Subject: Re: Speed Kills?

From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 7 Nov 1995 22:04:50 GMT

Aris Mitropoulos ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I'm working on an academic paper trying to argue that there is little
: coralation between speed and accidents. I got some statistics from the
: German embassy; the deaths on roads are not high. This is in a country
: where speed limits do not exist on some highways. Please e-mail me if
: you've read any similar articles... give reference so I can look them
: up. As well is there an e-mail address in the US for any lobby group
: that might help me? 

: Thanking-You in advance.

I lived in Germany for three years before I moved to the US. The reason
why there are less speed related fatalities in Germany is simple. It's
because they don't have idiots driving less than 130 km/h (75mph) in
any lane other than the right one!!!

Over there, if you're driving slower than about 130 km/h, you stay to
right, and as your speed gets progressively higher, you move to the
left lane. Over there, if you're hogging the left lane, people don't
tailgate you, they stay at a distance, and turn on their left turn 
signal, meaning they want to pass you. And believe it or not, most 
people get the hint. Maybe it's the general driving mentality, or 'cuz
they have strict driving instructors, I don't know, but the system
works.

We've been passed on the autobahn when we were doing 230 km/h (143mph,
BMW's rule! :) And we got outta they way of the cop in the Porsche :)
Just because everyone is going fast, doesn't mean that there are gonna 
be more accidents. I just think there should be more to learning to
drive than just passing the written and road test. My friends in Germany
spent up to $1400 and 6 weeks learning about cars, first aid, traffic
rules...etc. before they were allowed (by law) to take the test. Compare
that to the US!

Well, think about it... It's the lack of skill, experience and common
sense that kills the average shmoe on the highway, not the speed.

S.

---

From: [email-masked] (Dean Barker)
Date: 8 Nov 95 12:30:12 CST

What I have to say has no statistical evidence, it is purely my opinion
based on my experiences.

Speed kills? Well, no. If it did people would be dying on airplanes all
the time, what are they doing?, 600, 700 mph? But higher speed does
increase the possibility that you will hit something going significantly
slower than you are and that does unfortunately kill people.

I have heard, "the differential in speed kills people", meaning that
if everybody traveled at the same speed there would be less deaths. I
would agree with this only with the assumption that everybody on the
highway is comfortable driving at that chosen speed. Of course, that
could never happen.

My experiences tell me that the dangers on the highway are the people
who are inconsistent. I drive on the freeway with cruise control. I
find it irritating when I will consistently gain on somebody, pull out
to pass and they increase their speed to match mine. I won't put
up with this for long, I hit the gas pedal, complete the pass, move
back to the right, and resume the cruise control. I also find it
irritating when somebody will gain on me, pull out to pass me, and
then match my speed riding alongside. This is a little harder to deal
with, sometimes I will let off so that they are forced to complete the
pass, sometimes I will hit the gas pedal and pull back ahead of them.
It is really difficult when people do this and leave a whole string of
cars behind them in the left lane.

My opinion is that the highways would be safer if everybody used cruise
control on the freeways and used it correctly. Know when to back off of
the cruise to let somebody merge, know when to hit the gas to make a pass
go quicker. Don't ride for miles upon miles in the left lane passing
somebody who is going 0.01 mph slower. If you are in the right lane
coming up on a slower car, shut off the cruise and wait for the traffic
to clear in the lane to your left, don't pull out in front of somebody
and make the slow pass at your cruise control speed.

Just my opinions on making the highways safer.

-Dean

---

From: [email-masked] (Dean Barker)
Date: 8 Nov 95 12:30:12 CST

-Dean

---

From: [email-masked] (Mike Nakagawa)
Date: 14 Nov 1995 03:14:01 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Rex Jennett) writes:
|> NMA [Bob M] ([email-masked]) wrote:
|> 
|> : There's a 
|> : little-known phenomena that happens when you raise speed limits - the 
|> : low-speed drivers speed up and the high-speed people slow down.  
|> 
|> Really? Any idea why the high-speed drivers slow down when you raise the 
|> limits?

My guess, from people I've talked with (certainly not from personal
experience ;-), is that some drivers move to the fast lane to avoid the
slow drivers.  Then being in the fast lane, they feel obliged to drive
the prevailing rate (to avoid being severely tailgated).  If they didn't
have to avoid slow drivers, they wouldn't feel the need to move into the
fast lane.

---mike...

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