Increasing speed on highways?

[BANKS]

Our national standard speed on highways is 100kph, with some hitting 110kph.

Do you think as cars safety features become more advanced that highway speed limits should increase? Or they should stay the same?

Personally I’m sitting on the fence. I think they should increase to become relative to cars but at the same time they shouldn’t due to the fact that the car can’t drive itself, it’s the person sitting in it. No point having a car that can brake from 100 to 0 in 3 seconds if it takes the person 3 seconds to react. Then that leads to another form of highway travelling, automation. BMW have already proven this technology could be implemented into today’s world.

Every time I watch a movie based in the future, highway always seem to be travelling at 200kph with the driver happily plodding along like its the norm, yes its a movie I know lol but do you think this will ever become a reality? Will we get speeding tickets for doing 170 in a 150 zone?

Your thoughts

[Morton]

It'll never happen in this granny state. Never. Not unless there's a big attitude change, and stronger emphasis on driver education, as opposed to punishment.

Until other drivers can learn to concentrate and drive their own damn cars at low speed, I wouldn't feel safe on a freeway with other idiots doing 150kph around me. Australia has such a low standard of drivers it's not funny.

[STEALTHY™]

BMW have actually proven that doesn't work, at the cost of writing off 3 brand new cars!


I think the open road should be higher, but only places that bypass towns. Maybe 140 at a max.

[Lumps of cheese]

Yeah i dunno, mabye on major freeways it could go up a bit but on some of our highways down here doing 100 kays is scary enough!

[Morton]

Yeah, open interstates could use with a bit of a boost - but then only on dual carriageways. You still have the issue of trucks travelling at lower speeds on the same road as people doing 140 (or whatever speed you want to choose)... and then Learners in NSW doing 80 and P Platers doing 90 (as if they actually do). That's gotta be a recipe for disaster

[TVR-190]

hey i actually do 90 on highways, if its single lane i pull over and let the people past occasionally also. but no itll never happen in this country.

[Scooter79]

Unfortunately,

1: The average Australian motorist isn't capable of driving at higher speeds and being able to concentrate.

2: Our highways are not suitable for high speeds.

3. Cars on Australian roads are not suitable to drive at high speeds.

Take European countries as an example. They are used to driving at 180km/h on their autobahns. Heck, We don't even know how to merge on a freeway without almost killing someone. Their roads are well maintained and even their crappy taxis are BMW's and Merc's. Could you imagine average Joe driving on Sydney's M4 at 160km/h in their little Barina or even an '86 Magna? Driving an EA falcon more than 100km/h is dangerous at the best of times.

[danja]

BMW have actually proven that doesn't work, at the cost of writing off 3 brand new cars!

If you're talking about what I think you are (the smart braking feature they have) that was because they forgot to turn the feature on before demonstrating it! It does work.. when you turn it on!

As for speed limits, they seem to be going down, not up. I can't see speed limits getting any higher as long as humans are behind the wheel. Put a computer there and they probably will, but only once you clear away all the humans

Plus, while technology has gotten better (ESP, ABS, more airbags, crumple zones etc) unless you legislate that ALL cars must have ESP etc then you can't rely on that technology to save people, because cheap cars won't have it.

[STEALTHY™]

We might be talking about different things. The system that failed was definitely operational when they ****ed up.

[davway]

id say 110kmh is safe enough for most incompetent drivers out there (99% of the driving population).

[BANKS]

BMW have actually proven that doesn't work, at the cost of writing off 3 brand new cars!


I think the open road should be higher, but only places that bypass towns. Maybe 140 at a max.

Are you sure that was BMW? I've seen a couple a doco's on Mercedes trying new crash avoidance radar that crashed at its testing launch lol

Clarkson drove a BMW around the track that was fully automated. I remember seeing a demonstration about BMW and some new self driving technology. A camera mounted on the rear vision mirror pointing forwards measured the distance in between the white lines and kept the car smack bang in the middle of the lane. That combined with "active cruise" is pretty much an automated car

Biggest wank factor thou

YouTube - Self-driving BMW

YouTube - New BMW 7-Series: The Technology part 2

YouTube - Top Gear Mercedes S Class

[STEALTHY™]

yeah must be Merc.

It was the setup front and rear that was supposed to stop collisions (automatic braking)

[Nanos]

i do not see why speed limits can not be raised on certain roads. it works over seas.

if a road has 3 lanes you have 1 lane for slow traffic, middle lane for fast traffic and outside lane for overtaking. the problem why we could not have it work here is so many people forget to move back to the left lane after they overtake.

In the Uk the minute you overtake you move over to the left. no one at all passes on your left. you will never see that happen.

But we need to push the keep left rule first. even doing this you will find the roads will become safer.

It will also sort out the good from the bad drivers.

[minux]

Do you think as cars safety features become more advanced that highway speed limits should increase? Or they should stay the same?

This is negated with how stupid people are becoming.

