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Your throwaway comment about freeway speeds is a bit odd, since there are verifiable instances that show that absolute speed is not the deciding factor in road
by jperras 10y ago
Your throwaway comment about freeway speeds is a bit odd, since there are verifiable instances that show that absolute speed is not the deciding factor in road fatalities.
The most famous example, of course, is the German Autobahn:
"The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion-travel-kilometers compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn#Safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn#Safety
- legulere 10y agoMost of the German Autobahn system has a speed limit and you have an recommended speed of 130. Also your link says: > In 2012, the leading cause of autobahn accidents was "excessive speed (for conditions)"
- jperras 10y agoYes, I know it says that. It's a useless "fact". What highway in any place in the world would have something other than excessive speed (for conditions) as the leading cause of accidents? The only thing I can think of is landslides/avalanches in very mountainous regions, and even then I'm sure there are more than enough accidents/fatalities due to taking a corner faster than you should. I also stated that "absolute speed is not the deciding factor in road fatalities". Absolute speed is different from excessive speed for given conditions. Going 60km/hr on an unplowed, snowy, black-ice ridden road can easily be more dangerous than going 160km/hr on a dry surface with clear conditions.