Meanwhile on a German highway...

http://i.imgur.com/Ajo0Y.gif

Was that car or a low flying plane?

Looked like a sidewinder

There was a youtube video of that, IIRC. Very reckless driving, what if someone pulled onto his lane? Kabam!

I'm not saying it isn't dangerous,

But there is a marked difference to how highways work in Europe as opposed to the dozy creatures on North American highways. Actually I think Canada is worse than the US when it comes to highway driving.

That'd have to be about 300 he's doing.
When the camera pans down it shows that car doing 150.
I've done 210 on an Autobahn and yeah got passed by Porsche's and so on.

The three weeks I've spent in California back in 2001 were a fascinating experience in how relaxing driving a car can be. I really enjoyed it, FAR less stressful than here in Germany.

And I say that as someone who likes to drive fast on the Autobahn.

Germany. Where the police actually pull up next to you to urge you to go faster

When it comes to laid back we are the professionals.

Did you take a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway?


Wheels

lots of videos like that on youtube.

check out the bmw 850 guy that routinely hits 300 on the autobahn!

I was once driving my old VW Beetle in the middle of the night on the corridor between East Germany and West Berlin, a large Merc zoomed by and disappeared in front, I swear I nearly stepped off my car. I thought my Beetle wasn't moving, that bad.

Cheers,
Slug

Can't see myself doing THAT in my 1978 Land Rover lightweight....

No speed limit and a powerful car is all good when you're alone on the road, but driving at those speeds in traffic is downright criminal...

Cheers

Nico

Sitting at 200km/h in my landy on the way back from Austria and still got overtaken ... a lot

Whats special about that video?

Yes I did, from Mendocino to L.A.

What a beautiful country you guys have over there.

It's a *.gif?

Some 7 or 8 years ago, my brother - at the time he owned a Honda Fireblade - was going around 270 km/h (+/-170 mph). Well, at one moment he could spot a Porsche closing in, and once he got to within a couple of hundred meters or so, he flashed his high beams to let him pass.

And while 270 km/h might seem much, that was not his greatest speeding achievement; in my eyes his driving at 250 km/h on French highways, was clearly more 'impressive'; simply because the French police do no put up with that kind of horseplay. And while they are not as strict as US police, it would have been sufficient to land him in prison.

While the Germans do not have speed limits on the Autobahn, I do not think they allow reckless driving. I am sure if you put other people's lives at risk, they will call in the Autobahnpolizei with their Porsches and helos.

But where do you draw the line ? When does driving fast become driving too fast when you don't have any limitations ? An impact is sure to kill you wether you're doing 130 or 270km/h, but faster means less time to react. At 270, the family van switching lanes at 130 is almost a static obstacle. How do you objectively assess recklessness when everything is really relative and, for the most part, very hard to predict ?

I don't have German road accidents figures, but somehow the system seems to be working fine. Maybe it's just because the Germans are more civil and aware of the risks than the French are (not hard to do at all) ? Does the lack of limitations on the autobahn force German drivers to be extra careful and mindful of what's going on around them ? If our government were to remove all speed limits on French freeways overnight, there'd be crows feasting on bodies on the side of the road for a week, as there just wouldn't be enough ambulances to pick them all up in one day.

Cheers

Nico

From the wiki entry.

That'd be Italy - according to Jeremy Clarkson

i hope you mean km/h

Batman has moved to Germany

What landy does 200 km/h? I'm sure it isn't a series or Defender.
My Range Rover classic sure can't.

Very (extremely) dangerous for a 2 lines only road: not much time to correct from the speeder and from the back visor of a normal speed car wanting to overpass another one, you sure don't see it coming that fast and: kabbooom!