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Automotive News & Views Should the US government bring back the 55 mph max speed limit again?
1418 messages, Last post on Dec 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: kernick (Nov 13, 2008 11:21 am) It's about 1,000,000 times more likely that someone will have a problem controlling their car on ice or snow then just driving down the road at 80mph. If you were going to put ay effort into improving people's driving skills, it would be on snow and ice. Aerodynamic forces change with speed, and I've experienced it. It is not that the car starts flipping over backwards (a la Le Mans), but rather that you can feel the car getting very light in the front. The deer was just an example, not a statement of the only unexpected thing that can happen on the road. Many things can happen, and most people will panic when confronted with an emergency and no amount of technology can make up for that. Are you inferring that many years of driving experience counts for nothing? Nope, I'll state it without reservation. As a friend said in an unrelated conversation, "you have 2 people in the same job for 30 years, one has 30 years experience, but the other has 1 years experience 30 times". This holds for drivers as well. Most auto manufacturers have testing facilities, and cars designed for high speeds are tested for high speeds. Sports cars carry larger, more powerful brakes, and many cars now are equipped with certified H, V, or Z tires. The manufacturers test their vehicles, yes, the tires have maximum speed ratings, yes, but the cars are not certified to run at any given speed. There are many cars that if you hold down the gas pedal far enough for long enough, they will go 80 or 90 mph, but at that speed they are running close to flat out. Do you believe a car like that should spend 6+ hours on the interstate/autobahn at that speed? |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Do you live in Khazakstan near Borat's village?  Many? Let's look at the cars made since 2000. What cars barely (subjective so let's say 92mph) can make 90mph? Name 1 car besides maybe the Smart that can't go 80mph? Just 1. Do you believe a car like that should spend 6+ hours on the interstate/autobahn at that speed? A SL is a maximum, not a "recommended". On a multi-lane interstate I don't care if you drive 55mph in the right lane to get your maximum fuel economy and feel safe. Or 60mph if you're rushing to the hospital. I'd also suggest that all garbage-trucks, moving vans, Student drivers, and those above 90 years old stay right. The left-lane or middle lane if there, is for the higher speed traffic. And if you don't like to drive 55mph with faster traffic on the left, there still are secondary highways where 55mph is the SL and going to the same destination.
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Yes, that is exactly what manufacturers are doing when they put in electronic speed limiters onto their vehicles (most modern, if not all modern cars have this electronic nanny). Therefore, I'd argue the certified speed is the speed limiters maximum allowed speed by the manufacturer. |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Did you write this 30 years ago and forget to update it? |
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 13, 2008 9:26 am) It's not rude to keep right - it's the law. |
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2008 9:56 am) One should not confuse the silent generation with the greatest generation who knows a lot more about being young than the young know about being older. The youth are not born with wisdom, it is accumulated with experience and age. There are old drivers and bold drivers, but no old bold ones. Choice is yours.
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2008 9:56 am) one can't expect much progress from the irrelevant unwashed old crony capitalist pseudo-intellectuals of Clark county, the silent generation that has betrayed the world. I find it sad to see such blind faith manifesting itself into name calling, stereotyping, ridiculing, marginalizing, and all that bluster which essentially is another way of showing that what anyone else has to offer on the subject is worthless...for no other reason than it doesn't support someone's chosen position.
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 14, 2008 12:08 pm) Fast drivers can be idiots, but that doesn't preclude slow drivers from being the same. If you aren't driving with the flow of traffic, you are the danger whether you are going 95 mph or 55 mph.
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Replying to: kernick (Nov 13, 2008 12:47 pm) |
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Replying to: lemmer (Nov 14, 2008 12:46 pm) "The slow and backwards will keep right or wish they had.
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