IS350jet

Sorry to say, ANYBODY driving 185 MPH on a public, open highway is the incompetent one. Any little thing goes wrong at that speed and it's all over.

Stroock639

i must say this is a bit surprising coming from someone named IS350jet who lives in florida

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

The germans have been living without speed limits on the autobahn for like 60-70 years now and they seem to be doing fine, the reason we have speed limits in this country is the general public are to stupid to understand zipper merging or even use a round about correctly, thats just my personal opinion.

Also lane discipline in this country is appalling as well that is another reason we have speed limits.

Remember its not the car its the nut behind the steering wheel lol.

mmarshall

Yes and no. They don't have as many accidents as we do, for several reasons, but those that they DO have, at those triple-digit speeds, are horrific.

One cannot overrule the laws of physics. Even the German government is starting to realize that. More and more sections of the Autobahns are getting lower speed-limits...or speed limits added when there were none before. The speed-unlimited sections, for good reason, are shrinking more and more.

Stroock639

exactly right, the autobahns aren't complete lawlessness however... there are unrestricted sections in the more rural areas but the autobahns still have speed limits

but the combination of laws that make sense, better maintained roads and cars, and much more extensive road tests mean they can safely travel at higher speeds

i can't believe that road tests in the US don't involve any time on a highway, it's downright reckless to allow people to drive on one without any experience whatsoever

Stroock639

that seems to please you... what do you consider a fun activity? we're fortunate enough to live in a time where humankind has produced these fantastic adrenaline devices, and germany is basically the last place on earth where one can (legally at least) properly enjoy them

i'd be more understanding if you were coming at this from an environmental point of view, but from a safety concern why does it bother you how fast the germans drive? i think if you could experience how stable and confidence inspiring some cars are at high speeds you'd have a whole different perspective

mmarshall

Well, in a vehicular sense, as far as I'm concerned, safety pleases me. Sensible driving pleases me. Common sense pleases me. Nice vehicles please me....as long as one can afford them. Keeping one's driving record free from tickets pleases me. Obeying traffic laws pleases me. Helping and assisting other people with their car needs/problems/advice pleases me. And, yes.....many times, getting a new vehicle every 4-6 years pleases me LOL.

Well, with all due respect (and, yes, I respect your opinion), that's where you and I differ. While I can (and occasionally have) enjoyed a nice little romp in a sports-car (such as a Mazda Miata on a winding road), in most cases, I don't see driving (and particularly safe driving) as an adrenaline-rush. I've seen too many young people get hurt or killed from that stuff....particularly in high-powered GT / SVT / Cobra Mustangs, more than any other single vehicle. There is just something about Mustangs and big engines, even more so than with Camaros and Challengers, that seems to invite dangerous antics on the road.

Well, for one thing, you're assuming that I care more about how Germans drive than Americans do. That is not true.....I care more about how people drive in my area, although, because of the virus, a lot of people aren't driving, period. I haven't seen traffic levels in my area this low since I was a kid...over half a century ago.

To some extent, you're preaching to the choir. I've driven (or test-driven) almost everything from the Smart-for-Two to some BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes products costing well over 100K....even a Rolls-Royce once, though it was an older Rolls. High-speed driving on Interstate-type highways, in most cases, doesn't really thrill me. I've always liked more winding back-roads, small towns, mountains/hills, etc....where you can really enjoy the driving and see more of the scenery...and it uses more of your driving skills, particularly with a stick. In fact, my favorite long-distance routes have always been over the Appalachians from Virginia/Maryland to Ohio.

And, unlike many persons, my views have not changed with age. I was just as safety-oriented in high school, at age 17-18, as I still am today. Unlike some of my schoolmates, I lived to tell about it.

EZZ

Speed on interstates aren't the reason for accidents. It's bad lane discipline and lack of driver skill more than speed. German Autobahn speeds are much much faster and experience far less accidents.

I hope they never restrict the autobahn speeds and actually increase Us speeds to a more reasonable rate.


https://www.motorbiscuit.com/is-the-...-u-s-highways/

mmarshall

Yes, it is.

https://www.valuepenguin.com/2019/07...rashes-us#nogo

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...5e6_story.html

https://www.automotive-fleet.com/dri...ccident-impact

EZZ

You completely ignore the evidence i provided. Speed kills in the US due to the reasons i gave you. Its because the US doesn't have lane discipline and lack skills to drive safely. If you isolate speed on two different highway systems, one with discipline and one without, the one with much higher speeds and lane discipline has much less accidents. Germany shouldn't reduce their speeds because people can actually drive there pretty well. Perhaps the US can only increase its speed when it makes getting licenses much harder.

Stroock639

i think what we consider 'high speed driving' isn't the same thing lol... there's no US interstate speed 'limit' that allows you to really get an idea of the engineering behind any of those expensive cars you mentioned, also i'm of course not saying i only need to get an adrenaline rush every single time i drive, you know i'm your biggest ally as far as loving the soft cushy luxury sedan to cruise around in

also come on you can't say you've seen people crash in high powered mustangs as a reason to condemn that sort of driving, up until recently the mustang had a suspension design which wasn't that far off from like a 1940s truck so that's not really a fair comparison lol

a 'little romp' in a miata is nice but that's not exhilarating by any means, not in the same way sustained g forces in your back is... it's a very interesting sensation to feel like your falling down the hill on a rollercoaster while you're on perfectly flat ground

strictly following the speed limit on a major highway as everyone's passing you is one of the more dangerous things one can do, you're forcing everyone to deviate from their course and get frustrated as they have to go around... going with the flow is the safest thing to do regardless of the law, a law that could literally change the next day

mmarshall

No...you are ignoring the evidence (and it's more than evidence...it is a basic law of physics) that the faster you go, the more kinetic energy is stored in the vehicle, and the greater the impact (and greater the damage/destruction to the vehicle and its occupants) if and when a crash does occur. I'm sorry, but the laws of physics don't change just because some people like to speed and get their jollies off by doing so. I don't like to be blunt, but sometimes I have to to get a point across.

As to the point you make of "lane discipline" in the German style, while that may, to some extent, reduce the changes of an accident happening, it does not (and cannot) do anything to lessen impacts of any accidents which do occur. That is why Autobahn accidents can be so horrific...and why even the German government, in its new regulations, now recognizes that speeds must come down.

This is typical of high speed Autobahn mishaps...the driver was lucky to survive it.



......and here is a Lamborghini crash on the Autobahn at 330 KPH (205 MPH).

EZZ

And they still have far less accidents than us. Speed doesn't kill when you have skilled drivers on the road. not everyone wants to be the slowpoke on the highway

Some more facts regarding Autobahn.
https://www.torquingcars.com/opinion/speed-kills/

mmarshall

OK...we've both had our say. I'm moving on.

IS350jet

And how do you go about changing driver discipline? You can't, therefore, Autobahn speeds in the US are not safe.