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From: chrisp@oliven.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: "farce and American autobahns?!?!"
Message-ID: <176@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 13:08:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: oliven.176
Posted: Thu Jun 21 13:08:14 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jun-84 03:59:41 EDT
Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 33

>Steve Henning
>The autobahn was used as an example of why unlimited speeds are better.
>WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.  The autobahn is a much better constructed highway
>than our interstates.  The German drivers are much better disciplined
>in high speed driving.  And still the death rate on the autobahn is
>much worse than anything here.  The accidents are unbelievably gory.
>They have helicopter ambulances to come and scrape up the victims.
>One good thing is that at high speeds the debris seldom ends up on
>the highway.

I assume that you have direct experience of the German system. I don't. It
should be noted, however that the Germans imposed a speed limit of 100 kph
(= 62.5 mph) in 1974 and removed the limit in 1976. When the limit was
removed, the fatality rate dropped by 10%. So if you think it was a blood
bath during your experience, it was significantly worse with the speed limit
in force. The British had the same result from raising the motorway speed
limit from 55 mph to 70 mph in '76.

You would do well to note that in spite of a speed limit of 100 kph on
non-autobahnen (2 lane roads, etc.) there is a bigger diferential in
fatality rates between their surface roads and ours than there is
between the autobahns and the freeways. (An interesting point about
the wreckage usually clearing the road.)

Finally, if you start disecting the fatality statistics for the U.S. over
the last decade, it becomes apparent that the 55 mph limit has CAUSED
about 10% of the highway fatalities since it went in! The figures also
contains grounds to question the official assertion that the limit has
reduced fuel consumption. I suspect that the limit is also implicated in
the increase in red signal running and similar foolishness of the last
decade.

55 KILLS			Chris Prael