[Bighorns]

If we were to create Autobahns in the U.S., how fast would you drive it?
I would probably cruise the minivan at 75 MPH, and the BMW cruise would be set at 90-95 MPH, with an occasional jaunt up into the triple digits to overtake slower traffic before settling back in to cruise speed.

[Cuz5150]

IMHO we don't need Autobahns in the USA. We just need comment sense speed limits.
Cars today stop and go and have all the electronic safety assists.
I would be the happiest person in the USA if all the interstates/highways/turnpikes had the magical number of 90MPH. I feel that is a "sweet spot" of speed, that would satisfy the majority and still safe guard people from deaths................../end.

Also, i would give incentives to buses, trucks, and 18wheelers to travel at night between 10pm to 6am with out paying any tolls/fees/ or having to stop at scales. This would make day travel for cars, safer and faster with less jams and such....

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Bighorns

If we were to create Autobahns in the U.S., how fast would you drive it?
I would probably cruise the minivan at 75 MPH, and the BMW cruise would be set at 90-95 MPH, with an occasional jaunt up into the triple digits to overtake slower traffic before settling back in to cruise speed.

There are a couple toll roads in Texas with speed limits of 85mph. I know not unlimited, but being able to drive at 90mph with cruise control on without worry of a ticket is quite nice.

[Bighorns]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

IMHO we don't need Autobahns in the USA. We just need comment sense speed limits.
Cars today stop and go and have all the electronic safety assists.
I would be the happiest person in the USA if all the interstates/highways/turnpikes had the magical number of 90MPH. I feel that is a "sweet spot" of speed, that would satisfy the majority and still safe guard people from deaths................../end.

Also, i would give incentives to buses, trucks, and 18wheelers to travel at night between 10pm to 6am with out paying any tolls/fees/ or having to stop at scales. This would make day travel for cars, safer and faster with less jams and such....

^^Totally agree with this in practical terms. This was a dreamy 'what if' question.

[MediaArtist]

Ugh, this thread comes up every 5-6 months. Someone will watch a video about the Autobahn on history channel and then log onto a car forum and have the bright idea "Hey why not in the U.S?"

The best answer I've ever seen on any of the car forums I visit, wish I remembered who said it so I could quote them, but here it is:

The reason an autobahn wouldn't work in the U.S is because 2 hours after opening it, our highways would look like kids playing Grand Theft Auto V.

[Arben72]

If we had an autobahn in the states I'd refrain from driving on it the first month, let Darwinism sort itself out. We can easily make our infrastructure handle high speeds but our drivers ed has failed to make people competent drivers.

[ptack]

the problem's not the road, it's the drivers

[yousefnjr]

Agree with similar thoughts here, americans aren't responsible enough for that kind of thing. Maybe if it was way harder to get your license.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by ptack

the problem's not the road, it's the drivers

+1

Driving Education in this country is sorely lacking. It, along with cost of construction, is why a US autobahn will never happen.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

[pmeloche]

There is an autobahn in the U.S of A, it's called the highway system in California. Each time I drive over there it feels like there is no speed limit, no matter how fast I drive I'm being passed by a horde of a speeding maniacs.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by pmeloche

There is an autobahn in the U.S of A, it's called the highway system in California. Each time I drive over there it feels like there is no speed limit, no matter how fast I drive I'm being passed by a horde of a speeding maniacs.

Truth.

It is great. There is basically no where for cops to set up speed traps on the 405. So really the only way to get a ticket is not noticing a cop behind you.

[Bighorns]

Originally Posted by Rev ///Me

Another poster who sees through the rhetoric spewed by the government and insurance companies! This video is very well done!

[Robin_NL]

Originally Posted by ptack

the problem's not the road, it's the drivers

This.

But 10/15 years ago the speeds on the Autobahn were much higher, the environmental/green lobby & recession takes its toll, cars are driving much slower on the Autobahn atm. In some parts heavy traffic doesn't allow it either.

I remember driving every spring from my hometown via Germany to Basel Switzerland for about 10 years. Speeds are going down overthere.

Last time(sept 13) we took about 10 mins of Autobahn and >160kmh/100mph some local Germans were already in the way blocking us...

