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Originally posted by wrkime
Well, first of all, I wasn't on the highway, I was on backroads, which are winding and hilly, second I think using the autobahn as an example of safe driving speeds. Aren't they considering a speed limit on that because of the speeding related deaths?? Driving anywhere isn't safe...unless there are no buildings, no people, a governor on the engine that holds your speed to 25 MPH, and everything is perfectly flat and there is never any weather. So, I wouldn't say that driving is just dangerous in America.
Also, I'm not a fucking idiot, I know that speeding fines are a revenue stream. Just as my taxes are a revenue stream. There's no news there. You can get out of tickets in court, you just have to have your shit together. I've fought tickets before, but only when I was absolutely right. In those case the fine has been dismissed or reduced. I am a big proponent of doing what's right and admitting fault and taking responsibility for my actions. My point was, I'm not going to fight a ticket that I clearly deserved. I was going 65 in a 35, I saw the cop and hit the brakes but too late, he nabbed me at 57. To suggest that I send them a check every time I speed, whether sarcastic or not, is just a ridiculous thing to say. Clearly you misunderstood the point.
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I did understand your point I was just exagerrating this aspect of it "I am a big proponent of doing what's right and admitting fault and taking responsibility for my actions.". To me that says if you murdered someone you would turn yourself in. You know that's the right thing to do so you wouldn't wait until you're caught. So in the same vein if you knew you were speeding you'd just send a check. It was just a joke. I just thought that the righteousness in your statement sounded a little too absolute. I meant no disrespect.
As far as the Autobahn's safety record here are a few articles.
A report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows the fatality rate on the western autobahn has been virtually identical to the death rates on U.S. Interstates for over ten years.
Here's another article that talks about why the autobahn is so safe.
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The German Autobahn system was started before WWII and has been in constant operation since. Parts of the Autobahn are without a speed limit. On these portions, people drive 80 mph in the slow lane, 100 mph in the center lane and 130 mph plus in the fast lane! (Smith). Yet, it has earned a reputation of being safe and delivering people to their destinations more quickly.
In Germany, there were 42.5 million registered vehicles (35.5 million cars) in 1990. The network of roads totals 221,000 km, including 11,000 km of autobahns (motorways). In size, it is second only to the United States. An ongoing safety program of driver training in schools, improved vehicle safety and better roads have produced fewer fatalities on the Autobahn in spite of greater traffic density. The one exception is the area that comprised the old German Democratic Republic [the former communist East Germany]--it has a higher accident rate since it has had to adjust to more traffic and faster cars. (Here is another confirmation that becoming more socialistic is stupid!) To earn a license in Germany, one must complete 33 hours of classroom instruction and 18 hours of road training. Every modern car in Germany is designed for safety and high performance. Their vehicles stick to the roads on curves and will "stop on a dime."
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My point is that our highway safety could be greatly improved if we required the training and proficiency that Germany does. I think the effects of speed are over exagerated in America. Just having a similar lane etiquette would improve safety. Here people drive whatever speed they want in any lane.
wrktime, I respect you and never intended any harm with my statements. This subject interests me and if you want to discuss it further I think we should start a new thread. I'd love to see any research that counters any of my statements. I realize that the info I linked to doesn't come from the best sources in the world so if we continue the discussion I think we should all do more in depth research.