Automotive

The other day a Spiegel article, citing a traffic study, came out. The focus was the speed driven on speed-unlimited stretches of German autobahns and the results, while intuitively appealing, if you spend much time in the autobahns, was still somewhat su...  

Rent a car and drive it as fast as possible... even a Clio! So, anyone here have a Pagani, TVR, or Spyker in Germany i can borrow?

Might be as likely as completing a collection of hen’s teeth 😊 But pretty much any car will reach 100mph, if pushed.

From a rental Golf 1.0 eTSI - so almost everything is possible 😂

Rental car=FREE tyres and brake pads.

In the past three years I have seen only one Porsche cracking 125mph on the autobahns. They seem to be largely confined to inner cities, or to cruising leisurely 😊🤷🏻‍♂️

Nowadays unlikely it would stay up 😉

I generally drive at 140 kmph (87 mph) which allows me to accelerate for passing if necessary and still stay within my comfort zone. The fastest drivers I’ve witnessed are heading north on the A5 between Darmstadt and Frankfurt airport in the morning. Fiv... 

Since I have experienced any such effect from someone overtaking. I do remember it being more frequent back in the day, though. Driving at a pace that’s comfortable is the most important 👍🏻

I try always to be a little bit faster then others as i feel like i am more comfortable and in control of the situation on the road (especially while ridding a motor bike) . I think your also more focused on the road and can react faster in unexpected sit... 

Switzerland (on motorways) is such a drag for me, even with cruise control. I constantly feel the itch to grab a book or something, as everything is happening at a snail’s pace. The slight additional speed in Austria or France makes all the difference 😊🤷🏻... 

.. on that road in my 90 hp Audi A3 doing 200 kph in the middle lane while I was constantly overtaken by loads of cars doing at least 250 kph. I guess they were also heading to the ISH fair in Frankfurt .

Behavior does change if you look at a slightly longer time frame…

My father did regularly drive 160-170 km/h himself up until his 60s. He‘s now in his late 80s and never exceeds 130 km/h, usually driving at around 120 km/h.

And many of the new generation don’t worship speed in nearly the same way.

It’s become a habit and lowering petrol prices no longer leads to an increase in speed😊

We pass on the right. We drive way too fast or way too slow. We think we know what we're doing, and we always think we're right - even if we aren't. And we complain about the petrol prices!

I see two German men speaking English to each other somewhat more often than I'd expect in Germany these days.

Not that tracks aren’t made for high speeds, but most cars can’t get to top speed in the length of a track’s straight. From my research, the longest straight on a US track is about 4000 feet. Fastest (for me) on a track about 140 mph in this GT40 White wi...  

You’re right on the straights. If you don’t have an oval, or a factory testing ground with an almost endless straight like Ehra Lessien, the public roads offer more - where allowed and when safe 👍🏻

But accelerate to 210-230 km/h(137 mph/h) if possible. The max speed decreases with the age as described before, because several years ago I regularly drove faster, now with family on board it’s not important anymore to reach the speed record. I think I b... 

Nor did I. And I will continue enjoying it while it lasts 😊 Still, unlike in the past, the lack of a speed limit is one of the more significant developmental detriments for the German car industry.

Empfehlenswerter Beitrag aus F.A.Z.: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/auto-verkehr/studie-wie-hohe-spritpreise-die-geschwindigkeit-auf-autobahnen-senken-110283304.html?premium=0x6c1d40f8b6412deafd9f6a0c60f3bfd574d6e003f0daa28cca1abf2ad2edeb8b

84% is a large number, what would be driving the behavior?

The ever more expensive fuel had something to do with it for a while, a larger environmental awareness likewise. Then there’s the usual distancing oneself from the parents’ generation (where at least the fathers saw high speeds as a value - there’s a slog... 

In the early 2000's during one of my not working stints I was helping a friend of a friend import various cars from Germany. These included Porsche GT3's a BMW X8 and various M3's and Ferrari's and once I hit the unrestricted sections of the autobahn alwa... 

Even if we stay in Germany for the intermediate term, not sure my fast taxi will get replaced by another one, and if we don’t, it most certainly will not be - somewhat pointless. Rather an Alpine as a weekend toy 😊

I'm interested in statistics how many percent of accidents on Autobahn are caused by the 1percenters? Unfortunately this article didn't gave the answer. stere

As the measurement method didn’t cover this. Autobahns are relatively safe, if I recall correctly most accidents happen on country roads. And incorrect speed is a frequent contributor to the accidents.