The highway/motorway Speed Limit

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ExigeEvan

ExigeEvan

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The limit in the UK is 70mph. I think this is pathetic, the limit should be nearer 90 as many cars can easily reach 70 and still have plenty of control.
In America isn't it 60mph? Surely, for a country with V8 galore they can do better than that.
 
I think 80-85mph is a more realistic limit - but my car dips below 30mpg if you run over 75mph :D

Our limit was set in 1967 as the maximum speed of the Ford Anglia 1.3, in response to someone tooling up the M1 at 165mph in a Shelby Cobra.
 
Where I live its 50 km\h in the city.....and 100 km\h on the highways....resedential streets are supposed to be 30 km\h.
 
Its worse in Canada. 100 km on the highways. 80 on city freeways. :( (Manitoba)
For you Matrix 2 lovers out there, you can go to Toronto and use the 401. Bring a sword.;)
 
I think the Germans are abit extreme. The no-limit on the Autobahn seems crazy. Any idea how they patrol it, what teh rules are for driving on it. I have done some searchs but it came up in german mainly.
 
If anyone here has ever been to Atlanta, GA (I've been twice), the speed limit is like 80mph and in some parts of the highways it's 7 to 8 lanes. My grandparents were driving the speed limit (about 75 to 80) and people were passing us like crazy, they had to have been doing 90 easy, probably 95. They were just weaving in and out of cars, and even when the highways curved.
 
There are only some small stretches of the autobahn with derestricted speed limits - and bear in mind that there is no insurer in the world who will cover you if you destroy your car (and self in the process) at 175mph+.

Most of Western Australia's interstate roads are derestricted too. And, contrary to popular belief, you can legally do any speed on some roads in the UK too. Private roads.
 
Originally posted by ExigeExcel
I think the Germans are abit extreme. The no-limit on the Autobahn seems crazy. Any idea how they patrol it, what teh rules are for driving on it. I have done some searchs but it came up in german mainly.
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I think that's because Germans have a very strict driving test. I think if you fail it a certain amount of times you aren't allowed to take the test again.

Meh, on an urban street in London you'll be lucky to reach 30. As for motorway driving (not A roads) I don't think i've ever obeyed the speed limit.
 
Here on the highways it's 55, 60, 65, or 70mph. No matter what the limit, everyone normally goes 70-85, and many times you can go much faster if you watch for cops. Sometimes there will be groups of cars going 90+ in a pact, which is cool.
 
back when we were in Houston, for long drives to Austin or San Antonio, my dad used to hit about 120 in his van. THAT was fun...but the thing is, people were STILL passing us :S

Here in Toronto, it's disgustingly slow. City driving is 50km/h, city highways allow for 80. But then, even going between cities, I think it's 80km/h - we're always doing 120 like everyone else but either way, even 120 is too slow considering how smoothly traffic flows.
 
in minnesota speeding tickets are just a source of income. police are a business, it is how they get payed. plymouth, the city i live in, writes more tickets than any other police department in the state.

if they think they are helping anyone, they are just BSing themselves. whether you wreck at 55 or wreck at 67, there is no difference. police are to large a force in minnesota, or plymouth more specifically, it feels like marshall law, they do what they want. i could tell you stories, it is crazy what they get away with.

that is one of the reasons i am moving to brooklyn new york. where the police can distinguish between real crime and bull****. they dont waste their time trying to govern what teenagers do. and that is all that it is here, trying to keep people under control.
 
Originally posted by Race Idiot
I think that's because Germans have a very strict driving test. I think if you fail it a certain amount of times you aren't allowed to take the test again.

Meh, on an urban street in London you'll be lucky to reach 30. As for motorway driving (not A roads) I don't think i've ever obeyed the speed limit.
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because europeans actually know how to drive. automatic transmissions are an option not the standard. here there is so much space, a drivers license is needed to live at 16 years old. if we didnt depend so much on cars for transportation, 18 would be fine for a driving age.

imo, 16-17 is just too young to operate something so dangerous. look at this forum, everyday there are threads started by 14-16 years olds "what is the absolutely fastest cari can get for $7k?" if they knew how to handle a car, driving aggresively wouldnt be such a problem. but they dont.

this is just confusing me.....
 
Originally posted by advanR
because europeans actually know how to drive. automatic transmissions are an option not the standard. here there is so much space, a drivers license is needed to live at 16 years old. if we didnt depend so much on cars for transportation, 18 would be fine for a driving age.

imo, 16-17 is just too young to operate something so dangerous. look at this forum, everyday there are threads started by 14-16 years olds "what is the absolutely fastest cari can get for $7k?" if they knew how to handle a car, driving aggresively wouldnt be such a problem. but they dont.

this is just confusing me.....
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I don't know how it works in America, do you guys even have a test? I thought you just did some classes and that's it.

