Bahnstorming Speeds
Discussion
really enjoyed this thread and some of the stories on it.
Really strikes me that if someone posts they were doing or worse caught doing 100 on a dry empty uk motorway they are mauled on here and classed as unsafe and virtual child killers, yet we can see here where the law permits and people/cars are prepared for it its actually relatively safe.
Really strikes me that if someone posts they were doing or worse caught doing 100 on a dry empty uk motorway they are mauled on here and classed as unsafe and virtual child killers, yet we can see here where the law permits and people/cars are prepared for it its actually relatively safe.
irish boy said:
really enjoyed this thread and some of the stories on it.
Really strikes me that if someone posts they were doing or worse caught doing 100 on a dry empty uk motorway they are mauled on here and classed as unsafe and virtual child killers, yet we can see here where the law permits and people/cars are prepared for it its actually relatively safe.
While I'm no proponent of the "speed kills" mantra by any stretch, there is a difference. In Germany drivers have far better lane Discipline because they know that there's a strong possibility of a car coming up behind them doing 100km/h+ faster than they are. And because drivers are expecting faster traffic, they deal with it better.Really strikes me that if someone posts they were doing or worse caught doing 100 on a dry empty uk motorway they are mauled on here and classed as unsafe and virtual child killers, yet we can see here where the law permits and people/cars are prepared for it its actually relatively safe.
I've said it time and time again over the years on PH, but the reason we have shocking lane discipline in the UK is as simple as our speed limit being too low. Everyone is happy to dawdle in the outside lane because they believe nobody ought to be going faster. If there were a higher speed limit (I'd advocate for no less than 90MPH), that would be above the 85th percentile speed and so many people wouldn't feel that they had the right to occupy the outside lane ad nauseum.
LunarOne said:
While I'm no proponent of the "speed kills" mantra by any stretch, there is a difference. In Germany drivers have far better lane Discipline because they know that there's a strong possibility of a car coming up behind them doing 100km/h+ faster than they are. And because drivers are expecting faster traffic, they deal with it better.
I've said it time and time again over the years on PH, but the reason we have shocking lane discipline in the UK is as simple as our speed limit being too low. Everyone is happy to dawdle in the outside lane because they believe nobody ought to be going faster. If there were a higher speed limit (I'd advocate for no less than 90MPH), that would be above the 85th percentile speed and so many people wouldn't feel that they had the right to occupy the outside lane ad nauseum.
TBF dawdling MLMs don't help either because they make people doing 65/70 or so move into the outside lane to get past them, but I agree the speed limit should be considerably higher given the capabilities of modern cars compared to cars from 1965 when the 70 limit came into force on a temporary basis. I've said it time and time again over the years on PH, but the reason we have shocking lane discipline in the UK is as simple as our speed limit being too low. Everyone is happy to dawdle in the outside lane because they believe nobody ought to be going faster. If there were a higher speed limit (I'd advocate for no less than 90MPH), that would be above the 85th percentile speed and so many people wouldn't feel that they had the right to occupy the outside lane ad nauseum.
My car is JDM limited to 180kph, which is OK on the autobahn but a little more would be nice. Main issue is that I can't just keep it planted as the limiter feels like a nasty misfire, so I have to feather the throttle to keep it just off the limiter, which takes some effort and is a pain. Cruising at 200kph would probably be about right for it if it wasn't limited, with loads in reserve.
I've driven through Germany a few times and the first trip was an eye opener both in terms of the general pace of your average driver in certain places and the much improved attitude and discipline, more so that a car closing in indicating left or with a wee headlight flash is the norm - over here some Norman would just continue to sit at 67mph either a "I'm going the speed limit so I'm not moving" stance. Or such moves would trigger somebody to go full road rage.
I sat at about 100mph, beyond that was pretty heavy going even in sections with very little traffic so to those who can sit at much higher speeds, fair play. Oddly, when my wife joined me for her first autobahn experience she really wasn't keen with anything above 80mph but didn't take long to realise that it's a very difficult experience over there and 80mph is probably fairly slow. She was fine at 100mph+ but tapped out at 130mph! The closing speed towards the back of Hungarian lorries was a bit much for her.
The longest / quickest stint I did was with a couple of mates headed home one year where we tagged on behind an A8 and that was 130mph region for about 20mins, which in the bigger scale is no time at all but that was pretty heavy going as far as driver fatigue went. Granted at such speeds you're absolutely alert but that becomes pretty tiring.
The stark contrast when you roll off the boat and are back doing 70mph is insane. Big empty stretches of the M6 north feels like you're barely moving... but conversely, doing 70mph in sections where it's like the wacky races feels like a suicide mission. I definitely felt more aware and alert cruising at speed in Germany, whereas here a long biting stint at 70mph and you feel your brain start to switch off much faster.
I sat at about 100mph, beyond that was pretty heavy going even in sections with very little traffic so to those who can sit at much higher speeds, fair play. Oddly, when my wife joined me for her first autobahn experience she really wasn't keen with anything above 80mph but didn't take long to realise that it's a very difficult experience over there and 80mph is probably fairly slow. She was fine at 100mph+ but tapped out at 130mph! The closing speed towards the back of Hungarian lorries was a bit much for her.
The longest / quickest stint I did was with a couple of mates headed home one year where we tagged on behind an A8 and that was 130mph region for about 20mins, which in the bigger scale is no time at all but that was pretty heavy going as far as driver fatigue went. Granted at such speeds you're absolutely alert but that becomes pretty tiring.
The stark contrast when you roll off the boat and are back doing 70mph is insane. Big empty stretches of the M6 north feels like you're barely moving... but conversely, doing 70mph in sections where it's like the wacky races feels like a suicide mission. I definitely felt more aware and alert cruising at speed in Germany, whereas here a long biting stint at 70mph and you feel your brain start to switch off much faster.
matrignano said:
I’m surprised how many said they feel unsafe above 100mph in I assume a modern and well maintained car!
Is it an age thing? Younger drivers perhaps less confident than older ones?
Or is it because of a lack of practice, for those in the UK at least?
Until the late 90s, 100+ mph long distance cruising was not stressful, even on UK roads. The advent of speed cameras made it so, and more recently even lower speeds are made uncomfortable by the entitled drivers with poor lane discipline pulling out, without looking. Add into the mix potholes and higher speed driving does indeed feel unsafe. Its not about the cars, it’s environmental.Is it an age thing? Younger drivers perhaps less confident than older ones?
Or is it because of a lack of practice, for those in the UK at least?
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