biker

That does not mean that a good US Interstate is not safe at 100mph. Like I said, there's nothing magical about the Autobahn that makes it do away with the law of physics. The western end of I10 in Texas is just as safe and built to be able to have cars do just about any speed, just like the Autobahn.

Googling something and personally experiencing it are not always the same.

biker

The A5 strech between the Swiss border and Frankfurt has pot holes and lots of other imperfections. Yes, there might be fewer and better fixed but they are there. There are also long streches where the road is being fixed, which means riding the shoulder for miles at 80kph

Biker, who always liked the strech near Baden Baden that is like a runway - 4 lanes wide, cement tarmac smooth, straight and at 100mph seems like you are barely keeping up with the faster locals.

RWalker2

But is the stretch unrestricted? I could see how parts with limits wouldn't be as well maintained as the parts without, and because most of the parts have limits these days, you could very well see a road that looks like a US Interstate.

Maximized

The US interstate wasn't designed for 100 mph travel safely. Do you know why? Again, you are misinformed at the safety of the autobahn compared to the US interstate. Driving over a road doesn't tell you how it was engineered. Try and catch that discovery channel show, it's really interesting.

gavriil

These drivers can stay at the right lane with the trucks

gavriil

I have driven on the AUtobahn also a few times, due to travel to Europe.

Imagine well maintained parts of, say California, interstates and there you have it. There's your autobahn.

charliemike

What's the statistic? The vast majority of fatal accidents happen within only a few miles of the home?

charliemike

From a friend who is a transportation engineer (designs roads, intersections, etc) said the following to me:

the law allowing 80 mph on interstates in counties with a population density under 10 persons per square mile passed the legislature about a year ago. the dot finally did all their speed studies and what not and have recommended posting 80 mph signs along IH-10 and IH 20 in the relevant counties in far west texas. the transportation commission will take up the issue this week (the 25th). if passed the signs will be "in place" on the 26th in time for the holiday weekend travelers

Ruski

http://www.paturnpike.com/geninfo/history/history.aspx

"Straight-aways were designed for 100 mph and the spiral curves were superelevated to accommodate 70 mph"

F23A4

....and I can state unequivocally through experience that the PA Turnpike straightaways are good for 140mph.

biker

I could tell no difference between the restricted and unrestricted speed limit portions of the Autobahn in terms of difference in maintanance.

biker

How can one design a road that is as straight as an arrow for miles on end to NOT be safe at any speed? You can be perfectly safe at 100MPH+ on the Boneville flats where there are no roads at all!!!! There are street road courses in F1 which can be had at 100MPH+ safely - I assume you'll tell me those were not designed for 100MPH either. Yes, one can make the bends in the road with a gentler radius to allow higher speeds, or one can make the road bed thicker for longevity, but that does nothing to make things safer.

Biker, who drove a portion of the F1 Monoco street course (in the tunnel by the harbor) at fairly high speed.

stangg172004

finely learning something from Germany....

Maximized

So now you are trying to compare a F1 car with ground affects(downforce) on cambered turns driven by professional drivers to the normal SUV driving down I55, for example? Again, do some research, it's very easy to find using Google.

fsttyms1

The autobahns turns were designed with a maximum deg turn to allow for safe high speeds, they were also designed with maximum deg hills that are far lower than the us to help allow for less fluctuation in speed.

I see a trend in the east coasters complaining about 100+ speed limits. Maybe its not safe for you but the vast majority of the inner us can support it on many of its freeways with out problems what so ever. Just need to use common sense, you dont need it where traffic commonly slows to a crawl because there is so much of it, but where there isnt much those speeds are more than safely done

M TYPE X

What! Never heard of such a crazed notion.

biker

No, what I'm saying is that I could safely take the tunnel in Monaco in an Accord at 80MPH safely.

I know that the Autobahn was designed with wide radius turns and gentle slopes on hills to make high speeds easier, but that doesn't mean to up to a certain point the US Intersates are any less safe. Sure, you might be safer on some strech of the Autubahn at 150MPH vs I95, but we're talking about more sane speeds of 80-100MPH at which road design has virtually no effect on safety.

Maximized

I can take a 90 degree clover leaf in my Mustang at 70+ mph if I wanted to with the tires howling, what's your point? Just watch the show when it comes on TLC or The Discovery Channel and come back to this thread enlightened. FYI...you are wrong that road design has virtually no affect on safety at 80-100 mph.

stangg172004

^^ the whole argument isnt if we can do it. Im sure most of us here are more than capable of handling a car at 100+, but the problem is the shitty drivers that dont pay attention or that are distracted, thats the problem w/ a 100+ speed limit. Imagine a distracted driver doing 120 on the cell or drinking coffee, unless we educated the public and change the whole nations mindset on driving, we'll never see 100mph speed limits....