The myth soon will be over I'm afraid.

Cheers
Robin

[Bighorns]

Originally Posted by Robin_NL

This.

But 10/15 years ago the speeds on the Autobahn were much higher, the environmental/green lobby & recession takes its toll, cars are driving much slower on the Autobahn atm. In some parts heavy traffic doesn't allow it either.

I remember driving every spring from my hometown via Germany to Basel Switzerland for about 10 years. Speeds are going down overthere.

Last time(sept 13) we took about 10 mins of Autobahn and >160kmh/100mph some local Germans were already in the way blocking us...

The myth soon will be over I'm afraid.

Cheers
Robin

Your post supports the point that the majority of drivers will drive at a speed that they feel comfortable with, and safe, regardless of where the speed limit is set.
The intent of my original post was not meant to be serious, but it has taken that turn. But because it went serious, the excellent point was brought up that we have artificially low speed limits which actually increase accidents.
Of course unlimited speed limits are not practical. It was a "what if" fantasy question, just like, "what if you hit the lottery?"

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by ptack

the problem's not the road, it's the drivers

I actually disagree completely.

An autobahn simply wouldn't work in most of the most traveled roads in the northeast. Too many turns and too many people. I drive 12 miles (all highway) to work each day and it takes me over a half hour on average. This has nothing to do with the drivers but everything to do with the capacity of the transportation infrastructure in and around most of our major cities. Until I went to California, I had never even seen a four or five lane highway. For the most part, three lanes is just all we have in New England.

[Steenos]

If highway drivers would just gtfo of the left lane things would be a lot safer.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Steenos

If highway drivers would just gtfo of the left lane things would be a lot safer.

This.

Slow left lane drives f*cking blow!

In most states it is illegal if you are not driving with flow of traffic in left lane. They need to start ticketing people for this.

[tuj]

I drove on the Autobahn between Bohn and the Nurburgring. First off, a lot of it has a speed limit on it now. Secondly, most of it is 2-lanes, and lorries (trucks) dominate the right lane. So lets say you are cruising at 100mph and a truck decides to pull a passing maneuver right in front of you at 55mph....bad things happen.

Germany also won't let you drive a car with more than 200hp unless you are 25. (or at least it used to be that way)

[Bighorns]

Originally Posted by tuj

I drove on the Autobahn between Bohn and the Nurburgring. First off, a lot of it has a speed limit on it now. Secondly, most of it is 2-lanes, and lorries (trucks) dominate the right lane. So lets say you are cruising at 100mph and a truck decides to pull a passing maneuver right in front of you at 55mph....bad things happen.

Germany also won't let you drive a car with more than 200hp unless you are 25. (or at least it used to be that way)

This sounds like Hwy 15 to Vegas: 2 lanes, you're cruising along at a good clip in the left lane, about to pass a line of trucks in the right lane, and just as you approach them one of the trucks pulls out of line to pass, right in front of you, at HALF YOUR SPEED, then proceeds to pass the slower truck in front of him at exactly 2 MPH more than the truck he is passing. There are no other cars behind you, so you start to wonder why the heck he couldn't wait the 5 seconds it would have taken you to pass him before he pulled out.
It takes everything in me, when this happens, to NOT ease over in front of these clowns, and ease his speed down. Don't want to punish everyone else though in the process!

[Glina]

Originally Posted by Steenos

If highway drivers would just gtfo of the left lane things would be a lot safer.

This.

Europe has 100 x more intelligent drivers. Autobahn wouldn't work in America. Too many clueless and selfish drivers. You have people here driving faster in the right lane than the left one or 3 cars in three lanes driving at a same speed next to each other..... I could go on and on. In Europe people studying 6 months to pass a driving written exam. Here it takes 2 hours before exam to memorize few pages.

In Europe if a cop pulls you over for some traffic violation, 95% out of 100; motorists know why they got pulled over for. Here if a driver gets pull over, 95% out of 100; doesn't knows why they got pulled over for.

[CirrusSR22]

Probably mostly driver education and training. Back in the early 1970s Germany's roads/Autobahns were more dangerous than US roads. So they haven't always done it right. I would assume the death rates were so high they started better training to fix the problem.