The speed limit is just that - the top speed for that particular road. It is not the mandatory speed that vehicles should travel at.

There are occasions such as bad weather conditions, congested roads due to parking and in areas where children play when it would be foolhardy, if not criminal, to drive at the limit for the road. In the area I used to live I always drove with great caution on the road leading into mine. Paid dividends one day when a three year old ran aout from between parked cars into my path. If I had been driving at the limit, 30mph, it is highly likely that that child would be dead now. Age and experience have taught me that children don't always think about the dangers of the road and that not all parents take the best care to keep tiny children from playing near roads. Yet the number of young men who drove way over the limit on that particular road never ceased to amaze me.

Maybe retesting every three years for all drivers would be the way forward. I bet that the majority of us have picked up bad driving habits over the years. I never trust anyone who reckons that they are good drivers - it's too easy to be over confident and that can also lead to accidents.