http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto.../speeding-bust.html#socialcomments

Whoa.....I so wish I could have been the person who stopped this guy......I think I would have charged him under the criminal code and not just the Provincial act. This is way more than stunting and is Dangerous driving....We are talking about one of the busiest highways in Canada and not some remote never driven road where he could kill himself.


GS

Driving anywhere above 90 MPH/150kms in the USA or Canada should be treated as a form of reckless driving, a suspension of at least 1 year, a massive fine like about $5000 US, payable at once, the car impounded for at least 30 days with it's fees and 10 points on your record. If you lose control, or have an accident at or above those speeds you and perhaps many others will be killed.

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 1): Driving anywhere above 90 MPH/150kms in the USA or Canada should be treated as a form of reckless driving, a suspension of at least 1 year, a massive fine like about $5000 US, payable at once, the car impounded for at least 30 days with it's fees and 10 points on your record. If you lose control, or have an accident at or above those speeds you and perhaps many others will be killed.

I take it you've never been to the states of TX, OK, KS, NE, or any other state that has highway which you could do multiple touch and goes in a 747 on? I like your idea, but, please, come on? 90 MPH? I go out on I-95 here in Daytona Beach, FL and quite often, that is close to what the left lane is doing. As long as people aren't weaving in and out lanes, its safer for the policy to let it go, than try to stop it, and have people slamming on their brakes.


And, in the off chance that you never had a childhood, and went more than 90MPH, I commend you, for not living.

-DiamondFlyer

From what I recall, isn't the law in Ontario, $10,000 fine, roadside vehicle seizure and roadside licence suspension for 50 km/h over the limit? Impounding a vehicle for a week is not much of a deterrent. IMO, the vehicle should be impounded permanently, and if you want it back, go to the next police auction. Same as your licence. It's not a right, it's a priviledge, and if you're going to recklessly abuse said priviledge, it should be revoked permanently. Granted, a suspended licece has never stopped anyone before, but perhaps these jokers will think twice about driving like some suicide jockey.

Better yet, toss the new Ontario truck legislation at them. Electronically limit the vehicle to 105 km/h.

While I don't condone the fact that he did it on a busy freeway, I have seen, and done, worse than this, but only when I wasn't a danger to others.

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 1): Driving anywhere above 90 MPH/150kms in the USA or Canada should be treated as a form of reckless driving, a suspension of at least 1 year, a massive fine like about $5000 US, payable at once, the car impounded for at least 30 days with it's fees and 10 points on your record. If you lose control, or have an accident at or above those speeds you and perhaps many others will be killed.

What you said is, for the most part, what is being done in many states already. AZ for one considers anything over 20mph posted or anything above 85 a felony.


I'm assuming it was an Infiniti G37. Not the car I'd pick for going those speeds.

I'm glad they got this guy before he could hurt somebody. The best thing coming to this SOB is a call from his insurance company wanting to discuss his "new" rate.
I seem to recall he was driving an Infiniti G35.

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 3): From what I recall, isn't the law in Ontario, $10,000 fine, roadside vehicle seizure and roadside license suspension for 50 km/h over the limit? I

Sort of...there is a immediate 7 day veh impoundment and lisc. suspension. The offender then get summoned to court to find out what the full penalty can be...it is not less than $2k and UP TO $10k OR up to 6 months in the klink....and up to a 2 year suspension...Not sure if anyone has actually got the max.


If someone wants to do 250 i have no problem...Just do it in a place where you will only kill yourself and not someone innocent.....



GS

250km/h is indeed very fast. Remember when my dad and I once drove about that fast on the freeway just for fun and to try to see how fast the car could go. I can assure you, it is extremely fast and quite frightening also. But fortunately no cop to stop us   (BTW it was really early in the morning on an empty part of the freeway, so we didnt risk any lives, but ours.)

Quoting DiamondFlyer (Reply 2): And, in the off chance that you never had a childhood, and went more than 90MPH, I commend you, for not living.

I like that last little bit.  

But realistically, going over... ahem... say 110mph, is just totally dangerous in most circumstances, nowadays.

Also the quality of vehicle matters a lot. A new BMW off the lot is quite safe and in control going 110 MPH. It also has very high class brakes to haul you down, in control doesn't it? Compare that to a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer with low tire pressure at one corner. Suddenly 110mph is a death wish. America has so many below-standard aspects to it... our drivers, our vehicles, our sobriety... that 100+ mph really isn't appropriate, at any time, IMO. For some thrills when you are a kid, yeah everybody has to do it  

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 3): Better yet, toss the new Ontario truck legislation at them. Electronically limit the vehicle to 105 km/h.

And while we are at it....why not limit the brake pressure to a certain level too. Limiting the cars to 105 km/h would actually be quite dangerous....Imagine a situation where you actually have to speed up and swerve to avoid hitting something/someone. That has happened to me once and boy was I glad that I could just gun it and swerve otherwise I would have been in a pile of multiple car crash.

