204mph on the Autobahn

[glutenberg]

Originally posted by: Vic
The only problem here is that there is a populist movement in Germany right now to put speed limits on the Autobahn, and the OP is shilling for it.

In the meantime, the Autobahn is the safest freeway system on earth because it doesn't have speed limits.

But oh no, go ahead and use your arguments that speed is reckless, or that speeding is economically wasteful. It only exposes your faulty logic and doublethink, i.e. how could speeding be reckless unless most cars were NOT speeding, but then how could speeding be economically wasteful when (once again) most care are not speeding? Hey, you created this faulty logic loop, I'm just pointing out what a mindless brainwashed sheep you are to have bought into it.

Doubt it's because they don't have speed limits. More likely due to the differing education and mentalities for driving in Germany versus the States. If I remember correctly, many of the cars in Germany don't bother with amenities such as cup holders since the mentality is that while driving, one should drive, not eat.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: Vic
The only problem here is that there is a populist movement in Germany right now to put speed limits on the Autobahn, and the OP is shilling for it.

In the meantime, the Autobahn is the safest freeway system on earth because it doesn't have speed limits.

But oh no, go ahead and use your arguments that speed is reckless, or that speeding is economically wasteful. It only exposes your faulty logic and doublethink, i.e. how could speeding be reckless unless most cars were NOT speeding, but then how could speeding be economically wasteful when (once again) most care are not speeding? Hey, you created this faulty logic loop, I'm just pointing out what a mindless brainwashed sheep you are to have bought into it.

1984. Good book.

 

[ryan256]

Originally posted by: flexy
There is a STRONG controversy here in Germany because this is just plainly RETARDED.

And just what controversy is this you speak of?? I chat with a girl who lives in Germany over skype quite often. She drives the Autobahn daily and knows nothing of a "strong controversy".

 

[Rubycon]

Look how still the video is.

The roads in the US are horrible. If they were going 204 m/h on a US highway they would have to hold on for dear life. At least the roads that I've been on in the 'States were bad.

 

[dennilfloss]

And that French train would zip by you at 150mph faster.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: glutenberg

Originally posted by: Vic
The only problem here is that there is a populist movement in Germany right now to put speed limits on the Autobahn, and the OP is shilling for it.

In the meantime, the Autobahn is the safest freeway system on earth because it doesn't have speed limits.

But oh no, go ahead and use your arguments that speed is reckless, or that speeding is economically wasteful. It only exposes your faulty logic and doublethink, i.e. how could speeding be reckless unless most cars were NOT speeding, but then how could speeding be economically wasteful when (once again) most care are not speeding? Hey, you created this faulty logic loop, I'm just pointing out what a mindless brainwashed sheep you are to have bought into it.

Doubt it's because they don't have speed limits. More likely due to the differing education and mentalities for driving in Germany versus the States. If I remember correctly, many of the cars in Germany don't bother with amenities such as cup holders since the mentality is that while driving, one should drive, not eat.

I didn't say that it was solely because they don't have speed limits. However, the lack of speed limits is a major reason why people over there focus on preventing the actual causes of car crashes (inattention, tailgating, poor lane discipline, etc etc) as opposed to the US attitude of focusing SOLELY on what influences the severity of crashes (and we don't even do that well because that's not speed itself but the speed differential).

If you need an example of this, ask a fellow American if they think they're a safe driver. Of course, they'll say yes to that. Now ask them WHY they think they're a safe driver. Except for the very rare person, they'll say that they think they're a safe driver because they drive the speed limit as though that were the only thing required to be a safe driver.

 

[QueBert]

love everyone who is calling that video "wreckless driving" I will say going 204 is kind of dumb (in my eyes) even with no speed limit enforced you still should know some sort of limit. But honestly I watched the clip and driving on the 91/405/55 in So Cal is much more wreckless. The idea of no speed limit + 8 lane highways that are flawlessly paved sound awesome. I'd be way to chicken sh!t to ever go 204, even if I could afford a beast of a car that could do it. I'd love to have the proper training and drive a constant 150 to work every day.

Imagine living in Germany and living like 100 miles from your job and getting there less then 50 minutes. In So Cal sometimes 20 miles can take you an hour

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Look how still the video is.

The roads in the US are horrible. If they were going 204 m/h on a US highway they would have to hold on for dear life. At least the roads that I've been on in the 'States were bad.

