Wow what a breath of fresh air!
Wow what a breath of fresh air!
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Discussion

supermono

Original Poster:

7,464 posts

278 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
Driving in Germany for the first time over Christmas it was delightful to be able to totally look away from the speedometer and concentrate on choosing a safe speed for the conditions and watching wholeheartedly what the other traffic was doing.

What a contrast compared with this morning wafting around the M11/M25 where I had to keep being distracted by what speed I was doing and was that car in my mirrors gaining on me? and was that an unmarked I just passed?

Definitely far far safer to have no speed limit.

SM

JoolzB

3,549 posts

279 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
Yep agreed, I've totally enjoyed the German driving experience a few times. Driving standards are noticeable better. Funny enough after years of wanted to thrash a car down an unrestricted road at whatever speed I found that I didn't, we travelled at above the UK limit of course but not like some nutters on a suicide mission.

Would it work over here? Well possibly but driver behaviour and attitude would need to change quite a bit imo.

irm

2,423 posts

251 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all

7 day wonder then everyone wouldn't bother so much and find their own speed

standards of observation would need to improve as well as responsibility if you're going to do 120, 130, 140 then expect people to pull out in front of you and anticipate it

likewise, if you're not going to drive like you hair is on fire then keep a look out for others who wish to





turbobloke

117,342 posts

290 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
Significant raising of speed limits or derestriction on appropriate roads (motorways, some dual carriageways etc) won't happen because officialdom knows it would make roads safer, their lies on speed would be exposed, and the control freakery operating via the 'speed kills' untruth would have to end.

jasandjules

72,632 posts

259 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
turbobloke said:
Significant raising of speed limits or derestriction on appropriate roads (motorways, some dual carriageways etc) won't happen because officialdom knows it would make roads safer, their lies on speed would be exposed, and the control freakery operating via the 'speed kills' untruth would have to end.


To be fair the simple fact that motorway deaths are the lowest on UK roads kinda blows that one out of the water anyways IIRC...

turbobloke

117,342 posts

290 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
jasandjules said:
turbobloke said:
Significant raising of speed limits or derestriction on appropriate roads (motorways, some dual carriageways etc) won't happen because officialdom knows it would make roads safer, their lies on speed would be exposed, and the control freakery operating via the 'speed kills' untruth would have to end.


To be fair the simple fact that motorway deaths are the lowest on UK roads kinda blows that one out of the water anyways IIRC...
Agreed, even so (or as a result) anything that would throw a sharper light on stuff like this will be a no-no for the car haters in charge.

supermono

Original Poster:

7,464 posts

278 months

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
quotequote all
Interestingly there was a side effect too. When I ran through areas of reduced speed limits I along with my fellow road users, tended to slow down to something within the realms of that reduced speed limit.

In short I respected their decision to reduce the limit. I trusted them to only ask me to slow down where there was an increased risk -- sometimes I saw that risk myself like busy junctions, wide long open bridges where wind could present a problem, etc -- other times I didn't really see the risk but trusted them so slowed down anyhow.

How stark a contrast from the UK where we know from experience speed limits are created at random by imbeciles and are used mainly to maximise the profits of speed camera businesses.

SM