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V · 12-17-2011, 11:47 AM

quick note to add to this mess of an off-topic thread...
speed does not generally make cars unsafe. especially a mere 114.
I direct your attention to the Autobahn and German roads/driving in general. Even the oldest domestic bmws there can sustain 100+ with no issues, AND the death rate on the autobahn is a fraction of our roads at 2.7 per billion as compared to the US at 4.5 per billion. What DOES make the difference is maintenance of older cars(road-worthiness is decided by a government agency), and upkeep of newer ones, design and construction or roads capable of allowing higher speeds(bends and banking), laws governing speed and lane choice, and most important of all, Drivers ed/Training(which costs around $2,000 and the test asks about mechanical knowledge of vehicles too).

But yes, with that said, for untrained drivers on roads not intended for higher speeds, populated with other drivers also maybe not the best trained in poorer maintained cars... You can make the argument that speed is dangerous. However the generalization that speed kills.... is flawed.

12-17-2011, 11:47 AM	#126
V Stalker Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 12,082 iTrader: (12)	quick note to add to this mess of an off-topic thread... speed does not generally make cars unsafe. especially a mere 114. I direct your attention to the Autobahn and German roads/driving in general. Even the oldest domestic bmws there can sustain 100+ with no issues, AND the death rate on the autobahn is a fraction of our roads at 2.7 per billion as compared to the US at 4.5 per billion. What DOES make the difference is maintenance of older cars(road-worthiness is decided by a government agency), and upkeep of newer ones, design and construction or roads capable of allowing higher speeds(bends and banking), laws governing speed and lane choice, and most important of all, Drivers ed/Training(which costs around $2,000 and the test asks about mechanical knowledge of vehicles too). But yes, with that said, for untrained drivers on roads not intended for higher speeds, populated with other drivers also maybe not the best trained in poorer maintained cars... You can make the argument that speed is dangerous. However the generalization that speed kills.... is flawed.