Speed limits - Page 2

Provost Harrison · January 13, 2003, 18:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
Rather than speed limits on motorways, minimum distance between you and the car in front (in seconds) should be enforced. Tailgaters and compulsive lane changers are more dangerous than fast drivers who keep their distance.

I agree. I think urban speed limits are generally quite sensible, but 70mph for a motorway is very slow if you follow all precautions. I routinely travel on motorways as 90-95mph...any slower seems quite frankly unnecessary if you leave a good distance and pay attention to the f**kwits on the road.

Imran Siddiqui · January 13, 2003, 18:32

Quote:

How so? Speed limits are not strictly enforced. If it was about the money, they would be...

Muncipalities that need money strictly enforce speed limits to raise money. A lot of cops don't like pulling people over for going 10 mph over the limit, because they want to do it themselves. The laws themselves are used for improving the cash flow.

Arrian · January 13, 2003, 18:35

Quote:

A lot of cops don't like pulling people over for going 10 mph over the limit, because they want to do it themselves

Like it matters: cops break just about every traffic law on the books. They speed, do not signal, tailgate...

-Arrian

Kramerman · January 13, 2003, 19:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove

There are a lot of roads in the US that are divided, limited access and 4 laned but really aren't built to the same standards as the interstates because they don't have to be. The problem is that many people don't take notice that the curves are sharper and less well banked, the lanes are narrower, and the acceleration lanes are woefully too short, so they travel at the same speed as the interstate, with tragic consequences.
There is a 4 lane bypass around the east and south sides of town here that fits this description. The builders particularily skimped on the acceleration lanes, some of which are less than 50 feet long. There is one ramp at which thee is an accident at least once a month.

This is true.
My city has two concentric freeway 'loops', and tho most parts would be safe for very high speeds, many parts are not, and these places are properly marked with new speed limit signs(mostly the speed limit is 65 during the day) at 45 and 35 mph. It would be foolish to say every expressway in its entirety should have very high speed limits. But certain stretches of expressways and interstates i think should. And of course, in poor weather, visibility, and other such conditions ther should be a proper 'alternative' speed limit. On top of this, the enforcement of tailgating and such as discussed earlier in this thread would be added cushions of safety.

Kman

Kramerman · January 13, 2003, 19:23

Quote:

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Yes, but people don't handle any better. The problem isn't so much the machine as the person driving the machine. We weren't designed to move at the speed, and we have problems reacting to things that quickly if we aren't specifically trained for it.

At 95 miles per hour, in the time it takes for your eyes to see something, your brain to register it as a threat, and send the impulse to your leg to lift off the gas and hit the brakes, and then for your muscles to actually respond, you've already moved quite some distance.

Given that many people on the highways tailgate, even at high speed, this organic lag time is often fatal.

Yes, this too is true. but if most people follow at a safe distance, than this 'organic' lag would have no effect in most expressway circumstances. Because, remember, the car in front of you doesnt just stop. When they hit the breaks, they must start to decelerate, travling a distance all the while you are travling distance. Of course since you would be going faster your distance travled would be greater, but if there is an appropriate cushion of space between the vehicles, this should not be a problem, and thus high speed travel on properly built roads should not be significantly more of a dangerous than travle is now on them.

Quote:

Originally posted by rah

Just what we need. 18 Wheelers doing 90 MPH. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I often see 18 wheelers going 80 mph on the interstates, and tho it does make me nervous, i doesn't make me much more nervous than when they are going 60 mph, and I dont see how going 90 mph would make all that much more of a difference.

Kman

Caligastia · January 13, 2003, 19:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Grrr
Frogger ... you don't live in NZ ... speed limits here are strictly enforced. You get a fine for driving 101kph and a 100 zone.

I think you might be exaggerating a tad.

The cop that pulled me over said that they would ticket anyone going over 111 kph.

Grrr · January 13, 2003, 20:20

Caligastia.

Speed cameras are set to 101Kmph ... generally a cop will not pull you over unless you are going in excess of 120 (unless of course they haven't met their quota of 3 tickets per hour).

Caligastia · January 13, 2003, 20:24

Quote:

Originally posted by Grrr
Caligastia.

Speed cameras are set to 101Kmph ... generally a cop will not pull you over unless you are going in excess of 120 (unless of course they haven't met their quota of 3 tickets per hour).

Hmmm, I also heard that only the fastest of those photographed gets a ticket. I have set off a couple of speed cameras and never got a ticket for it, so there must be some truth to that.

MattyBoy · January 13, 2003, 20:40

In Australia, it is generally known that anything more than 3 or 4 kmh over the limit can receive a ticket.

Quote:

73 mph is fast? Heck, if you're not doing 80-85 on the interstates here, you're holding up traffic. Speed enforcement in this state is almost non-existent, at least on freeways and highways

As for Detroit, that city was designed for cars, not people. Eventually, most of the people realised this and left. This is deemed a success, because those that remain can now drive faster.

SMIFFGIG · January 13, 2003, 20:45

i live on the island of Jersey and the speed limit is 40Mph

Thats no joke, even i find it funny

Gangerolf · January 13, 2003, 20:49

the max limit here is 90kmh on highways (100 on like 3 or 4 roads), 80 in rural areas and 50 in urban areas (but often 30 or 40).

SMIFFGIG · January 13, 2003, 20:53

hehe listen to this

the longest stretch of road here is called the 5mile road yet it is only 2.5 miles long

Now is that stupid or is that stupid

MattyBoy · January 13, 2003, 23:17

Quote:

the max limit here is 90kmh on highways (100 on like 3 or 4 roads), 80 in rural areas and 50 in urban areas (but often 30 or 40).

