Thread: On the subject of speeding......

in the uk....you are taught on all roads doing the speed limit from single country lanes to the main freeway.

but when you passed your test you are incouraged to put yourself through advanced driver....which just means you have to go back with a driving instructor and do so many hours on the motorway so many hours driving at night and so many hours driving in the rain on wet roads.....now this isn't compulsory BUT if you do do it you get a big reduction in car insurance, which means alot for a new driver as insurance is horrific even if your in a 1 litre....which all new drivers usually are for this very reason as the bigger the litre the bigger your insurance

Originally Posted by wovenrovings

1. Getting a driving licence in Germany involves about as much expense and training as getting an aeroplane licence.

2. There is a lot of issues such as road and driver quality and and i think they need to be addressed before the speed limit can be changed.


My thoughts.

1. It would be interesting to compare German and Australian road safety statistics, especially taking into account the road quality. I would be quite surprised if there was much difference.

2. Speed limits are changed all the time, and vary for no apparent reason. For example, there are long stretches of state highway in rural urban areas in NSW that are limited to 50; similar roads in the Sydney area (where there are more voters) are 60 or even 80. Also, consider for example two very similar situation - Morongla, on the Lachlan Valley Way has a speed limit of 80, Leadville, on the Golden Highway, has a limit of 50. Another example, the speed limit on Bells Line of Road has been dropped again to 80 for most of it, rather than improve the road. (This is an example of the RTA thinking - if there are accidents, drop the speed limit - regardless of the fact that the accidents in question involved travel well above the existing speed limit. Similarly, restrictions introduced on new drivers as a reaction to a major accident that would not have happened if the driver in question had obeyed existing laws).

Very few people advocate a significant rise in the highest speed limit, but a lot of people would like to see a bit more sense in speed limits.

John