Speedbumps Grrrrrr!

[Kneeslider]

I was wondering what the recieved wisdom out there was about damaging your car on one, in spite of your car being perfectly legal, and driving within the speed limit, there seems to be something terribly wrong about having to shell out ££££s to repair damage to your car for merely driving it down the road.

I have a Boxster, with stock ride height, and twice this year I have had that crappy graunching expensive sound, where you know bits of your paintwork/bodywork are dragging on the speedbump in the road.

I want to know what the legal requirements are for the dimensions of a speedbump, and what a local authorities oblgations are once you go to them for compensation for damage.

The first time this happened to me, I went to a bodyshop, got a quote and took some photos of the damage, then mailed the lot off to the highways depearment of the council, who dispatched an 'engineer' to go and look at the road. Unsurprisingly, they didn't find anything actually wrong with the road, because it was devoid of potholes, and other 'damage' but they seemingly neglected to notice anything wrong with the speedbump, which had several large gouges in it from poor unfortunates, whose cars are a bit on the low side. The case was deemed to be closed.

Any thoughts?

[Mark]

I've posted your post on a roads forum (http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=280753#280753) where they may be more helpful.

But AFAIK the speed limit of the road has little relevance to the speed hump, you not legally entitled to drive over them at the speed limit.

[bowler]

Citroen with hydraulic suspension is good

[Kneeslider]

Yes, that is all very well, but who actually wants one of those? :p

It is already possible to determine the path of car design evolution, in the way that cars are getting not only taller, but higher, with bigger wheels, in order to ride the speedbumps more efficiently. This is all well and good, and goes some way to adapting a car for it's environment, however, the very purpose of a speedbump is to cause discomfort to the occupant(s) of the car. So, cars which are better at riding speedbumps, will require bigger speedbumps, and round and round the cycle turns.

What if you want a fine handling sporting car, which by it's very nature needs to be quite low, providing a low centre of gravity, stiff suspension, and low profile tyres, which actually make the handling safer once you are going at more than 30 mph. Consider the moped, with little suspension travel, and small wheels they are disproportionately affected by speedbumps.

What about the emergency services? Speedbumps must add critical seconds to response times, I wouldn't like to be in a critical condition on my way to hospital, in an ambulance which was having to bounce over speedbumps.

We all hate damage to our cars (and the attendant expense!) and I can (sort of) understand it when you cause it yourself, and if someone else is the cause, then you can seek compensation through their insurance, but to have your car damaged just by the shape of the road surface is a little hard to take.

[Mark]

I'm told you can find the speed bump regs here
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tal/trafficmanagement/speedcontrolhumpsscotlandeng4117?view=Standard

I'm also told "If he can afford a Boxster then pay for a solicitor, tight sod". well I ask you :p

[Daniel]

I want a DS, SM or any other hydraulic suspension Citroen :p

I agree with you. A car which is not outrageously low like an F1 car should not be damaged by the road.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

How much unnecessary wear do they put onto your suspension?

The Romans spent years trying to perfect the smooth road, over centuries we got it almost perfectly smooth, so what do we do? Make it bumpy again :mad:

[Daniel]

How much unnecessary wear do they put unto your suspension?

Not very much at all......

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Not very much at all......

Surprised by that.. :\

Maybe if you take them at an unreasonable speed then you risk damaging your suspension, but then if you do that you deserve to break your car.

[Daniel]

Surprised by that.. :\

Maybe if you take them at an unreasonable speed then you risk damaging your suspension, but then if you do that you deserve to break your car.
You would have to take them at some really really stupid speed to damage your suspension.

[Kneeslider]

With my car, the front bumper is low enough to come into contact with a high speed bump. It has only done it twice, but twice is enough to be annoying, also on the Boxster, there are two little vertical aerodynamic pieces in front of each wheel, one was torn off a while ago, but they are 'only' about £20 each, it's the repainting of the bumper which is the really annoying issue.

[Dave B]

My crappy Ford has a fair few scrape marks on the underside from taking speed bumps at perfectly legal and sensible speeds, and nobody could possibly class that as a sports car.

