Russell Chapman schreef: > Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten wrote: > > >Exceeding speed limits is very very stupid, unless you are trained and equipped > >to do so. Just because you get lucky and don't kill someone doing it, doesn't > >make it OK or a minor crime. > > > That's a very European response.
Yes it is, isn't it. I feel very provincial now. But.... > The Autobahns/Autostrada are the only > safe places to travel at high speed, and they're largely unrestricted or > crowded. In America and Australia we have these huge open spaces with > good roads, almost devoid of traffic, but with arbitrary speed limits. > In my car (which has extra brakes, premium tyres, sports suspension > etc), with my experience, I can drive on these open roads in complete > safety at up to 160kmh, depending on visibility. Do you know how long it would take you to stop for an obstacle that is suddenly in your path? You'd be amazed. Furthermore it is a fact that a more than proportionate number of serious accidents happen to drivers in the safest cars. I do however agree with you that some speed limits seem somewhat excessive. Even here in Europe I don't understand some of them. Still they are there for a reason, or at least I hope they are.... :o) However my reason for the original response. A couple of weeks back I was travelling at 50 kmph (the local speed limit) and well aware of my surroundings (the person that landed in front of my car is still alive to testify to that). And still, I was caught by surprise by the stupidity of a moped driver who (although I had right of way and I should have been easily spotted by him) nearly landed _under_ my car. I missed him by less then a centimeter. If I'd driven slightly over the speed limit (it was night and nobody else was on this wide and well lit road) I would have almost certainly killed him, because he slided, fell onto his side and his body ended up just under a centimeter away from my front wheels. That guy was just plain lucky that in The Netherlands I never exceed the speed limit. Even if I think the enforced limit is stupid or exceeding it is not risky...And <confession mode> <blush> that is not because I'm morally superior or somesuch, but just because it is too damn expensive if you get caught... <grin> </confession mode> > If I travel at even 115kmh, I can be fined for exceeding the speed limit. This is > a minor > crime, and if I was rushing someone to hospital it would be OK. No-one > is suggesting that anyone rips through a town at high speed - it's just > that rock climbing accidents usually occur in isolated places... > Surely there are minor crimes and even crimes that are ok... where the > result is a greater good and no harm to anyone. As I said in the original post, just because you got away with it, and nothing bad happened, it still doesn't make it all right. It is defendable but not all right. It's in the fact that something bad could have happened (and wasn't considered) as a result of this minor crime that irked me. Sonja
