A REDVAN Driving Thread (Special Edition, with links)

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

And then a driver who is safely driving at 130km/h comes up behind, gets annoyed, and uses his free murder.

No, because if I see someone coming up behind me, going faster than me, I don't care what speed I'm going, or he's going, I move over and let him go. Slower traffic keep right right!

[troutman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn#Speed_limits

The overall safety record of German autobahns is generally better than other European highways. German autobahn fatality rates are lower than Austria's and higher than Switzerland's rates. Highways are safer than other road types, as documented below.

A 2005 study by the German Federal Interior Ministry (Bundesministerium des Innern) indicated that Autobahn sections with unrestricted speed have the same accident record as sections with speed limits. The only identifiable source of traffic risks in connection with speeding have been high-powered, light trucks that came up within the last 15 years and as they are used by courier services (e.g. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and trucks alike). Over the years they were only capable of speeds comparable to heavy duty trucks, but since manufacturers began to build in significantly more powerful engines they attain speeds of up to 180 km/h. This led to a significant portion of fatal accidents being caused by such vehicles [7] due to the driver overestimating his or the car's ability to cope with sudden and heavy braking, side-winds, etc.

I think speed must lead to worse accidents, if not more accidents. I don't know how many people would continue to speed if they spent one week with paramedics attending at accident scenes.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

And its drivers like this that think everyone around them is wrong and they are perfect that are usually the worst drivers out there. Maybe not technique wise but they need to ride someones ass who is going slow and then BLAST past them at the first possible chance makes them look even stupider than the idiot changing lanes in an intersection.

I can't stand people who sit there and try to tell me they are not bad drivers and everyone else around them is.

It is unwise to make a lane change in an intersection but I do not believe it is illegal. I do it to get away from idiots who are riding their brakes for no reason. Og this bring me to another pet peeve. A lot of people think there are two options for what your right foot must be doing. It must be either a) on the gas, or b) on the brake. They do not consider that you can coast without slamming the brakes and messing up everyone behind you.

Originally Posted by smoothessence

this explains a lot of the boneheadedness right there

It was the best car I could find for the money that I could afford. What type of car someone drivers does not directly correlate to their driving ability.

Edit: alright I realize that a better car can make someone safer. But what I mean is that I don't think a Pontiac going 140 is any less safe than a Ford, or Honda at the same speed. Maybe in a brand new car there is a difference in safety features, but my car is 4 years old. I think it's safer than a Saab from 1990. So brand really has no direct link to safety in this whole thread.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

And how do you go about proving that you're capable of driving at excessive speeds? If you're allowed to drive above the limit, then everyone is, including all the idiots out there. So basically the problem doesn't change, there are still the same idiots on the road, the only difference is that they're going that much faster, thus causing much more damage

I think every year when you renew your registration you should be able to buy a "speeding pass." IE:

10KM over the speed limit - $200
20KM over the speed limit - $600
30KM over the speed limit - $1000
etc.

Basically you get a sticker and put it on your car, and get to add whatever you bought to the speed limit without fear of a ticket.

Then you bump up the price of a speeding ticket by 300%, and you put out a bunch of photo radar cams.

And suddenly we don't have cops sitting all afternoon in a Van and raking in 70k or more a year. And they can get back to making our cities safe instead of doing nothing.

I like it.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by Finner

I think every year when you renew your registration you should be able to buy a "speeding pass." IE:

10KM over the speed limit - $200
20KM over the speed limit - $600
30KM over the speed limit - $1000
etc.

Basically you get a sticker and put it on your car, and get to add whatever you bought to the speed limit without fear of a ticket.

Then you bump up the price of a speeding ticket by 300%, and you put out a bunch of photo radar cams.

And suddenly we don't have cops sitting all afternoon in a Van and raking in 70k or more a year. And they can get back to making our cities safe instead of doing nothing.

I like it.

This would be too hard to enforce, unless you put speed cams everywhere!

And I am against speed cams. I tend to see them from a mile away so it's all good, but there will be one time when I don't notice until too late.

And I hate red light cameras. Not the red-light part, I am actually in support of those. I am against the speed camera they are putting in to catch people who speed through to avoid a ticket. Can they grab speeders when the light isn't red? If yes, then I am 100% against them!

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Sorry man... Didn't mean to come down so harsh. Last night was....well, lets just say that I think I misread what you wrote.
After work today, I'll read this whole thread. In the meantime, just wanted to apologize for being a dick.

Hey, no problem, you're 100% right, I don't even remember putting that remark in and I don't know why I did as it has no bearing on the discussion. What's even weirder is that I side with you on that matter - get out of the left lane if you are not moving faster than the people in the right lane (at least!). Frustrates me as well.

I'm not down with the additional fees for faster driving either, all it does is allow people with money to have more freedom to break laws, and such a law would have nothing to do with ability. There's no real good solution here, I'm afraid, though ken is right, re-testing needs to happen, in my opinion, each time you renew your license.

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by Finner

And suddenly we don't have cops sitting all afternoon in a Van and raking in 70k or more a year. And they can get back to making our cities safe instead of doing nothing.

I like it.

My Dad didn't make 70k plus a year when he was working traffic