True. The engineering and maintenance of the German autobahns is amazingly superior to that of US freeways. That's another factor in why their highways are safer than ours.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: QueBert
love everyone who is calling that video "wreckless driving" I will say going 204 is kind of dumb (in my eyes) even with no speed limit enforced you still should know some sort of limit. But honestly I watched the clip and driving on the 91/405/55 in So Cal is much more wreckless. The idea of no speed limit + 8 lane highways that are flawlessly paved sound awesome. I'd be way to chicken sh!t to ever go 204, even if I could afford a beast of a car that could do it. I'd love to have the proper training and drive a constant 150 to work every day.

Imagine living in Germany and living like 100 miles from your job and getting there less then 50 minutes. In So Cal sometimes 20 miles can take you an hour

I thought the irony there was just the "wreckless" part :laugh:

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: glutenberg
Doubt it's because they don't have speed limits. More likely due to the differing education and mentalities for driving in Germany versus the States. If I remember correctly, many of the cars in Germany don't bother with amenities such as cup holders since the mentality is that while driving, one should drive, not eat.

You are correct, although cup holders are still in cars - its usually not for the driver so it will be placed elsewhere. And in sports cars you rarely see them

Originally posted by: Rubycon
The roads in the US are horrible. If they were going 204 m/h on a US highway they would have to hold on for dear life. At least the roads that I've been on in the 'States were bad.

Your correct, the highways in Germany are better then the highways anywhere else in the world - and they are strictly maintained. If you've driven one highway in america you've pretty much driven them all. They are pretty bad

Originally posted by: Vic
I didn't say that it was solely because they don't have speed limits. However, the lack of speed limits is a major reason why people over there focus on preventing the actual causes of car crashes (inattention, tailgating, poor lane discipline, etc etc) as opposed to the US attitude of focusing SOLELY on what influences the severity of crashes (and we don't even do that well because that's not speed itself but the speed differential).

If you need an example of this, ask a fellow American if they think they're a safe driver. Of course, they'll say yes to that. Now ask them WHY they think they're a safe driver. Except for the very rare person, they'll say that they think they're a safe driver because they drive the speed limit as though that were the only thing required to be a safe driver.

So very true :thumbsup:

 

[zeruty]

They can't add a speed limit to all of the autobahn.... cause I haven't gotten to drive at 204mph yet!

Fastest I've managed so far on US highways is 130mph...

In a high quality well-maintained vehicle designed for the purpose, I don't think 204 is reckless at all. Unless you don't know how to drive, then even 70mph is reckless.

 

[gerwen]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: gerwen
I dunno, when he was at 175 plus, it didn't really seem like he was going past the van and trucks at 100+ mph difference. Not so sure i believe the speedo in that car.

That wasn't be speedo, that was a Garmin GPS he had the camera pointed at. Amusingly, that GPS is probably more accurate than the speedos in German cars... which tend to show the car going a few MPH faster than what it's really doing.

I realize that it's probably easier to get a real video of a car going 200mph than to fake the video, but it just didn't seem that fast to me. Even if everyone he was passing was doing 90, comparing the field of view and how fast things went by, didn't really seem fast enough.

 

[dr150]

Getting a driver's license in Germany is VERY time consuming!

And Germans observe the road rules to the letter, which is why the Autobahn system works without a gross amount of people dying from stupid actions.

Still, the small, cheap, powerful VW hatchback suffered a bad rep b/c so many young people bought them and died after recklessly driving too fast on the Autobahn.


So the lesson is to be smart. YES, you can drive faster on the left lane but it has to be sensible and NOT 204 mph worth of recklessness!

 

[tomywishbone]

Originally posted by: brandonbull
I wish asshats here in the US would follow the simple driving rules they do on the autobahn. If you ain't passing anyone, get the fvck over into the right lane and let people that wish to drive faster go by.

:thumbsup: but it ain't never gonna happen.

 

[GoingUp]

I only could do 130 when I was there b/c my benz was limited by its winter tires

Hopefully when I go back in a week I can open it up a bit

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: dr150
Getting a driver's license in Germany is VERY time consuming!

And Germans observe the road rules to the letter, which is why the Autobahn system works without a gross amount of people dying from stupid actions.

Still, the small, cheap, powerful VW hatchback suffered a bad rep b/c so many young people bought them and died after recklessly driving too fast on the Autobahn.


So the lesson is to be smart. YES, you can drive faster on the left lane but it has to be sensible and NOT 204 mph worth of recklessness!

I actually saw this on the discovery channel... Apparently in Italy at least, they have to pay about $1000 or $2000, take a very very long test in all weather conditions, and if they pass, they get their drivers license for life.