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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: mantahatch on 20 July 2009, 15:29:58

Title: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: mantahatch on 20 July 2009, 15:29:58
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8159096.stm
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: serek on 20 July 2009, 15:38:16
its same everywhere, accident happened :(
not matter if is German A2 or UK M25
 
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 20 July 2009, 15:46:49
They don't strike me as very safe... Not just down to the speed limit and the assumed right to drive your car flat out regardless, but following too close and lack of appreciation of the conditions.

I have been in Taxis in Munich doing 130 MPH in thick fog.

Often you get a 2 lane section of autobahn where the slow lane is effectively limited to 60 MPH by lorries and, if you're in the fast lane and not doing 120 MPH someone in a big Merc's practically pushing you along. :o Each time anyone changes lane someone's got to lose 60MPH pretty damned quick to avoid something like this.

Give me our roads, French roads, Italian, Spanish, US, Canadian, even South African roads in preference to the autobahns. Give me anything except Belgian roads, in fact. :-X

Kevin
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: Chris_H on 20 July 2009, 16:10:05
200 cars is an awful lot.  It makes the government's scrappage scheme seem pathetic.

We lay a lot of importance on "it's alright because everyone's doing it" and this is an example of it going pear-shaped.

I was coming down the M6/M1 last night in heavy rain at times and the general behaviour was atrocious.  Barely anyone was keeping a safe distance (mind you, lane 1 with the trucks in was pretty safe with 100m gaps commonplace).  I was tailgated at less than 3m at 75mph at one point with very short notice.  By the time I had cleared the car I was passing enough to pull in, the guy was alongside me (nearside) and had kids standing in the back as he passed.

Hopefully at least 200 people have learned a lesson.
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: Varche on 20 July 2009, 16:49:05
Haven't driven on an Autobahn since the late 80's. Thought then that they were uber efficient and uber safe with sensible driving. Mind you there wasn't the volume of traffic then.

Survived a hundred mile an hour crash in a Ford on a German autobahn when I was 16. The driver was unconcious as we carreered off the road and I grabbed the steering wheel and avoided the trees as we shot off into a very Black Forest. Most scary.

I would bet large money that not many of the 200 or the many people watching TV report or reading about it will learn anything about keeping distance - that is something other people do!

Varche
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 20 July 2009, 16:55:57
Quote
They don't strike me as very safe... Not just down to the speed limit and the assumed right to drive your car flat out regardless, but following too close and lack of appreciation of the conditions.

I have been in Taxis in Munich doing 130 MPH in thick fog.

Often you get a 2 lane section of autobahn where the slow lane is effectively limited to 60 MPH by lorries and, if you're in the fast lane and not doing 120 MPH someone in a big Merc's practically pushing you along. :o Each time anyone changes lane someone's got to lose 60MPH pretty damned quick to avoid something like this.

Give me our roads, French roads, Italian, Spanish, US, Canadian, even South African roads in preference to the autobahns. Give me anything except Belgian roads, in fact. :-X

Kevin


What is wrong with Belgian roads Kevin? :-? :-?

I have always found them to be great for driving on from Ostend to Ypre to Brugge, up to the Dutch 'border' and down to France, wherever I have gone they have been excellent. :-* :-* 8-) 8-)
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: ScottieMV6 on 20 July 2009, 17:10:03
This is one of my biggest fears when driving on a motorway (no matter where it is), especially with the kids in the car. There are just so many people out there who don't deserve to have a licence.

There are so many people who seem to have no concept of how to use a motorway and have obviously completely forgotten, or taken no notice, of the stopping distances in the highway code. I understand that modern cars can probably stop in much shorter distances than the highway code quotes but I am yet to find a driver that can even think about stopping (never mind actually applying the brakes) within 3 metres at 70 mph, which is what some IDIOTS think is a suitable gap to leave behind me.!! >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: Autobahn safe or not ?
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 20 July 2009, 17:44:38
expensive lesson..many nice cars damaged >:(

there are many thick heads who dont deserve a car and a license but unfortunately they are on the road..