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Re: Repeal of the National Speed Limit Law



Mark Badger <badger@meer.net> wrote:
>In the UK there seems to be a "casual" speed limit of 80mph on the highways, in
>part due to weight of traffic and in part due to vehicle speed capacity. I used
>to commute 140 miles per day on the M4 motorway and rarely saw anyone
>travelling faster than 90mph. 


Furthermore, slower traffic usually moves to the slow side (left
there, right here), and faster traffic passes only on the "safe" side 
(right there, left here).  This eliminates a lot of the chaotic
lane-jockeying one sees on freeways and interstates here.  This
form of chaos, or its absence, is an obvious factor in freeway accidents.  
And although traffic authorities here are aware of the principle for some 
reason they refuse to follow through on it.

>When they were travelling at higher speeds it was
>essentially possible to do so (and seemingly safe as I never passed a resulting
>accident later!). Speed on highways appears to be self-limiting.

I just spent two weeks on a business trip there. Listening to the traffic 
reports on the radio there seemed to be far fewer fender-benders on 
greater London motorways than on Bay Area freeways.  

>What will be interesting in the US is to see whether, if and when speed limits
>are increased (even 65mph is a ludicrous limit in many US driving situations),
>drivers increase the distance between their vehicles commensurately. I was kind
>of shocked when I first got to the US by how little distance people put between
>their car and the one in front of them.
>
>Mark
>


-- 

John Reece             
Not an Intel spokesman




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