Where is that?
Bouvet Island?

faded glory · January 13, 2003, 23:59

Highways and interstates are way to low. Here the 2 major highways through town have 35 and 40 speed limits. IMO, they should be bumped up.

KrazyHorse · January 14, 2003, 01:26

Quote:

Originally posted by SMIFFGIG
i live on the island of Jersey and the speed limit is 40Mph

Thats no joke, even i find it funny

Maybe because the only places worth getting to can only be reached by sea or air from Jersey? Just a thought...

Saras · January 14, 2003, 04:45

Speed limits dont help senile drivers

Harovan · January 14, 2003, 05:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
This is only true on the Autobahn, and only on certain parts of it. Around major urban centers, one simply can't go fast, as traffic is rather dense. Plus, one has to get a special license now to drive on the Autobahn, which I believe costs something like $5,000 US (I'm not sure if this applies to everyone or just non-Germans).

There's a Autobahn fee for trucks, because they cause the most damage, but none for private cars.

Quote:

At any rate, they have a noticeably lower accident fatality rate than major U.S. highways. However, Germans also treat driving in a different way than Americans, particularly on the Autobahn. There is much more focus and attention paid. Americans tend to view driving as just a means of travel, whereas Germans view it as a past time unto itself.

That's for sure. I've seen Americans drive, omfg

. When I last was in the States, a friend met me at the airport and drove me home. It was a mere 45 minutes trip, but driving like this in Germany, she'd have earned about 10 tickets in this time. Not that she's a bad driver, at the countrary. They were all driving like this. It was a complete chaos, at least for me.

Quote:

Germany also has some very strict laws regarding unsafe driving on the Autobahn. Cameras monitor distances between cars, and if you are driving too close to the car in front of you (I think something like 20 feet is the minimum in no traffic, but not sure), then you will be fined severely. Fines are based on the individual wealth of the infractor. A couple years ago they gave out a $10,000 fine to a wealthy driver for tailgating. Ouch.

All of this courtesy of the History Channel, thank you.

Regarding distance: You have to keep a distance in meters of at least half the amount of your speed in kilometers per hour. For instance, if you're at 60 km/h, you have to keep at least 30 m distance in front of you. I leave the translation into mph and feet to you

.

aaglo · January 14, 2003, 05:47

Saras -
That somehow reminds me of Moscow...

Dis · January 14, 2003, 05:54

75 on freeways in my state. 65 on freeways within the city (specifcially Las Vegas)

The highways can range from 70 on open highways out in the middle of nowhere to 55.

note: those figures are in miles per hour. Like there would be any other useful way to measure velocity

aaglo · January 14, 2003, 05:57

I wonder what is the opposite of "freeway"? Is it a closed way or what?

In Finland
- freeways beyond city limits: 100 - 120 km/h
- freeways inside city limits: 70 - 80 km/h
- general city roads: 40-60 km/h

Dis · January 14, 2003, 06:02

often our freeways withing the cities are just gridlockways

DRoseDARs · January 14, 2003, 06:02

Edit: This was in response to Aaglo's post

Freeway, highway, expressway.

Toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe.

They're the same thing, only difference is where you live. Obviously tollways ARE different as you have to pay toll.

We park in driveways and drive on parkways too...

aaglo · January 14, 2003, 06:10

Don't forget, there is also My Way ^TM

And there are no tollways in Finland.

Harovan · January 14, 2003, 06:14

Quote:

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Freeway, highway, expressway.

Toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe.

They're the same thing, only difference is where you live.

Why not generalize it then and call all of them Autobahn?

aaglo · January 14, 2003, 06:16

Moottoritie!

(=motorway)

DRoseDARs · January 14, 2003, 06:18

Aaglo, the only tollways I can think of are in the Eastern US. I don't think I've ever seen or been on one here in the west. The only tolls I recall paying are for bridges.

Veering a little way back on-topic, the posted limits here in Nevada are a tad slow for what's reasonable. In a great many places you could easily go 75mph on long open stretches of road (particularly between Reno and Las Vegas on US-95). Hell, us-395 and I-80 through Reno could easily handle higher speeds, but they're both limited to 65mph. I do believe there are some stretches of both I-80 through Central Nevada and parts of US-95 that allow 70+, but I'd need to check.

DRoseDARs · January 14, 2003, 06:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Sir Ralph

Why not generalize it then and call all of them Autobahn?

Because we're Americans, damn it! We're too lazy to change!

Harovan · January 14, 2003, 06:24

Tollways are annoying. I remember my first visit in France, heck, what a mess. Stop once or twice every hour and pay a fee in a currency you're not used to, with coins you don't have a feeling for yet, and do it fast, or the people behind you will start to honk.

DRoseDARs · January 14, 2003, 06:31

I might be (probably) mistaken, but I believe it's like this: "Freeway" is used in the Eastern US, where you find most of the nation's "Tollways"; "Expressway" is used on the west coast, mostly California and Washington state; "Highway" is used everywhere in between.

As far as differing coinage every hour, I don't know where you live Sir Ralph but I'll go out on a limb and guess Europe

: Are Europe's tollways ready for Euro coins?

Harovan · January 14, 2003, 06:36

Quote:

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
As far as differing coinage every hour, I don't know where you live Sir Ralph but I'll go out on a limb and guess Europe

: Are Europe's tollways ready for Euro coins?

I live in Germany and am driving at 200km/h (or 125 mph

) without fearing a ticket. I could go faster, but that's all my car can make. We have no tollways here and I haven't been a while in France, but since all our automats have been switched to Euro coins fairly quick (in a couple of days), I suppose theirs have too.