Speed Limit Increase could it happen over here?

[marcus5771]

There is no speed limit in Germany motorway cars are more spaced out there are no bunching of cars unless in bad weather or traffic.Cars go alot quicker so less cars on the road.

[JudgeJ]

mdoo98 is quite right in all respects. The only one of his points I would not quite agree with is that of spacing. The minimum stopping distance from 80mph is 400 feet, or about 130 yards. In the usual traffic flow at that speed I estimate the average spacing to usually be about a quarter of that distance, with individual instances considerably less than that. If there were no speed limits on British motorways drivers would be very likely maintain that same spacing even if travelling at 130mph. The stopping distance from 130mph is 975 feet and it takes little imagination to see what the outcome would be in the result of an error by one driver. At 130mph you are travelling at almost 200 feet per second and you would not even reach the brake pedal before colliding with the vehicle in front.

This topic has been debated many times before on AB and the broad consensus (with which I entirely agree) is that road conditions and (particularly) driver attitude in Britain would simply make such an arrangement a recipe for carnage. As mdoo98 says, marcus5771, your logic (�cars go a lot quicker so less cars on the road�) is somewhat flawed, to say the least.

[jake-the-peg]

In theory if traffic goes faster more traffic can use the road in a given period....In theory.

In practice this reduces inter-car distances, you get small braking actions amplified as cars close behing brake harder - you end up with more traffic jams and slower moving traffic.

Germany has a road fatality figure about 30% higher than the UK - believe it or not we have the safest roads in Europe.

Faster cars use more petrol and create more pollution.

Even in Germany there is an almost constant debate about abolishing the stretchs of Autobahn with no speed limit for example here:

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1255905,00.html

So no I can't see it happening here and I can see it stopping in Germany too

[Skids]

Germany spends more on its highways than just about any other country. The reason the autobhans have no speed limits is because they are up to the job. The road surfaces don't break up anywhere near as easily as ours, the routes are covered with electronic gadgets and widgets to make the roads safer, and their traffic police actually know what their doing. Plus, our governemnt makes too much money from speeders for them to raise the limit.

[SurreyGuy]

Last night's "Fifth Gear" stated that there ARE speed limits on the Autobahns (as well as a "recommended" speed of 80 mph).

I've driven in Germany and I have to say that their roads were SUPERB and their lane discipline was BRILLIANT! What a shame the idiots who hog the middle lane over here don't know how to drive properly!

[jake-the-peg]

So SurreyGuy why do they have so many more deaths on their roads then?

[Ethel]

In 2002 there were 6842 fatalities on German roads.

There were 3658 on UK roads.

http://www.erf.be/images/stat/ERF_stats7.pdf

[Skids]

83 people per 1 million people died on German roads in 2002.

60 people per 1 million people died on UK roads in 2002.

144 people per 1 million people died on USA roads in 2002.

85 people per 1 million people died on Australian roads in 2002.

[jake-the-peg]

Exactly skids

We've one of the best road safety records in the world - why mess with that?

Incidently I think the high American figures are most likely related to their strange aversion to seat-belts