[Bax]

The majority of the roads won't take it. 95% of the roads I drive on, on a day to day basis, are single lane. Double is a rare occurrence. Overtaking lanes in some places are a rare occurrence. Combine that with 100+ and you're looking at definite fatalities.

If the entire nation was a 2 lane/3 lane highway, people knew how to merge, and knew to move left. Sure, go for it. But it's not happening.

[danja]

We might be talking about different things. The system that failed was definitely operational when they ****ed up.

We're all talking about this right?
Mercedes crash test scandal - drive.com.au
I see you're right Stealthy, I hadn't seen the later coverage saying it was a scam.

Lexus models all have crash avoidance radars, they don't work in quite the same way, but they do work.

In the Uk the minute you overtake you move over to the left. no one at all passes on your left. you will never see that happen.

But we need to push the keep left rule first. even doing this you will find the roads will become safer.

I know! I wish I'd stayed there

[Cane_It]

i think about 130km/h would be about right for dual carriageways and freeways out of the greater metro area eg beyond pakenham and Deer Park etc, but the urban freeways could probably be 110km/h. Modern cars handle 130 very comfortably and feel quite stable, 150 is probably pushing i'd say.

[commsirac]

Whilst some refer to "higher limits work overseas", proper analysis of the stats in those countries show the accident rate is high for such roads as the autobahns.
The road needs to be nearly billiard table flat to cope with even 130km/h and not have even new cars bounce and float around. Whilst a high population such as germany can afford to do that with their limited amounts of autobahn, australia is totally the opposite we have the highest amount of road per head on the planet and would put everyone of us into further debt to even upgrade a minority of roads.
Have you ever been to Germany, it is simply ridiculous. The average trip on the autobahn is less than 20km, people get on there and feel they have to do 140km/h+, doing 180km/h+ in a family station wagon( I wasnt driving) was simply one of the most frightening things Ive ever experienced with some cars going 60km/h faster or slower. Really, they exist because a small group of German people have bullied the authorities in to believing they will lose office unless they provide them. No one has a real need to move from A to B that quickly.

No I think 110km/h on our best freeways is fine, why are some people so fixated on being able to drive as fast as their car will go?

Enjoy the ride, enjoy the scenery. Use your vehicles higher level of roadholding to achieve extra safety at the present limit, rather than increasing your speed to reduce you safety to the levels of cars made in the 60s.

Also consider that fuel consumption(which relates directly to greenhouse emissions) rises exponentially for speeds over 80km/h as do your chances of having an accident. It certainly wont help meet emission targets and would be a good reason why it will never happen whilst we have responsible politicians in charge.

[greenfoam]

Many of the roads in Australia can't even be driven on at 100 in any kind of safety. But the bigger roads around the city's should be no brainer safe at 130 or so, might want a seperate lane for the trucks and keep them out of the way and at 100 just to be sure . I'd be much happier if there was some decent high speed trains linking at aleast all the major citys

[Bax]

Stealthy.... Commisiracs post was actually good for a change, yet you continue to bag him.

I agree with it all.

[burnz]

i think 130kph would be nice it's not warp speed, it's a decient speed.
with all the different cars iv'e owned the sweet spot for fuel economy is around 118/122kph
and i would be more than happy to sit at those speed's instead of breaking the current law.

[Evolution_Ends_Here]

Unfortunately,



Take European countries as an example. They are used to driving at 180km/h on their autobahns. Heck, We don't even know how to merge on a freeway without almost killing someone. Their roads are well maintained and even their crappy taxis are BMW's and Merc's. Could you imagine average Joe driving on Sydney's M4 at 160km/h in their little Barina or even an '86 Magna? Driving an EA falcon more than 100km/h is dangerous at the best of times.

Yeah true i wish Australia did have them speeds on the f/ways but then the cops/Government would have a hugh soke over people 2 many poeple getting killed 2 often, plus The monash f/way will never get Fixed enough they say They fixing It Atm which will take til 2010, it always be screwed, its just paniful driving on it , i only way i can see them increasing the speed if they build alot better roads and Mantaining it not Trashing like The Monash.

[danja]

i think 130kph would be nice it's not warp speed, it's a decient speed.
with all the different cars iv'e owned the sweet spot for fuel economy is around 118/122kph
and i would be more than happy to sit at those speed's instead of breaking the current law.

If I recall correctly it's more like 80-90km. Obviously it varies from car to car depending on the gearing, drag etc, but it's definitely not as high as 120.

[Emackulation]

When roads are designed they have a speed to be designed at, there are many variables in radii and lengths, lane merges, signs,etc, etc and they are all determined by the road design speed, if they were to increase the speed limit there would be many parts that have to be ripped up and remade to suit.

[soop]

Germany and other European countries have far better driver education programs, and you need to hold a special licence to drive on the autobahn in Germany. (Or to drive above a certain speed, I forget which one.)

Australian roads are to shitty to drive any quicker than 110km/h. Look at the Newell Highway in central NSW.
As much as I'd love to be able to drive quicker. The combination of shitty roads and incompetent drivers means its probable safer for all concerned if we stick with what we have.