Originally Posted by Keepleft
Or the additional safety gear carried onboard all EU registered cars; first aid kit, triangle, 2 x high-vis vests etc. All part of their wholesome approach.
What did Clarkson say, if you wear the high vis jacket you won't get hit by a train. If someone drives into you with your hazards blinking, a triangle and some high vis vests won't help much --> the first aid kit after that will.
You don't get it do you? The triangle is placed AHEAD of 'the scene', up to 200m (steps) before it when on a motorway - to the side of the road or lane. Thats a few seconds extra warning; it invokes caution (1 x triangle is mandatory in EU cars). The "high-vis" vest (2 of them mandatory in ALL EU registered cars) aids in pedestrian safety, in Germany the vest must be worn BEFORE exiting the vehicle in 90km/h zones and above. You should understand that hazard-warning lights can be knocked out, and cannot be seen, no matter how much you drink - WHEN around bends, corners or curves, or over crests or over a hill, duh
GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE AD RE THE TRIANGLE AND VEST (See also my WA GovCo SIG):-
Le site de la Sécurité Routière - Le gilet et le triangle
Though I do like the idea of all cars having LED daytime running lights.
DRL's are not just LED technology, incandecent bulbed types exist 'factory' too (P12v/21watt), think VW models. The Feds feel Australia hasn't the "low-light" levels of Europe, and so are not that enthausiastic about mandating the ADR for DRL's. Best chance to mandate them, would be for A STATE to do so, as VIC did with side curtain airbags, traction control etc. State power!
Personally, I am happy to switch on my low-beam headlights when needed, or when required under law.
All that said, I think 130kph is a reasonable speed and a good compromise between that and everyone who wants 150+. Something that needs to be considered as well is fuel use, at 150kph, many modern 4cyl as well as our V6 Ecotecs, would chug decent bits of fuel. 130 is the upper limit of good fuel economy in most cars.
Fuel use is a matter for the individual, its NOT my business how much fuel you use. If you can afford it, great!
ATSB's OFFICIAL STUDY INTO 130KM/H SPEED LIMITS FOR AUSTRALIA, 2003 - "CIR-216".
CR 216: Potential Benefits and Costs of Speed Changes on Rural Roads (2003)
The full study, Pdf:-
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/publications/2003/pdf/Rural_Speed_2.pdf
NORTHERN TERRITORY NOTE:
True, that the Communist Party under Clare Martin imposed a rural default speed-limit of 110km/h, AND signposted 130km/h zones on key NT highways after December 2006. A silly move that one.
Now, NT's Country Liberal Party have signalled, as party policy for the next NT election, their intention to reinstate "SPEED DERESTRICTION" (//) on some existing 130km/h zones.
It does not green light idiot speeds and immature loons.
This CLP move is appropriate, turn off a derestricted (//) highway onto another rural road, and the 110km/h 'rural default' applies, UNLESS - a speed limit sign shows a new speed limit, OR another derestriction sign applies.
NT CLP SPEED LIMITS POLICY, AUGUST 2011:-
SPEED LIMITS
A NOTE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FREEWAY/MOTORWAY DESIGN:-
Unlike Europe, which Aussie folk often refer as true evidence of safe, high-speed travel, our domestic intercity full-freeway construction AND intercity divided dual-carriageway roads have wide (10-13m out to 20+m) medians that bear "U-Turn bays". European freeways typically have a 4.0m wide median and NO U-Turn bays.
What we get then are way too many loons who delight in doing illegal U-Turns,- to either 'go-back' (bad journey planning), or to enter a business on the other side of the carriageway, and in doing so ignore the prohibitory warning signs. We then get crashes; written off vehicles, injuries and deaths, AND the affected road is then stuffed for hours on end.
For this reason of itself we MUST NOT raise the limit beyond 110km/h, let alone the other Euro stuff discussed above that we lack - all items learn't of the "whole of system" EU approach.
All is not lost;
a) We will, eventually get this stuffed mandated; and
b) Those U-Turn bays, at least in NSW on the F3 and on the under construction Hunter Freeway, are being "upgraded" to deter idiots from doing illegal U-Turns. See the link below for an example of this design work. DO THIS -and our high-standard 'full freeway' roads at least, are then candidates for speed limits 120-130km/h.
NSW Fwy Typical Median Cross Treatment
Its quite inappropriate to proceed to raise freeway limits otherwise. I'd predict suburban freeways will remain in the range 90-120km/h after U-Turn bay treatment, ditto dual carriageway roads such as the VIC Hume, NSW Hume. This long road has both INTERSECTIONS and the safer desired GRADE-SEPARATED INTERCHANGE. A 'freeway' only has INTERCHANGES. So MUCH work to be done.
