Cars and excessive speed

[monotonehell]

This is probably an old hypothetical, but what's people' s opinions?

Considering the amount of 100Kmh plus car chases recently, and that our max speed limit is 100Kmh; why do we allow the sale of vehicles that can exceed that limit to more than 110Kmh?


*sings Prince's song 'Controversy'*

[Maximus]

A few reasons I can think of...

Because you might want to drive to NT, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because you might want to take your car to a race track, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because we live in a democracy, not a communist state.
Because going fast is fun!

[Cruise]

A car does not automatically crash if you travel faster than 110km/h. its the idiot at the helm thats the problem.

[Shuz]

Idiots like who who are high because you do drug deals in a car park, and then drive off stupidly as an act of impression. Wouldn't surprise me, being a Power supporter, originated from the northern suburbs that you'd own a 90's Holden Commodore fitted out with all the speed-enhancing shit required to top yourself over 160kph in some side street.

Give me a break.

[monotonehell]

A few reasons I can think of...

Because you might want to drive to NT, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because you might want to take your car to a race track, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because we live in a democracy, not a communist state.
Because going fast is fun!

Careful Maximus, just in case you plan to do such, the speed limits in the NT have changed over a year ago. The max is 130Kmh on selected long stretches. Most places the speed limit is less than 100Kmh.

A car does not automatically crash if you travel faster than 110km/h. its the idiot at the helm thats the problem.

Just playing devil's advocate here for your consideration...

Should the same rules apply to guns? Anyone with a licence can have one and carry them where ever they like, because guns don't kill people, people kill people?

Since it's against the law to go over 100Kmh, and there's 'innocent' third parties to be protected, should people be given the means to considering those who do so under the influence of drugs when they have "limited capacity"?

Should people be held responsible for their own actions and driving infringements be treated with zero tolerance?

[Maximus]

A few reasons I can think of...

Because you might want to drive to NT, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because you might want to take your car to a race track, where you can go as fast as you like.
Because we live in a democracy, not a communist state.
Because going fast is fun!

Careful Maximus, just in case you plan to do such, the speed limits in the NT have changed over a year ago. The max is 130Kmh on selected long stretches. Most places the speed limit is less than 100Kmh.

Ah thank you, Monotonehell. Yes, my statement was based on having driven there in 2001 -- quite some time ago! GF and I merrily drove everywhere at 130+ and had a ball. Plenty of people going faster than that, too.

A car does not automatically crash if you travel faster than 110km/h. its the idiot at the helm thats the problem.

Couldn't agree more. I refrained from saying as much initially, coz I didn't want to get too controversial on only my 7th post. But now you've got me started... Speed as a singular cause of car accidents is very rare. Yes, it can contribute to (the severity of) an accident, but rarely does it actually cause an accident in the first place. We should be looking to address the more common causes of accidents (e.g. tailgating, drugs, poor skill levels, etc) and prevent them from actually occurring in the first place.

[Unknownspeedster]

even if you limit top speed your gonna see car chases and crashes, still gonna see a risk to the public and it better to educate road users better since all that will happen is car manufactures will create high horse power cars that do 0-100 in less then 3 seconds and everyone will complain about that risk to the public because of that (still a danger hell even my little mini is a handful when ur not on the ball). and as seen on many cars u can de-limit then with a small modification thus what is the point of limiting something that can be de-limited anyway. plus it would help if the A.I.R (not to be confused with anzac international raceway ) was open or mallala not to cost an arm and a leg to do a few laps with since its one thing to try to defect and pull everyone over and generally complain its another thing to do somthing about it in a way that is realistic and better for all.

BTW hello all.

[rev]

That is way over the top shuz.


On topic.
Why should car's speeds be limited? What if I want to take my car racing on the weekends? Many people do that you know.
And not every hotted up car is used to break the speed limits.

There are idiots in this world, people who will do stupid things without thinking. That doesn't mean we should become a freaking nanny state and start making laws to protect our selves from our selves. Common sense prevails in the majority of the populace.

Changing speed limits or limiting cars speed capabilities won't save lives. Better driver education, a better system to gain a drivers license, is what is needed to save lives. I've said it many times, a stupid theory test on road laws does not produce competent drivers, nor does sitting in a car with an instructor next to you.

Why do some people who speed, not crash, while others do? Because not everyone is able to handle a car properly. Better driver education is needed.


And yes, all forms of guns should be legal to own with the correct licenses. If I want to use an AR15 or fully modded M4 to go hunting or just go to the firing range and fire a few rounds, I should be allowed to. We live in a democracy, in a world based on freedoms. Our forefathers fought to preserve our freedoms. And yet when it comes to us preserving those freedoms, without putting our lives on the line in war zones, we give them up so easily.

Criminals will always have access to fire arms. There is no law that will ever prevent them from obtaining them.

[Howie]

Most car accidents aren't caused by speed... that's not my opinion, they're the statistics. It's factors like poor road design, vehicle maintenance, drugs, driver education etc that cause it.

And high performance cars are not always associated with hooning. Enthuasiasts generally respect the vehicle and are well aware of it's capabilities. Anyhow that's my

[Norman]

Most car accidents aren't caused by speed... that's not my opinion, they're the statistics. It's factors like poor road design, vehicle maintenance, drugs, driver education etc that cause it.

And high performance cars are not always associated with hooning. Enthuasiasts generally respect the vehicle and are well aware of it's capabilities. Anyhow that's my

Well, I'm sure Howie likes to show off his speed in his car... how much was it by the way?

[Bulldozer]

Government will continue to brainwash the public that speed is deadly because they generate so much revenue from speeding fines. The majority of crashes are caused by driver error - fatigue or risk taking. I'd like to see the state limit increased to 130km/h - most roads can handle it and modern cars are safer than ever (steering, braking, suspension, etc.) Being able to get places faster means drivers won't be as fatigued. E.g. driving from Adelaide to Leigh Creek or Pt Lincoln. The main problem with raising limits though is that driver training is at a very low standard - just look at how dangerously people drive on the Southern Expressway in peak periods. (That road is designed to safely handle traffic at 130).

Cars are capable of exceeding the speed limit due to the nature of the internal combustion engine. Engines have a peak efficiency that is most often out of whack with the speed limit so you have to have gear them to try and match the road speed to the peak efficiency range. Add on to that the different amounts of weight an engine must move - extra passengers, luggage, less fuel, towing. The engine needs to be more powerful to be able to handle that.

With electric cars there's really no reason why a car couldn't be speed limited as you don't need gears. But then as others said there's a number of legitimate reasons why someone may want to drive faster than the speed limit.

[Omicron]

Is there still a small stretch of the freeway that is signposted at 110km/h, or has that been revised down to 100km/h? I haven't been down that way in a long time.

[Unknownspeedster]

port Wakefield I reckon goes to 110km/h, but that's out in the sticks.

[Omicron]

port Wakefield I reckon goes to 110km/h, but that's out in the sticks.

I have to ask, Mr. Speedster - is that your MINI in your avatar?

[Unknownspeedster]

yep that my baby cooper S