What that guy did was stupid....luckily he didn't do it int he middle of the afternoon...it was 3 in the morning or something IIRC. I would love to see his new insurance rate and the court fee and the fines. Add in some dents and scratches when it got towed to the pound and I think the guy will think 10 times before speeding like that again.

I hate to be the devils advocate here, but while i dont condone 250 kph speeds at all, the article does state early morning on a Tuesday. Correct me if im wrong, but in many places there is basically no one out at 5AM on a tuesday. I have done 120+ in my car at 2-3AM in michigan, and i can safely say that there was not a single car as far as my eyes/mirrors could see. I find it that at night with no lights on the road, im more ample to crash while doing a normal 70, than if im playing close attention while doing 120ish, especially if the road is completely empty.

The people that are most likely to kill someone is the idiots doing 85 and weaving from lane to lane without signaling on the LIE (NY) while the 4-5 other lanes are calmly doing 60.

400 series of highways in the Toronto are are busy around the clock...If you want to kill yourself on a deserted highway go ahead....but not on a main highway

My top speed on a public road was 278 km/h in a Porsche 996. Ok, so it was in Germany, my heavily pregnant wife next to me and, yes, the road does get very narrow at that speed. And it is true that a sack of cement in the front luggage compartment would have helped.

I've made it a point to v-max every hire car I've ever hired (in Germany). Here is part of my list:
Ford Transit: 160km/h
Renault van: 145km/h
Mercedes E240: 240km/h
Mercedes E200: 210 km/h
Mercedes C220 CDI: 220km/h
Mercedes S320 CDI: 245km/h
BMW 525i: 235km/h
BMW320 Touring: 220km/h
Audi A6 2.0TFSI: 220km/h
VW Multivan tdi: 165km/h
Mercedes Vito: 180km/h
VW Passat: can't remember.
BMW X3 3.0d: 230km/h
Audi A4 1.9tdi: probably around 200km/h but maybe more, can't recall.

All of those speeds were on Germany's freeways, in those unrestricted areas.

Speed is relative: when everyone is doing 170km/h, then 200km/h doesn't feel that fast. Roads were in excellent condition, and obviously the weather was playing its part also. So those speeds are do-able. Enjoyable? Well, yes, but not for long. Because all it takes is a Romanian truckie who hasn't slept in 29 hours to pull out at 81km/h to overtake another truck doing 79km/h. And all of a sudden, 200km/h+ feels very fast and braking distances very long....

Oh, and now in Australia? I set the cruise control to the speed limit. I never speed anymore, just not worth it. Got it all out of my system during my Germany visits.

Safe driving!

NG1Fan

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 3): Electronically limit the vehicle to 105 km/h.

Why shouldn't this apply to cars as well?

Quoting Phoenix9 (Reply 9): Limiting the cars to 105 km/h would actually be quite dangerous

How do you figure this? If everyone is doing roughly the same speed, then you have fewer accidents. Michigan and California are learning this lesson all too slowly. At the moment, I believe California has the highest speed limit gap between cars and trucks. 70 mph for cars, and 55 mph for trucks. So basically, you can have some rich kid who just got his licence (and next to no driving experience) flying down the freeway at 80 mph, yet someone with 10+ years, and over 1,000,000 miles of safe driving is stuck at 55. And this is "safe"? Twice in CA, I've been rear ended by someone doing 70, while I'm doing 55.

Quoting Phoenix9 (Reply 9): Imagine a situation where you actually have to speed up and swerve to avoid hitting something/someone.

If you find yourself in this situation, it tells me you aren't paying close enough attention to your driving. And if you have to speed up to avoid something? To me that sounds like dangerous driving, and pure lunacy. If something is blocking your way, let's say slowed traffic, why in the hell would you speed up? To get in front of everyone else? How about slowing down and making a safe lane change to avoid something? Makes more sense to me, helps make the roads safer for everyone, and reduces the bottleneck at whatever caused the slowdown. All to often, when there's a lane closed for some reason, I see people flying up the closed lane to get ahead of everyone else. That's why you'll see one truck per lane riding side by side holding all the cars back. It relieves the backlog at the merge, thereby helping move traffic through faster. Yet I still see some of these idiots flying up on the shoulders. Where do you have to go that's more important than anyone else? And if it's that important, why not start out earlier to make sure you have enough time to get there, or when you find the road blocked, take a detour around it?

Quoting B747forever (Reply 7): 250km/h is indeed very fast.

Hell, everyone's done that (at least in Europe).

Now THIS is impressive...

The Koenigsegg CC is attributed with being awarded the fastest ever speeding ticket, 242mph in Texas, USA, during the Gumball 3000 rally race of 2003. The driver even talks his way out of a ticket!

http://www.theworldsgreatestguy.com/...stest-speeding-ticket-ever-242-mph

That's nearly 400 km/h, guys.

