us make new videos then please consider becoming a member or patron of our channel 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