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(Vent) Autobahn going the way of the dinosaur?
Awaiting Dirk's response, because he has more experience driving in
Germany, I have lived in Germany across 4 decades, both as a US Army
officer and later as a permanent resident.
From 1979-1982, I had supervisory responsiblility (among a lot of other
less administrative things) for the US Forces in Europe licensing US Forces
and their dependents to drive in Germany. (We were also responsible for
that part of the diplomatic /Status of Forces Agreement related to driver
testing AND US Forces independent vehicle safety inspection to avoid
major disagreement with the German TUV (umlaut over the U) concerning
allowing US spec vehicles, including the ones with BF Goodrich tires. It
was a great job with certain perks, including driving the best and latest
from all German manufacturers, as well as my own toys, on Hockenheim.
I've never raced, but I was trained to wring out some very
unusual vehicles. For any of you on this list who have raced, just imagine
your worst experience of racing with unlicensed folks of totally unknown
backgrounds, at least double your concerns, and seriously consider what you
are doing on the Autobahn, I'm sure you'd feel safer on a track.
With a US spec 74 911S that would finally break 140 MPH after counting to
30, I was not always supportive of the US "privilege" to operate less
safely than the Germans, because some of the troops didn't have a lot of
money. (I mention this not to diminish the plight of some poorer troops and
their families, but because it may have had direct influence on the
accident rate and their survival.)
One of the biggest problems was training the less attentive US drivers
(guess we'd call them "Soccer Moms'" now). They had little experience using
side or even rear view mirrors. It was in Germany that I first noticed what
seems to be a peculiarly US driver tendency to DECELERATE into traffic.
(Watch how many people you see do it onto the Interstate tommorrow.)
Combined with lack of mirror use, it can be deadly. (Not to mention many of
them drinking coffee whilst a light turns green and they miss the start.)
But, I don't mean to pick on Americans. It is a cultural thing. The Germans
have a very stringent driving training and testing program. However,
Autobahn and other driver protocols were certainly put to the test when the
"Easties" and others in the former Soviet Block brought their low
performance Ladas and other junk across the border after the wall fell.
Throw in a few USA tourists (Canadians or any others) renting high
performance cars on an International Driver's License from a AAA office in
Luray, Virginia ,downtown Atlanta or LA (where they REALLY have experience
driving fast cars?) and you have a lot of bad habits assembled to make it
dangerous to even consider driving anything on the Autobahn.
My favorite speed was normally 80-100 MPH. 80MPH (130KPH) was the most
common limit on sections, but it could also go much lower. Go above 100MPH
and the world begins to change very quickly. That bit of inattentiveness
you could get away with at 70MPH becomes a different animal beyond 100 MPH
when there are others driving more slowly.
Think about it. If you take your Porsche or Turbo Corvair powered Scirocco
to 160 MPH while the right lane traffic is going 70 MPH, that is 90 MPH in
a PARKING LOT! The others might as well be standing still. When you
approach that right lane car, you don't know if the driver is looking in
the left mirror. It is especially dangerous if a right lane car is closing
on a a slower car in front and forgets to look. That's all part of the
things running through your head such as : "When did I last check my wheel
bearings"? Or "Where am I going to go if the right rear tire blows at
160MPH plus?"
Go beyond 160 (actually I suspect the no recovery from a blowout on the
Autobahn is as low as 100 MPH ), delude yourself into believing you can
commute 240 miles in just 2 hours with your 160 MPH car (consider the
avrages for when you had to slow down for the soccer Mom and how you had to
push it the rest of the time. Try that in a nice suit. Arrive in Hannover
with your shirt and and suit soaking wet, your eyeballs caged, and
your friends say: "Ron, have you been pushing the average speed again!"
I am not heading toward recommending that the Germans disallow unlimited
driving on certain sections of the Autobahn. That would be sad in many
ways, including their right to make their own laws, determine their own
future, and not have to disolve into the European Union's political
correctness.
As a military and commercial pilot for 36 years, I suggest any of you
pilots on the list visualize a relationship between the rules in the air
that are designed to keep us from flying into each other and the Autobahn
rules/protocol. There are reasons for both.
I also know there are laws against following too closely at any speed and
that would make Herr Fischer's 250 KmH tailgate job outside the
limit. (In 1984, I and a friend I trust with my life sandwiched an
aggressive driver between my friend's BMW M1 and my German 911SC until the
other guy's car started to smoke at 150MPH plus. In hindsight, if there had
been an accident, my friend and I would probably still be in a Bonn prison.
If you are in an unlimited speed limit area and Der Polizist is driving
his Porsche at 120 KPH, (70MPH) then just pass him at twice the speed.No
problem. Tailgate another vehicle along the way and he WILL stop and fine
you. If Herr Fischer was an engineer for D-B, he should have known better.
I am not surprised they fired him.
The Autobahn should remain a safe environment for responsible driving,
including unlimited speed where appropriate. Break the rules and pay for
it. I hope their leftists don't end it.
My 2 cents.
Ron Bunch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>It sounds like our courts did the ruling on that one...
>
> As I understand it, it is the responsibility of the slower car to move
> over
>in time and without causing the speeding driver to slow down... With this in
>mind, I do not see how it could be the 'agressive' drivers fault for causing
>the woman to wreck unless he actually touched her car... Who knows if he
>actually saw the wreck or not, but I think it is law that if you see a wreck,
>you stop and help, period.
> But to go back to the point, I have heard it put this way, "Germans drive
>in their mirrors,"... Also, allegedly they are trying to ask folks not to
>flash their lights anymore, there are signs up asking to not flash...
>
> Dirk, how far off am I on any of this?
>--
>Regards,
>David Utley
>-----------
>Cable Volkswagen
>405-470-3129
>1-800-522-6793
>
>
>Quoting Dan Smith <sad_rocc@yahoo.com>:
>
> > Just saw this article on fark.com:
> > http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1117658_1_A,00.html
> >
> > One of my 'Things to Do Before I Die' items is drive silly fast on the
> > autobahn, so I hope there isn't a lot of merit to the discussion of
> limiting
> > the speed on the road. I understand that quite a bit of it has speed limit
> > signs as is. Dirk, any idea how serious this is? Huge media story over
> > there?
> >
> > Dan
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
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