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What is ridiculous is that in many European countries speed limits haven't changed since the 70's, when cars used to be a lot less safe and driving education wa

by iagooar 10y ago

What is ridiculous is that in many European countries speed limits haven't changed since the 70's, when cars used to be a lot less safe and driving education was a joke as compared with today's standards. You can see that this holds true when looking at some of the Eastern European countries that only recently got better road infrastructure. E.g in Poland, the max speed limit at a highway is 140 km/h, whereas countries like France or Spain keep lower limits (130 & 120 respectively). I think that today, any highway limit below 140 km/h is just obsolete and should be revised. Now, I would prosecute harder those who speed in urban areas, where the risk of hitting pedestrians or cyclist is real.

wfunction 10y ago
I think you mean prosecute? Or maybe you really do mean persecute...
- iagooar 10y ago
  Yes, I meant prosecute, it is a false friend. In other languages, like Spanish, "perseguir" could be translated to both, but in this context, you are absolutely right that I wanted to use "prosecute" :)
  - wfunction 10y ago
    Ooh good point, I can imagine why. Even in English, law enforcement "going after" somebody could essentially mean either.
rahkiin 10y ago
The speed limits are not just for safety. They are also so that cars can get on the highway (some older cars or larger cars can't get to 140). Then you have trucks that have 80/90kph max. The differential gets large. And then there is the issue of noise and particles in the air. Cars are most economic around 80kph. At least these are reasons in the netherlands
- iagooar 10y ago
  Sure, but the Netherlands being such a small country doesn't have the "need" for higher speed limits. I know the same holds true in Switzerland, where crossing the country basically takes a 3-hour drive, so there is not much you can gain from going a bit faster.
tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
1. The speed limit should be tied to average driver reaction times, not the engine or safety of the car. 2. Speed limits help maintain a steady flow of traffic. My father found driving in France terrific because all lanes were limited to 130 km/h. Steady flow, no stress. In Germany, driving on the autobahn is stressful. The speed difference between the lanes is too big. From my experience, it is: right lane 100 km/h, middle lane 140 km /h, left lane “Get out of my way you sucker!!” >180 km/h. Passing someone on the middle lane means taking the left lane and accelerating as fast as possible because the next space ship SUV is coming closer at rocket speed. They tailgate you, sometimes flash lights or use their left blinker to bully you to switch lanes. Because of that, many people cut into the safety distance of the car they just barely passed to get rid of the bully. The speed difference also causes backpropagating traffic jams. To the observer there is no obvious reason where the slowdown comes from. It was simply created by people driving too fast compared to the car in front of them, having to brake, causing the cars behind them to brake, etc.
- Spivak 10y ago
  In reference to your first point, would you be willing to raise the speed limit once more cars start having AEB systems?
- Aoyagi 10y ago
  > Speed limits help maintain a steady flow of traffic. I don't understand why this isn't mentioned in every speed limit discussion. Driving in Australia / New Zealand with very strict speed limit laws is so much more relaxing compared to the anarchic mess on German autobahn or the disobedient mentality of Czech roads...
- lloeki 10y ago
  > 1. The speed limit should be tied to average driver reaction times, not the engine or safety of the car. Hence why distance to the car in front matters, proportionally to speed, not speed itself as an absolute metric. 180kph is not a definitive tailgating trigger when people behave. Case in point, in France people regularly tailgate you too even at 130kph, even more so because they feel safer due to the comparatively reduced speed. > The speed difference also causes backpropagating traffic jams. [...] It was simply created by people driving too fast compared to the car in front of them, having to brake It was created by people either braking too late and having too much of a tendency to tailgate you, or jumping out of their lane and sitting there, and it happens just as much in France. It's a property of reaction time and distance WRT speed, not speed itself. > They tailgate you, sometimes flash lights or use their left blinker I've mostly seen this behaviour when the car either cruises at a reduced speed on the left lane or irresponsibly takes over when it should have no business in doing so WRT current traffic: it's just as disrespectful to others to tailgate someone as it is to take over and block a lane when you're driving at a locked 140kph to overtake someone at 138kph and there's constant faster traffic on the left. I've also witnessed people playing vigilante and do this voluntarily precisely because of the existing speed limit. My experience is that most issues on the road are a byproduct of terrible individualistic human behaviour, and setting limits on arbitrary metrics do not solve that.