Here you have to pass a theory and a hazard perception video, this takes about a month to be booked. If you fail your practical test, where I live it's about a 4 to 6 month wait because the test center is under staffed. The minimum age for driving is 17 here, but it's a bit difficult to get your licence in the first year because of the wait for the test.

I know some drivers who are older than me and they don't still know how a car will react in different conditions. They couldn't even tell me what understeer and oversteer meant. But they tend to drive just as dangerously as some **** with a riced up Vauxhall nova.

At the moment I drive a ****box, but i'm looking into getting myself an MKI MR2, because I don't want something overly powerfull but fun to drive (About 120bhp but Rwd).
 
I think in the UK if you are caught doing over 100mph, then it's an automatic ban. This shouldn't be. It would be impossible to police, but I think every situation should be taken on it's own. Certain things should be taken into account.
  • Type of road
  • Volume of traffic
  • Weather/ Light conditions
  • Condition of car
I'm not even mentioning the talent/experience/age of the driver. If you've got a car with rubbish brakes, there's nothing you can do as a driver to make them work better.

Me doing 80-90mph on an empty motorway (limit 70) in good conditions in my well maintained car, should be no problem. Whereas someone doing 80 in a rickety old (Insert crap car here) should be locked up. How long would the old car take to stop? I could probly stop in half the distance from a higher speed! (Brembo brakes are marvellous!)

I've done over 100 on a straight piece of 70mph limit dual carriageway. No pedestrians. No junctions. No other traffic. Dry road. I wasn't there for long, it was just to see what the acceleration was like. I got up to 110mph in under half a mile. (not from a standing start. I started at about 40mph). I still had 1000revs to go and another gear but I eased off. Yet if there had been a speed camera there I would've been banned. (I wouldn't have done it if there had been tho')
 
Originally posted by daan
I think in the UK if you are caught doing over 100mph, then it's an automatic ban. This shouldn't be. It would be impossible to police, but I think every situation should be taken on it's own. Certain things should be taken into account.
  • Type of road
  • Volume of traffic
  • Weather/ Light conditions
  • Condition of car
I'm not even mentioning the talent/experience/age of the driver. If you've got a car with rubbish brakes, there's nothing you can do as a driver to make them work better.

Me doing 80-90mph on an empty motorway (limit 70) in good conditions in my well maintained car, should be no problem. Whereas someone doing 80 in a rickety old (Insert crap car here) should be locked up. How long would the old car take to stop? I could probly stop in half the distance from a higher speed! (Brembo brakes are marvellous!)

I've done over 100 on a straight piece of 70mph limit dual carriageway. No pedestrians. No junctions. No other traffic. Dry road. I wasn't there for long, it was just to see what the acceleration was like. I got up to 110mph in under half a mile. (not from a standing start. I started at about 40mph). I still had 1000revs to go and another gear but I eased off. Yet if there had been a speed camera there I would've been banned. (I wouldn't have done it if there had been tho')
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i too would support a noncommunist speed limit system. with my car, and my ability, cruising at 130 (traffic permitting) is perfectly safe. perfectly. can i try and explain this to a judge? or to a lesser extent, 90 in a 65? nope, never, they would just luagh.

instead, they see that im under 20 years old and just do whatever they can within the law. they dont think of how it will affect the person or that they might be wrong by judging someone based on their age. the more fight i put up, the more this stereotype is pushed on me.
 
Originally posted by daan
Certain things should be taken into account.
  • Type of road
  • Volume of traffic
  • Weather/ Light conditions
  • Condition of car
Click to expand...

Absolutely right - how can someone doing 80mph in a well-maintained modern car on a clear, straight, empty dual carriageway in daylight hours be illegal when someone sticking to 70mph in near-zero visibility due to fog/rain/snow isn't?
 
Usually 65 on the highways and anywhere from 35-50 on state routes. and about 35 in the city.


Although, no one obeys the speed limit on the highway. Even I don't. :D
 
Originally posted by ExigeExcel
I think the Germans are abit extreme. The no-limit on the Autobahn seems crazy. Any idea how they patrol it, what teh rules are for driving on it. I have done some searchs but it came up in german mainly.
Click to expand...

German autobahns are the safest roads in europe. Proof if any were needed that speed does not kill.:)
 
Here in Michigan they are 70mph. I wish it was more, I usually travel at 85-90mph. Afterall, they are mostly empty highways that go threw the boonies:odd:
 
I definitely hit the most awesome Highway in America. It's a tollway that I took going from Nebraska to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It didn't cost much to get on it, and once you were on, 85mph speed limit. Hell Yah, I was going 100 and not even worrying.
 
