National Speed Limits—Yes, plural!

So, you want to drive in the UK. Patience, grasshopper. There is so much to learn about, for starters, roundabouts! And driving on the opposite side of the road. (Do not make the mistake of saying "the wrong side" of the road, as you will likely not hear the end of it. ;) )


One of the most important things to know is what this sign means:

National Speed Limit Sign

That is the sign indicating National Speed Limit, in other words, the maximum allowable speed on a given road. But beware! This limit is VARIABLE depending on what kind of road/sector you are in. I've made a pictograph to help you along, based on the current speed limits in the UK.

The above pictograph is good for cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans and dual-purpose vehicles only. If you're towing a trailer or caravan, the limit changes for you. If, like me, you wonder what a car-derived van or a dual-purpose vehicle is, here's the sum-up from the Gov.UK site:

"As a general rule, from the outside, [car-derived vans] will look like the size of a car, but on the inside the vehicle will look like and function as a van [..]."

"A dual-purpose vehicle is a vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods [..]."

Naturally, motorhomes, motor caravans, minibuses, buses, coaches, and goods vehicles all must follow vehicle-specific speed limits, even when a speed limit sign is in effect. Also, though they are all part of the United Kingdom, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have different limits for Goods Vehicles.

If you're wondering about your vehicle, I would refer you directly to the page I got that info from. Also, I highly recommend you get familiar with the "fine print" by reading up on speed limits in the UK. If you've got Twitter, follow The Highway Code @HighwayCodeGB.

Hopefully, that will be of significant help to you, at least in the beginning. Rules in Canada seem simpler to me since we don't have a "National Speed Limit", and instead rely on the panels along a given street.

Speed limits aside, I've noticed that people drive very fast here. They come careening down my residential street which is in a curve and a school zone—the school is a five minute walk from my front door—and on the highway, they go even faster. My husband is very careful about not speeding, but he drives at the limit (or maybe up to 5mph over it) and he's been over-taken by an old lady, and by a scooter! Still, he was the unfortunate victim of one of those speed cameras during our first or second month, despite being super careful, but what can you do.

Incidentally, the minimum fine for speeding is £100 and 3 points off your license. As it was my husband's first offence, he was offered to either take the penalty or attend a driving course on speed limits. More on speeding penalties.

If you'd like me to make a printer-friendly version of the basics, post in the comments, and I'll try to squeeze that in to my schedule! :)