SpeedyV6

I've gotta disagree with you biker. All it takes is something like having a deer, a tortoise, or even a coyote crossing the road to cause some serious problems at 100 mph.

F23A4

Ken1997TL

Far too many variables at 100 mph.

We'd need to completely redo how we drive, construct highways and maintain them before any dramatic speed limit increases take place.

biker

That has nothing to do with road design - you can have the same things happen on the Autobahn with the same results.

Like I said, the average Hans drives around 80MPH on the Autobahn even if there's no speed limit - most people's high end comfort speed. I would bet that if you raised the speed limit to 100MPH on I10 in west Texas most folks would do the same 80MPH.

offset_98

Meh...when I lived in Germany and had my A4 TDI my average was probably 90ish but I'd jaunt up to 130 if I were on long trips. The biggest problem isn't idiots over there...its $5/gal of gas. I lived in Southern Germany so there is a lot more traffic down there. When I'd visit my family in Northern Germany I'd be balls out for hours at a time.

mg7726

it's a crying shame the NE roads are still 65mph...a crime against humanity!

vishnus11

I agree with Biker - fundamentally, a straight stretch of road is a straight stretch of road. I personally believe that many stretches of road in the US today are more than capable of handling higher speeds with no problem with braking and handling taken into consideration.

What is needed here in the US is BETTER DRIVER TRAINING. Period. I find it ridiculous that you can walk into the DMV and after $15 and a brief driver's test walk out with a liscence. IMO, the key to better driving, is better understanding: for example, most people fail to understand that braking distances lengthen serverly at higher speeds, and thus they think that driving at 50mph and 80mph isn't too different.

Yesterday, I drove a couple hours each way from Lexington to Cincinnati and on the way back followed a CLK. We both cruised at 95 - 100mph but I maintained a fairly large gap. To me in the TL crusing at 80 or 100mph doesn't feel to different, and I found the journey to be no different from any other.

Yeah, shit can happen, like a deer jump out in front of you, but that can happen at 60mph and at 80mph just as much as it can at 100mph.

Three things are going to need to happen if speed limits are to be significantly increased.

A. BETTER driving training, including practical training that illustrates for example, how brake distances significantly lengthen at higher speeds.
B. BETTER maintenance of certain highways (most I've driven on when I drive are pretty decent, but obviously as you go further north, the quality degrades slightly). More importantly, more crash girders need to be mounted in certain areas - I often drive across West Virginia, (limit: 70mph) where mountainous, curvy roads have no girders and the drop of the side is pretty damn significant.
C. Inspection of vehicles. Most states do this but for some reason KY doesn't. A TL can safely do 100mph, or even 120mph, but I wouldn't push my friend's beater GrandPrix with a broken tailight and out of whack alignment past 70mph if you paid me to.

gdcwatt

The National Post carried a story this week that said the City of Montreal, Quebec, is contemplating banning cell phone use while driving, and reducing all city speed limits from 50 kph to 40 kph (25 mph), in an effort to reduce pedestrian injuries! Making 3,000,000 people drive slower is more likely to start a series of riots; you can't forget about human nature.

Trying 80 mph for a while sounds like a great idea. Around Toronto, that wouldn't work in the snow, or during rush hour, or maybe at night, but the technology exists to have signs showing different speeds at different times of the day, or for different conditions. Hell, Montana [used to/does that!] If people didn't waste so much time in traffic, perhaps travelling by car would be a safer, less frustrating, way to go.

On the other hand, I remember a series of 60-car pile-ups, during the 80's, in Germany, during morning rush hour in July.

A new solution, however, has emereged in Toronto - HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes - with the net effect that it takes most people longer to get to work, because now every lane travels at the speed of the slowest common denonimator, and those in the far-left HOV lanes eventually have to cut across three lanes to get to their exit. So, the "fast" lane doesn't exist anymore, when traffic is light, and when it's rush hour there are three lanes where there used to be four. I'm sure this idea will catch on, because someone will suggest that our cars will use less fuel and be safer.

Python2121

I dont see how engineering makes a difference in tx where the highways only go straight in the middle of the desert. I mean, I am no expert like Maximized who has apparently done all of the research required (ahh discovery), but to me the BETTER argument is with the drivers. You can't have drivers going 60 in the left lane if there are people cruising at 110, people have to have proper technique and shift right.

