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From: dbb@fluke.UUCP (Dave Bartley)
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: motoring in Europe
Message-ID: <527@vax1.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Mar-84 12:30:35 EST
Article-I.D.: vax1.527
Posted: Thu Mar  1 12:30:35 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 23:35:26 EST
References: <5859@decwrl.UUCP> <817@ihuxi.UUCP>
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA
Lines: 28

I don't know about "crazy" but it is fast.  Most of my driving
experience was in Germany, France, England, and the Benelux area.

The speed limits and driving habits vary from country to country.
Germany is the only country with no speed limit on the autobahnen
(they recommmend 130 KPH, ~80 MPH), though there are speed limits on
other roads (100 KPH highway and 60 KPH in cities, I think).

I have fun explaining how comfortable it felt to drive at 100 MPH
(as fast as my Taunus/Ford Granada would go) on the autobahn.  All
of the autobahns I drove traveled far superior to the freeways here:
broader lanes, better graded, better signed, more alert drivers.
Passing on the right being verboten is the crucial difference,
however.  There is no other way for a 4-lane highway to handle cars
going anywhere from 50 to 150 MPH in the same place.  Left-lane
speed-limit "enforcers" are happily driven off the roads.

The speed limits and average quality of driving diminish outside of
German-speaking regions, but remain above the Pacific Northwest
average, at least.  I think the difference is part training (it's
not easy to get a driver's license over there) and part attitude.
When somebody drives over there, they drive -- they don't touch up
their makeup, or fumble with the cassette deck, or eat breakfast.
They DRIVE.

-- 
Dave Bartley	    John Fluke Mfg Co, Inc	Everett,WA 98206 USA
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