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      12-17-2012, 10:18 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cchrisv View Post
I agree with this some some degree. I believe speeds need to be regulated on residential roads but our highways should be setup like the German Autobahns.

The problem in the US unless you set the rules one way or another there will be an issue. The reason why it works in Germany is because everyone is on the same page and everyone is taught to drive that way. In the US we are taught to drive a certain way and people that dont follow those rules put not only themselves but others in danger.
The only reason the Germans drive the way they do is because those are the rules over there. You can get a ticket for blocking traffic in the passing lane over there. You have to pay attention to the road if you are driving fast, and have to keep an eye out for other drivers as well.
And if you want to see some crazy statistics google highway fatalities per vehicle mile driven. NHTSA keeps the stats.
Less than 1% of reportable accidents (cops called) result in death.
Also the # of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled is only 1.1.
That number has been dropping for decades. Data on the link only goes back to 1994. but it has dropped 57% in 18 years. The 65 mph speed limit is past its time. Think of the improvements in car safety (seatbelts, airbags, ABS, DTC, DSC, crash zones, larger brakes, better tires, etc) in just the last 20 years, but the speed limit stays the same. Cars are more capable now then ever before but we are stuck with antiquated laws that do not adjust. Also I am big fan of variable speed limits. They remove a lot of the concerns of "what if there is heavy traffic?" objections to no speed limit, No reason not to have that available now. I have seen them in England 7 years ago, and most recently on the German autobahn. No speed limit in light traffic when it is safe to do so, drops down to 120 kph with moderate traffic and 80 kph with heavy traffic, or staus,(traffic jam)
Source for fatality stats.
http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx
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