Driving and speeding

[SteveC]

Hey guys,

I'm a bit bored, so I was just wondering what other countries are like in respect to enforcing speeding limits...

In the UK, in towns and cities, there are getting more and more speed cameras all over the place. It's hard to not find at least one camera every 3 roads in some places now.
Is this the same elsewhere in the world?

On motorways, however, there are very few speed cameras (around my neck of the woods - Essex - anyhow). Keeping with motorways, it seems to me that the folks of this country don't have a lot respect for speed limits - people often travel at 90-100 mph (144-160kph?) in the outside lane on motorways here - I admit that I often do too. I do a lot of driving to and from university (100 miles retrn journey made daily), and 70mph (the speed limit) seems too slow!

What is your country's roads like?

And what's the fastest you've ever done on a public road?

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Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[Brian R.]

I had my old Camaro ('68) somewhere around 140 mph on a country two-lane blacktop.

[Pelle]

We don't have speed limits, but most cars are locked at 250 km/h (~160 mp/h), so that's about the fastest I did.

My personal record in my own car is from my parents house to my appartment (270 km) in 90 Minutes, which gives an avarage of 180 km/h (~115 mp/h).

Ciao, Pelle

[Jammrock]

Depend what part of the US you're from. 'Speed cameras' pop up every once in a while, but I guess there's a legal loophole that makes it impossible to enforce speed cameras in the US. The Police keep trying, but the lawyers are always one step ahead.

Around where I live, people usually go 5-10 MPH higher than the posted limit. I've only gone up to 110 MPH, persoanlly.

Jammrock

[SteveC]

I guess it's all down to the freedom of U.S. citizens, again, eh?

I only got to 120mph in my car and that's at a push, with the wind behind me and me helping flintstone-style (It's only got a 1.4 engine in it!)

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Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[Paddy]

In Ireland, the distance is always given in km, whereas the speed is given in miles! (Well in the South anyway!)

Imagine trying to work out braking distances!

[Himself]

There was a local story on the news about a long section of road in the lower city, the posted speed limit was 55 kph, they did a survery and found everybody was doing 75kph, so they raised the limit to 75kph, they did another survey and everybody would doing 100kph.

[Helevitia]

Here in the Bay Area, they put up more cameras for red light runners than anythig else. Specifically, they are doing this in San Francisco because pedestrians get hit approx. once every few weeks or so. I usually go about 70-75MPH. I also just found out that my truck has a 100MPH limiter on it I found this web site that sells the computer to unlock the limiter and also tune the engine for better gas mileage

Dave

[Alec]

Here there are almost no cameras, the police goes out on the road in higher numbers once in a while (in times when more accidents are prone to happen).

My max speed was 185 Km/h in my 1989 1.4 litre Ford Escort (don´t laugh). In the highways almost no one obeys the speed limit (120 Km/h), cause it it would be worse (everyone falling asleep)

[paulcs]

Here in foggy California, we don't have traffic laws, only traffic suggestions. People drive at incredible speeds in densely populated areas without looking out their front windshields. Getting into animated phone conversations on cel phones without paying attention to what's going on in front of you is encouraged.

Unlike many jurisdictions throughout the world, here the red light signifies accelerate. Stop signs? What stop signs? Here in California, the following equation always applies:

Pedestrian = Road Kill

The concept of the pedestrian right of way simply doesn't exist for us. It's a cultural thing. We just don't get it. In fact, we have trouble conceiving the pedestrian as a concept. If a store is two blocks away, why take that five minute walk when you can hop into your car and drive there. At 80 miles an hour. While talking on your cel phone. Without looking out the front windshield once.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[Alec]

Carmaggeddon-style...

[Gurm]

Traffic cameras are 100% unenforceable in the US of A. Believe it or not, they can't even enforce TOLL BOOTHS with cameras. That's why there's a cop at every toll booth watching to see if you run the electronic toll. Heh.

Most speed limits on the east coast of the USA are at 65mph now. Nobody drives 65. 75 is more like it. I usually go 85, unless the road warrants otherwise. However, when I was driving a Toyota I only went 65 because the car wasn't up to the task.

The fastest I've gone is whatever speed the limiter kept me at in a friend's BMW 750iL. I _believe_ that beastie is limited at 155mph, but it might be 165. I can't recall.

On another note, it was discovered that lowering the speed limit did nothing but make traffic worse in 90% of the USA. An interesting fact is that 99% of traffic accidents that aren't directly attributable to something like drinking or snow occur at speeds in excess of 90mph or below 30mph. Virtually no accidents happen between 55 and 85. Interesting!

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Nuno]

Yes, Alec, but you forgot to mention the Subaru Impreza´s and BMW 330d´s the trafic police got with video cameras incorporated. Those motherfuc*** deliberatly tease other drivers to break speed limits and then give them a ticket.

And we have some roads with "zero tolerance" that if someone is catched 1 km/h above limit, then he gets a ticket too.

The fastest I went? About 205 Km/h (128 mph) with a Seat Toledo Tdi and about 250 Km/h (156 mph) with my Kawasaki ZZR 600 (ZX-6 for americans)

[Liquid Snake]

Too much traffic in the city to go above 55mph Anyway, out in upstate New York, the speed limit is 65mph. Most people probably do around 70-80mph. Heh, I once saw two guys having a race. Everyone was going 70mph, they were probably going 100+, they blew past everyone.

I see traffic cameras popping up all over the city, but as Dave said, they are really only used to catch red light runners.

[SCompRacer]

Around Chicago, it's like most big cities with the largest percentage driving 10-20 over the limit if traffic can move. Problem is with the small percentile that tries to go faster, weaving in and out. And don't dare signal and hesitate to move over cause you can get behind someone but not in front of them, even if you were going faster. Cell phone users are scary as they are not fully aware of what they are doing.

Alot of accidents occur at the mile or more backups to toll booths or exit ramps during rush hours. My wife has been hit twice in the rear on Interstates by folks that failed to stop for the backup.

Have heard some reports of road rage shootings on news, but not sure if alot of them are stifled like the gang shootings in large cities. Be like the wild-wild west pretty soon.

State police will sometimes pace traffic on the Intra/Interstates at limit or 5-10 over, "picking" volunteers by pointing at you to line up with them on their fender or fenders on multilane roads. Traffic snakes for miles with no chance of passing, unless you use the shoulder of course. Seen some of that go on.

Local municipalities use portable radar setups at roadside to show how fast your going. Enforcable if an officer is present and witnesses the law being broken. I was told by a friend that moved to Phoenix, Arizona, that they had photo radar, but would have to check if it is being enforced.

My personal best is 7.08 @ 196 mph on the strip and 150+ on two lane blacktop.


[This message has been edited by SCompRacer (edited 21 October 2000).]