Maximized

You can drive 600 mph on salt flats or 100+ mph on dirt roads, if you wanted. The Autobahn has "passive safety" engineered into the roads. I do agree that people need training and that's a major problem too.

SiGGy

That's exactly the problem. It's the ignorant idiots who will still ride up to your bumper before changing lanes. And or just ride your bumper at 75+ MPH.

People are idiots... riding someones bumper at even 65 MPH gives you less than .5 of a second to react to an accident. Then *HOPE* your brakes are better if the guy in front of you has to slam on the brakes.

THEN the funny part, is the guy who was riding your ass gets all pissed off because he had to panic stop Even though S/HE put themselfs in that position...

WAKE UP PEOPLE! riding someones bumper isn't worth anyones health... not to mention your NOT gaining anything... wasting gas, wasting your brakes, and wasting your brain trying to maintain driving like an asswipe.

Ignornace...

M TYPE X

Ohio people say I drive like an asswipe, but everyone in Michigan drives the way I do. Well, almost everyone.

Let's face it, some states might as well replace their driver's training programs with ice cream concessions. It would be more profitable and more people would be satisfied, and no one would ever be the wiser.

YOU CAN'T TEACH A BUCKEYE OR HOOSIER HOW TO DRIVE.
Also, there's this thing about leading a horse to water, but being unable
to force him to drink. Ummmm. "Sick? I doubt it. Or could he be home watching DirecTV?!"


Sorry, nobody beats the when it comes to bad driving.

Being in the cornfields thesedays just makes me want to go faster. Blurry corn!!! yay The police don't think highly of speed, however.
Unless it's closing time, or their fav program is coming on DirecTV.
Then, you'll see the Illinois State Police rock at 110 mph down the road!

I stick to 75-80 outside of Michigan, and all those Ohio and Iowa and Kansas drivers eat my dust.

SiGGy

So riding peoples asses is OK eh? Put down the crack pipe and realize that your putting people lifes at risk. You gain nothing by doing it, accept to prove ones ignorance.

lets look at the thoughts of the ignorant drivers like the above...


""
I shaved off 10 seconds off my ride today riding peoples asses, wasted my brakes, and tons of gas. And I put MANY lifes at risk. I ROCK! 10 seconds is definitely worth someones health! And 10 seconds is definitely worth the value of my brakes/gas! YAY BABY

""
And 1/2 the time the guys I passed just caught right back up to me without trying... why? because I ROCK And umm get the fuck out of my way!

p.s.

I'm the dude who slams on his brakes when you ride my ass. oh, and I'm not actually hitting my brakes. I rigged my brake lights to a switch...

vishnus11

you are on huge dbag.

biker

I think some people don't get M TYPE.

M TYPE X

When I rock at 88 mph to go BACK TO THE FUTURE, the sonic booms scare the SHIT out of the guy I'm tailgating!

With all this yada-yada thesedays about all the thousand little things you can do to increase your car's mpg by 0.00000000000000000000000001 ... I just thought that stealing someone else's aerodynamic vacuum would be the proper thing to do.

... Of course, there are other justifications for riding on PRIUS' ass ... but this one's the best.

ilitig8

I tend to agree with the last statement but TX does not. It has a lower speed limit at night (parts anyway, I know I-10 from the Eastern border to Houstin does). Where I have seen it the night time speed limit is 10 mph lower than the day limit. As far as Texas goes I have never felt as comfortable at higher speeds on some of their interstate roads (again I-10 East of Houston specifically) because their exchanges are not as separated as most interstates from the secondary roads. It is kinda hard to explain but for example out near Orange and Beumont, partly due to the flat topography I guess, the mergers onto the highway are not as well defined nor are they where you normally expect them to be. This isn't much of an issue during the day but at night the plethora of headlights in places you don't normally have to deal with them can be a pain. Then again maybe it is just me since I usually am driving in this area after dark and having already travelled 800 miles or more! Every year I drive every major stretch of interstate in the east, from I-95 to I-35 and from 1-90 to Alligator Alley and outside the speedways in and around Detroit and rediculously maintained lower deck of the GW bridge I never feel quite so white knuckled as I do in east Texas on 10 at night.

In the end we could use higher speed limits on many of the Interstates but we also need better driver instruction (lane disipline is a biggie) and car inspections that are as strict on safety as they are on emissions.