by iagooar 10y ago

wfunction 10y ago

I think you mean prosecute? Or maybe you really do mean persecute...

iagooar 10y ago
Yes, I meant prosecute, it is a false friend. In other languages, like Spanish, "perseguir" could be translated to both, but in this context, you are absolutely right that I wanted to use "prosecute" :)
- wfunction 10y ago
  Ooh good point, I can imagine why. Even in English, law enforcement "going after" somebody could essentially mean either.

rahkiin 10y ago

The speed limits are not just for safety. They are also so that cars can get on the highway (some older cars or larger cars can't get to 140). Then you have trucks that have 80/90kph max. The differential gets large. And then there is the issue of noise and particles in the air. Cars are most economic around 80kph. At least these are reasons in the netherlands

iagooar 10y ago
Sure, but the Netherlands being such a small country doesn't have the "need" for higher speed limits. I know the same holds true in Switzerland, where crossing the country basically takes a 3-hour drive, so there is not much you can gain from going a bit faster.

tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago

1. The speed limit should be tied to average driver reaction times, not the engine or safety of the car. 2. Speed limits help maintain a steady flow of traffic. My father found driving in France terrific because all lanes were limited to 130 km/h. Steady flow, no stress. In Germany, driving on the autobahn is stressful. The speed difference between the lanes is too big. From my experience, it is: right lane 100 km/h, middle lane 140 km /h, left lane “Get out of my way you sucker!!” >180 km/h. Passing someone on the middle lane means taking the left lane and accelerating as fast as possible because the next space ship SUV is coming closer at rocket speed. They tailgate you, sometimes flash lights or use their left blinker to bully you to switch lanes. Because of that, many people cut into the safety distance of the car they just barely passed to get rid of the bully. The speed difference also causes backpropagating traffic jams. To the observer there is no obvious reason where the slowdown comes from. It was simply created by people driving too fast compared to the car in front of them, having to brake, causing the cars behind them to brake, etc.

Spivak 10y ago
In reference to your first point, would you be willing to raise the speed limit once more cars start having AEB systems?
Aoyagi 10y ago
> Speed limits help maintain a steady flow of traffic. I don't understand why this isn't mentioned in every speed limit discussion. Driving in Australia / New Zealand with very strict speed limit laws is so much more relaxing compared to the anarchic mess on German autobahn or the disobedient mentality of Czech roads...
lloeki 10y ago
> 1. The speed limit should be tied to average driver reaction times, not the engine or safety of the car. Hence why distance to the car in front matters, proportionally to speed, not speed itself as an absolute metric. 180kph is not a definitive tailgating trigger when people behave. Case in point, in France people regularly tailgate you too even at 130kph, even more so because they feel safer due to the comparatively reduced speed. > The speed difference also causes backpropagating traffic jams. [...] It was simply created by people driving too fast compared to the car in front of them, having to brake It was created by people either braking too late and having too much of a tendency to tailgate you, or jumping out of their lane and sitting there, and it happens just as much in France. It's a property of reaction time and distance WRT speed, not speed itself. > They tailgate you, sometimes flash lights or use their left blinker I've mostly seen this behaviour when the car either cruises at a reduced speed on the left lane or irresponsibly takes over when it should have no business in doing so WRT current traffic: it's just as disrespectful to others to tailgate someone as it is to take over and block a lane when you're driving at a locked 140kph to overtake someone at 138kph and there's constant faster traffic on the left. I've also witnessed people playing vigilante and do this voluntarily precisely because of the existing speed limit. My experience is that most issues on the road are a byproduct of terrible individualistic human behaviour, and setting limits on arbitrary metrics do not solve that.