So our transport secretary Philip Hammond has suggested raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph. His claim is that it will save travel time that businesses can then turn into more money making opportunities.
I can see from the governments point of view, that this will improve their bottom line. Faster travel, means higher fuel consumption, which means more fuel tax. From www.mpgforspeed.com, at 80mph you are burning 11% more fuel, although for about 15% less travel time. In other words, increasing your fuel bill by over 10%. In 1999/2000 tax year, the fuel tax raised £22billion, so 10% more would be an extra £2billion to the government - a nice little earner.
Other hidden costs implicit in this suggestion include an inevitable increase in insurance costs, as more expensive accidents happen, tyres will wear out faster, and general wear and tear on your car will increase. More broken windscreens for example.
So - not really a good idea.
