Jsn350Z

Hm, wonder how many more no speed limit type posts will keep poping up. And I agree, Autobahn in the US equals dead people, and dead cars.

BigBadBuford

I am suprised so many people are against a US Autobahn. I wouldn't be for getting rid of the speed limits on normal highways, but a system of high speed interstate highways that were limited access would be very nice for people who travel long distances. If you are making a 100+ mile trip and you do it at 100 or 120 instead of 65 you are definitely going to shave a good amount of time off of the commute. If it was limited access with only approved cars and specially licensed drivers and strictly enforced lane rules I can see it working. Sure, if anyone gets into an accident they will most likely die, but people who travel this kind of road should already know the increased risks, and there could even be some type of waiver that had to be signed before you could be licensed.

Jason Bourne

I'm surprised by the level of maturity and rationality in this thread. I too would love it if there were no speed limit for *me*. But I agree that the average American driver does not have the skills to handle a sudden change to no speed limit.

My suggestion would be to increase speed limits to something more reasonable. Here in NY Metro/NJ/PA most highways are still at 55mph, which is ridiculous. I would be in favor of bumping them up to about 75-85mph, which I think would be enough to increase efficiency without decreasing safety (since these are the speeds people already drive).

I would also be in favor of rolling changes to the driver licensing system which is a complete farce in this country (my US license test took all of 10 minutes, took place entirely in a parking lot and I never exceeded 30 mph). I could have trained my dog to ace that "test". In no way was this ridiculous exercise a reasonable way to tell if I was a capable driver. I am totally in favor of a minimum driving age of 18 and driver licensing structured after the rest of Europe (i.e. 30+ hours of in-car instruction, 2 hour written and oral test, 2-3 hour driving test on all types of streets/roads/highways, etc...).

Jason

Stone Z

I lived in Germany for three years, and I'm here to tell you that the US is DEFINITELY not ready for any type of highway system even close to the Autobahns. Contrary to popular belief, 65-70% of even the Autobahns have posted speed limits. The other 30-35% of these roads do not have speed limits, BUT, if you're involved in an accident on any of the Autobahns and you're found to have been traveling more than 135kph, you're immediately at fault, no matter if it was really your fault or not. They have VERY strict tests that cars must past annually in order to keep them registered on the roads. If a system like this was introduced here in the US, there'd be very little traffic, because most of the current cars on the roads today would even pass the tests. I think it costs roughly about $2,000 initially to even obtain a driver's license in Germany. Are the Autobahns fun? HELL YEAH! But, only in the correct environment, and unfortunately the US lacks A LOT of the characteristics needed for a highway system like this to be safe and successful.

Touching on a point someone mentioned earlier. The roads in Germany are VERY, VERY well kept and are tailored for high speed driving. Extremely wide lanes, extremely smooth surfaces, coupled with very intelligent drivers makes for a safe environment where high rates of speed are demonstrated.

WashUJon

This is exactly why I oppose the idea here. (I'm of German descent and I've been there a couple times)

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

imagine a soccer mom making a trip to see these colleges and using these roads. she meets another soccer mom actually going slower than she is so she uses the left lane to pass here, which takes about 10-20 seconds going only 5mph faster. then someon comes by flying at 120 or even 150 and smashes right into her. when someone is going that fast, and you check to see if you can pass, it looks like their nowhere close to you, but in the average time it takes a "normal" driver to pass the speeding car behind you is right on top of you. this would possibly be one of the deadliest things that that govt could do. i dont know about you, but have any of you guys remebered drivers ed and the driving test, and the complete lack of neccessity to do anything. i drove around the block for 15min and then i passed. same for my sister, and if he had asked her to do a 3 point turn, i dont think she could have. this country has some low standards to let people drive around in 3000lbs hunks of metal. in IL, the gov. said that after jan 1st, state and highway cops are going to be enforcing the "left lane for passing only" and "yeilding to drivers going faster, or who wish to go faster in the left lane" i cant wait till a soccer mom doing 55 in the left lane gets pulled over and she talks and says "i'm a good driver blah blah blah speed limit blah blah blah" this is a small step towards european style driving, and thats the only way we're going to get raised speed limits. it also needs to start in the classroom while teaching people to drive. my instructor actually stressed the "left lane for passing" rule, but many dont. i too was expecting this to be an "i want to go faster so get an autobahn" type thread, but i was quite surprised with the level of maturity in these responses.

BigBadBuford

I think no matter what we did to have an Autobahn style highway in the US it would cost a ton of money. Currently the interchanges and on/off ramps are not designed for very high speeds and a lot of them would have to be totally redesigned not to mention how terrible the surfaces of most of the highways are. I really doubt that we will see a high speed road in the US anytime soon because I don't think there are enough people willing to spend the money.
I agree with everyone else here that drivers should have much better testing. PA's tests are a joke.. 3 point turn, parallel park and a drive around the block to make sure you don't miss a stop sign. Plus, inspections in most states are a joke. There are far too many cars on the road that shouldn't be. When I went on a road trip this summer I couldn't believe the amount of cars on the road that had body panels duct taped together because of rust or other damage or were spewing smoke out of their tail pipes. There would have to be a lot of reform before higher speed limits would really be viable. Unfortunately, most people aren't enthusiasts and are happy with doing 55-65 mph tops - in fact most people I know are scared to do 80!

Jsn350Z

Some of the roads are so bad, going 140 mph over them is a deathwish in itself! Not to mention all the crappy drivers out there.

Skrew this whole autobahn in the US, and a "licence to speed". Lets go for all of our roads and freeways being repaved! Now that...I would like.