We'll my old car :cough: pile :cough: had a tough time getting over 65, so speeding was never really an option for me. Now my new car doesn't have any problem going 100. :)
 
Originally posted by Race Idiot
I don't know how it works in America, do you guys even have a test? I thought you just did some classes and that's it.
Click to expand...

We have a test. The class is optional and is taken only by people who want to lower their insurance rate. The test is fairly easy, and can be given by a licensed driving instructor - not just the government. There's also a written test, where a 40% is considered a 'passing grade.'
 
Originally posted by M5Power
We have a test. The class is optional and is taken only by people who want to lower their insurance rate. The test is fairly easy, and can be given by a licensed driving instructor - not just the government. There's also a written test, where a 40% is considered a 'passing grade.'
Click to expand...


Not in CA. I certainly had to take classes to take my written, had to take my written to get my permit, and had to have my permit for 6 months and a certain amount of hours to get a license.
 
in Canada - Ontario at least, testing is easy but a total flipping b*tch.
1) at 16 years, you take a written test (G1) and are then allowed to drive ONLY with someone who has had their full license for 5 years. This also means no highway driving, no late night driving, nobody can have any alcohol in their systems. Basically, a year driving with your parents.
2) 1 year later (8 months with classes) - that year is probably 1.5 years since the wait for a test is about 3-4 months in most places. If you pas this test (G2), you are allowed to drive pretty much anywhere anytime BUT, you aren't allowed any demerit points.
3) 1 year later, you get the G test which is pretty much a highway test - again, probably 1.5 years due to waiting periods :mad:.

so...you will have had your license for 3-5 years, have proven yourself to be a good driver, gone to classes for better insurance & STILL won't get even REMOTELY decent rates on your insurance for a 93 4-door accord :mad:
 
Originally posted by Takumi Fujiwara
Not in CA. I certainly had to take classes to take my written, had to take my written to get my permit, and had to have my permit for 6 months and a certain amount of hours to get a license.
Click to expand...

Fortunately, this isn't true. The California DMV website backs me up - you need Drivers' Education and Driver Training certificates only if you're between 15.5 and 17.5 years old. At 17.5 years old, you can take the test without passing Driver Education or Driver Training.

The worst part about California is that a 16-year-old can drive alone. How pathetic. Nobody under the age of 18 is competent to operate a motor vehicle, and even then it's risky until about 20. Only the rental car companies have it right.
 
Originally posted by ExigeExcel
The limit in the UK is 70mph. I think this is pathetic, the limit should be nearer 90 as many cars can easily reach 70 and still have plenty of control.
In America isn't it 60mph? Surely, for a country with V8 galore they can do better than that.
Click to expand...

speed limits are set with safety in mind not the engine size or max speed of the cars on the road.

but, here in Oz it's mainly 110km/h. tho there are some areas in the Northern Territory that have no limits but this is a v/small area.
 
Originally posted by M5Power
Only the rental car companies have it right.
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When Kimi Raikkonen went to Australia to do a GP, he wasn't able to hire a car because he was too young! He had to have someone drive him around.
 
I used to be vehemently anti-speed limit. I believed the limits on US highways and roads were set artificially low and was a direct result of greedy insurance companies scamming Joe Public with the help of the revenue hungry safety Nazis running our government. I used to see another motorist stopped by cops as a fellow "solider of speed" who has fallen victim to the cruel oppression of the State. This was years ago.

I still believe part of this is true. However, I've done an about-face in the last few years. I think the speed limits are just fine, because my opinion of the skills of average American driver is extremely dim.

The majority of the people I see on the road today drive like crap. Many of them I wouldn't deem fit to operate any machinery more complex than a toaster, let alone a 5,000 lb. SUV. I've decided that while I trust my own skills, I don't trust anyone else's. And I certainly don't want Idiot Cell Phone Using Latte Sipping Fool doing 100 mph anywhere near me in his Hummer H2.

I now have this philosophy: Speed limits and the government's enforcement of these limits are a matter of Natural Selection. The fit will speed, the unfit (or unlucky) will pay. Driving fast means you need to be alert and aware. If you're not smart, alert and capable enough to see Trooper Travis sitting in his speed trap on the side of the road or Officer Bob Speed tailing you in a Crown Vic or the VASCAR helicopter hovering 100 ft overhead, you don't have the skills to avoid an accident while traveling at 90, 100, etc. In otherwords, if you're not skilled enough to avoid getting caught, then you deserve to be ticketed.

Sounds rough, I know, but driving is serious business and I've had enough of the boneheads on the road.


///M-Spec
 

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