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  1. #1 speed limits what do you think? 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    I wonder if the Expressway ban in China is the perception and history of small bikes that cannot travel very fast, especially with loads of cabbages and the odd pig tied on them? I am surprised that here in Aus they allow small bikes on the freeways as most cars travel over the speed limit, averaging 120 kph. The Police only seem to bother when they are close to town or on a fines blitz to make some money for the week!

    I find it uncomfortable on the 200cc Kinlon at 100 with them all passing, often far too close. Bikes will always be vulnerable; stability, lack of protection play a part in that. Car drivers always feel more protected even though in most cases any crash is potential death despite airbags and crumple zones, those aids and the smoothness of modern cars seem to make people drive faster and less aware of what is around them.

    I know it would require some hard planning and a lot of political battles but I decided recently that cars are just too fast today, and despite the rights of individual freedom etc. I am coming to the view that all cars should be limited by design to 100 kph. Too many kids die in overpowered cars. I caught my girlfriend the other day, she didn't know that by chance I was behind her in my car, and she was doing 125 kph at times (in a flow of traffic all doing the same speed on the freeway) in a 1500cc Hyundai with her 10 yr old daughter, both happily waving arms and singing along to music. I don't think she looked in the mirror once in the 30 km I followed her, she certainly didn't notice it was me behind her until I flashed my lights at the traffic lights. When I asked her about it she just said she didn't look at the speedo consciously once in the 80 km trip, just went with the traffic (as did I, it is safer or so it feels). And without being sexist, she is an awful driver, always a bit over the line on bends, always braking rather than slowing and so on.

    She isn't alone by a long way. I know many drivers young and old that are OK (at best) in a straight line but couldn't handle anything else that may happen. They just groove along, too fast in a pack with the odd rogue flying in and out and the odd old codger just as dangerous at half speed. Her last car, which she wrote off (seems it wasn't her fault lol) was a big powerful saloon with all the airbags, power-steering, ABS and so on - so she thought she was driving well when the car itself was doing half of it and luck was doing the rest.

    I love driving fast, I did sometimes use to open the car up to 160 -170 kph for a blast when alone on an empty Freeway and I would hate to lose the thrill of riding a bike fast especially. But I would truly accept lower limits in speed if they were enforced in the design of vehicles for safety. Road deaths are just so stupid, especially of young people, so many of them die for nothing of value. And for every death there is a whole heap of serious injury and paralysing and maiming and scarring and this all affects and traumatises family and friends as well. Doesn't seem to stop the stupidity though.

    Since I got this slow old chinese R/T I do a lot more sitting up and looking at what is around me. It is fun riding rather than racing from A to B and I cannot really say that I take more than five or ten percent more in travel time. I have had to work really hard to train myself to slow down overall, the car seems to naturally cruise at 120 kph and it is only a 2 liter job. And the thrill of opening up the wrist on the bike and laying it down on the edge round a bend is still a turn on at my advancing years! Sometimes I wish it was impossible to go as fast as I can.
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  2. #2 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Well are you sure road deaths would be avoided if vehicles could not go faster than 100 kph? I seriously doubt they would. Also emergency situations can happen when high speeds are needed. For example a hurry to get someone to a hospital. Overtaking situations could become more dangerous when you could only go 100 kph and someone is driving 88 kph in the front of you.

    On the other hand, which is actually Car industry have power and they just say "no", and by then it is impossible to get that kind of laws. People would hate it if they could not buy €100 000 car which goes 220 kph. They would hate it a lot if their €100 000 car would top the same 100 kph as some pathetic peasant's €10 000 car.
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  3. #3 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    It's not speed that kills it's inappropriate speed. For example if I was going past a kindergarten at going home time (maybe 3PM) I would go past at it at 20-35 k/mh, depending on how much parental control was being exercised, how many kids there are, weather conditions, visibility and road width. If I was going past the same school at 3AM on a dry moonlit night I could safely be going 60 k/mh. It sounds arrogant, but I don't need to be told the appropriate speed, myself and other advanced road users have enough training and experience to know how fast is fast enough.

    Speed limits are moron guides that are often too fast and even more often too slow.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  4. #4 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    I agree with both of you. I have taken advanced and defensive driving courses and I have also had forty years of driving which includes snow, ice and more, from pushbikes all over Europe and UK to trucks and sports cars as well as motorbikes.

    But we live in a world of morons, run by morons, driven in the main by selfish and greedy shallow desires. I am suggesting that I also really dislike any idea of infringement of my freedoms, I have been an outlaw in many things all my life, but I can see reality is NOT just me. I see that most people are incapable in their present state of social evolution of regulating and controlling themselves. What was once a family car is today in effect a supercar of thirty years ago in terms of speed, handling and so on. But it is still driven by the same untrained, uncaring, distracted, often ignorant human. And by many, many more young people who didn't use to be able to afford cars and have little awareness of consequences and social responsibility.

    What suggestions do you have to slow, control and hopefully end the road carnage? It is carnage, it just doesn't make the news any more unless it is spectacular. And be realistic, the offender could be you on a bad day or your little sister so it can't just be 'jail 'em'.
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  5. #5 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    The best thing is training, training, and more training!

    Instruction can be fun, in terms of track driving and skid pans, motorcycle track day instruction and dirt bike training. It breeds awareness, and much better bike or vehicle handling, and a place for people to vent off their reckless tendencies and stick to driving economically on the road.
    License points? Fines? No! More instruction! Learn more! Drive better! Drive Safer!

    No matter how unpopular, our driving and riding should be reassessed every 5-10 years, and more instruction given when needed.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  6. #6 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    Rides with Ann Pfaelzer's Avatar
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    Jape,

    I fully understand and agree to your argument. However same as moilami - I don't think that speed limits will significantly decrease road casualties. ZMC888 calls for "training, training, training" - which surely helps, but the main issue, which affects not only what is happening on our roads these days is EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION (or rather the lack of it).

    I hate laws, regulating what I can do and what I can't. Surely we need a basic law - but most of things should be handled individually by common sense. Rather than asking our governments for more regulations, we should push for more education - spending money on that would safe money in the long term on law enforcement.

    We will find morons all the time - the best weapon against this is EDUCATION.
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  7. #7 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    Pfaelzer, there is a big overlap between education and training obviously! If BMW for example made people who want to buy their S1000RR do some cheap or free extra road and track instruction, there would be much fewer casualties. I know it sort sucks to force people to do things for their own good, but people who wouldn't enjoy having motorcycle track day instruction have no business buying an S1000RR.
    Without consciousness, space and time are nothing; in reality you can take any time -- whether past or future -− as your new frame of reference. Death is a reboot that leads to all potentialities.
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  8. #8 Re: speed limits what do you think? 
    C-Moto Noob
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    I believe that there must be speed limits on roads, or in populated areas, but there should also be some speed limits free areas, where riders can enjoy. If there is such areas /tracks then bikers /riders will definitely not try to do stunts on the roads.
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