They're getting stupid - a few weeks ago I had to ask three people to get out of the car while I drove over a particularly bad one. :rolleyes:

[schmenke]

I sympathise with you Kneeslider, but speed bumps serve a purpose. As a father of two rugrats I wouldn't mind the installation of a speed bump or two in my neighbourhood :mark: . Far too many vehicles speed through our residential community with little regard for the safety of any kids that may be out and about.

I do agree though that the bumps should not be so extreme as to cause damage to your average vehicle.

[JoCoLo]

I was told it is better to put one tyre in the middle of those small speed bumps and one to the side where the road is flat rather than straddling the speed bump. Apparently it wears the inner edge off your tyres quickly if you drive over the middle of the bump.

We have one road locally with two small bumps in the road rather than one long one. I think it allows truck to pass over them without damage.

[J4MIE]

a few weeks ago I had to ask three people to get out of the car while I drove over a particularly bad one. :rolleyes:

Must resist.... must...not....say..... :D

[J4MIE]

I was always under the impression that the best way to go over them was at an angle, ie don't drive straight at them, then it's just one side at a time that will be on the crest of it.

[Iain]

They're rife around this area. The worst are the ones made from tarmac, which you cannot see in the dark or if the road is wet. :s

[luvracin]

Any thoughts?

I would rather take my chances on stupid speedhumps than with the frickin potholes we have here in the Detroit-metro area.

When you're driving along at 80mph, all of a sudden you see a pothole so deep you can see the re-bar. The THUNK as your 17-inch runflat hits it is terrible..... but sofar so good.

[Dave B]

Must resist.... must...not....say..... :D
Go on, you know you want to....

[speedy king]

I broke my knee cap in three peieces because of speedhump alley outside my house. They are rediculously badly made with ridges at each side, one filled with water, then iced overnight and i came off a motorcycle as i left one of the humps and lost my front wheel. Now there's one imparticular that each time i take a car over it sounds like its destroying all sorts of parts under the car...


Hate the things, i now have a permenantly bad knee because of them.

[BeansBeansBeans]

They're just one of many things which combine to make life difficult for the modern motorist.

[Hazell B]

They're getting stupid - a few weeks ago I had to ask three people to get out of the car while I drove over a particularly bad one. :rolleyes:

I know that wasn't written as a joke, but it made me laugh. Bet it was raining, you meanie :p :

Our council happily spat forty quid my way after hitting a bump in the road that was unavoidable snapped a leather headcollar on a horse in my trailer. Very good of them, they didn't even ask for proof. However, the same bump saw a Morris lose it's exhaust and they paid it's owner not one cent, even though his ancient car was pristine until that day.

[jonas_mcrae]

I was always under the impression that the best way to go over them was at an angle, ie don't drive straight at them, then it's just one side at a time that will be on the crest of it.

Jamie is right doing the angle thing is the best to avoid any damage.
By the way, all you first world people who complain about these girly speedbumps you face here in your british or european streets have no idea of the damage a hard core speed bump (or "tope" as we call them over here) can do to a car, specially a sports car. You the guy of the porsche you certainly dont want to do a road trip in latin america. Where I come from you dont just reduce speed when you see one, you S-T-O-P. unless your riding a 4x4 or want something broken in your car haha.

PD
if u do go to latin america and your driving around and see this sign....
Be afraid... LOL

[Flat.tyres]

i like to stick to 30, 40 and 50 MPH limits religiously but there are several humps around my area where they are bone jarringly uncomfortable when taken at 20 MPH but a mere blip when taken at 40-45 mph I have found so now, if the road is clear, I speed up.

as for the Boxter, we also have some really steep ones where anything more than 10mph in my car catches the splitter. now, I drive an Elegance CLK so it doesn't have lowered suspension but I can't take it at a reasonable speed. there are scrapes all over these humps and broken lights and bits of bumper all down the road where the humps have caused minor accidents.

[KILOHMUNNS]

A lot of speed humps in my area have been changed to the new style ones (a big square lump in the middle of each lane - I think they were designed for emergency vehicles!?!). I like these ones as I have a big car with a wider wheel base so they don't effect me, I can just drive over them without slowing down!!