Mr Holdfast,
I wasn't actually at the helm at the time of the collision, the other driver I was two-up with was captain at the time. I was in the bunk, getting thrown around by the bumps, which makes me wonder, why would you WANT to do anymore than the speed limit on a road that is not silky smooth?
Another point of contention is that the bush chook heard us coming and couldn't decide on which way to turn, effectively ripping Emu burnouts in the middle of our lane. At this point I'll inform you that to take evasive action in a semi weighing upwards of 35tonne, would more than likely have had more of a detrimental effect on the balance of the vehicle, with an exceptionally high chance of a roll over. To hit it square on and risk the possibility of having fuel crossover lines ripped out, among other things, was the only viable option.
What I'm was attempting to convey there, is that wildlife are unpredictable, if it were in a car and you swerved to miss it and were still barreling along at your 130km/h, and the bird took the same direction as you did, it's over before you know it. Man, honestly 130km/h is about 36 metres per second, lets say you notice it 100 metres away, you've got about 2.5 seconds to react and decide what you're gunna do, and at that speed, a hard jab on the brakes might see you drop your speed down to 80 or 90, it's still gunna make a mess.
If you want to drive as fast as possible on open public roads, the Autobahn is your only option. Our training levels are pathetic, I don't think there would be a single driver to have a license issued by the RTA who would have enough skill to drive at that kind of speed. Plus, our roads are substandard, not just the streets in your neighbourhood, but all over the country, especially here in NSW. I've done my fair share of interstate driving and can honestly say that there aren't many roads out there where the conditions would suit high speed. The Northern Territory government abolished their open limits, because too many people were dying in high speed crashes. Do you remember the Cannonball Run they had a few years back, with the two dudes in their Ferrari?
The average age of cars on the road in Australia is around 10 years old. Last year there were about 1 Million new vehicles sold here, which means there is still a butt load of old cars out there on the roads. 130km/h in a Datsun 180B doesn't sound too appealing at the best of times.
We're here on the Just Commodores forum because we enjoy our cars, right? Which more than likely means that we take a little bit more care than the average Joe with our cars, keeping them regularly serviced and so on. What about the Joe Blow from Bendigo, who uses his car to drive to and from work everyday and to the shops on the weekends? He might get some work done on his car when the rego's up, or when the tyres have canvas and wire poking out. Do you seriously want this dude to be on the same stretch of road as you when you're travelling that fast that you can bend space and time?
There is a transport company, Simon National Carriers, whose trucks are limited to 90km/h, the reasons behind that? A10% decrease in fuel consumption and driver safety top the list.
The vast majority of drivers, and vehicles available, are not capable of handling high speed. It is now a task beyond comprehension to make sure that everyone would be able to comply to any regulations to govern a change.
I'm tempted to quote a bumper sticker I once saw, "Speed on brother, hell aint full yet", but I won't.