I should mention that what he was doing is just as important as how fast he was going. Doing 120 on a back road and doing 120 on an urban freeway are two completely different things.

You guys will have to go down to the UAE to drive your super-fast babies.

I have seen Lamborghinis and Ferraris going at some truly incredible speeds.
No speed limits, beautiful highways and fuel is extremely cheap.      

Quoting MadameConcorde (Reply 17): I have seen Lamborghinis and Ferraris going at some truly incredible speeds. No speed limits, beautiful highways and fuel is extremely cheap.

I also so there the most amazing piles of wreckage there. mangled hunks of metal and rubber on the side of the road - the only thing indicating that it was once a car might be a barely recognizable wheel.

Well, on a highway where there is traffic coming against you, this is criminal. On a freeway, hell, its way too slow  

Quoting Greasespot (Thread starter): Car Clocked At 250KM/H On Highway

Lazy bum did not bother with removing the speed limiter.

Signed,

Germany.

  

Quoting WunalaYann (Reply 20): Lazy bum did not bother with removing the speed limiter. Signed, Germany.

Very well said.   



  

Quoting MadameConcorde (Reply 17): You guys will have to go down to the UAE to drive your super-fast babies.

120km/h is max in the UAE, all cars make an annoying sound if you drive over that.

Jeez... I was keeping a constant speed of 90+mph for about 2.5 hours last night coming home from London. I'm a safe driver and am comfortable at that speed. I don't see a problem to be honest.

If you do have a problem, please send them here...



...as I don't care 

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 1): Driving anywhere above 90 MPH/150kms in the USA or Canada should be treated as a form of reckless driving

I10, west Texas, speed limit is 80mph. On my Hyabusa more than a few times I ran it up to 180mph which I think equates to somewhere around 300km/h. A lot depends on the circumstances involved, traffic, weather, road conditions, etc.

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 3): From what I recall, isn't the law in Ontario, $10,000 fine, roadside vehicle seizure and roadside licence suspension for 50 km/h over the limit? Impounding a vehicle for a week is not much of a deterrent. IMO, the vehicle should be impounded permanently, and if you want it back, go to the next police auction. Same as your licence. It's not a right, it's a priviledge, and if you're going to recklessly abuse said priviledge, it should be revoked permanently. Granted, a suspended licece has never stopped anyone before, but perhaps these jokers will think twice about driving like some suicide jockey.

This is fine but there are times when doing 150 km/h is not so dangerous such as at night when there are hardly any cars on the road. I actually think someone going 110 on the 401 during rush hour is far more dangerous. The circumstances matter IMO and on that stretch of the 400 that had better been good. Also the OPP has let their own go on this law several times until people started complaining.

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 3): Better yet, toss the new Ontario truck legislation at them. Electronically limit the vehicle to 105 km/h.

I think speed is fine if it is managed, but too many truckers drive way to aggressive when physics doesn't work in their favour as they take longer to stop and can't turn at high speeds. They probably should be capped as should everyone in adverse conditions and the incidents that brought this law on were 3 back to back accidents over 2 weeks closing a portion of the 401. These truck drivers drove recklessly in rain and snow or on ramps where a lot of their accidents happen. On an open rural stretch the only problem they really are that they are more likley to flick a stone into your winshield.

Also the Ontario government doesn't think when they pass Automotive laws and really don't do a lot of studies into accidents. Last summer three kids who ran up a 32 drink bar tab died in cottage country and because of the guilt of the father who bought the driver who was 20 an Audi A4,and to channel his guilt he propositioned the Ontario government to pass what I though to be fairly extreme laws.

We nearly were restricting the laws on all young drivers to one passenger until the age of 21, this being the most extreme. The other two were immediate suspensions of you license for having any alcohol in your system (which is the case for anyone with a G2) or any form of speeding (which can mean an 80 on a 70) these may still pass.

That was until Daulton McGuinty's own kids as well as over 100,000 young people in Ontario used facebook to petition him out of it.

Quoting DiamondFlyer (Reply 2): I take it you've never been to the states of TX, OK, KS, NE, or any other state that has highway which you could do multiple touch and goes in a 747 on? I like your idea, but, please, come on? 90 MPH? I go out on I-95 here in Daytona Beach, FL and quite often, that is close to what the left lane is doing. As long as people aren't weaving in and out lanes, its safer for the policy to let it go, than try to stop it, and have people slamming on their brakes. And, in the off chance that you never had a childhood, and went more than 90MPH, I commend you, for not living

Exactly what I was thinking. I-95 in Miami at 2am the left lane (when not filled with some idiot going 50mph) is going 90-100mph no problem. Same goes with the turnpike any given day. And its completely safe as long as you have a car that is made to go that fast safely.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 19): On a freeway, hell, its way too slow

You beat me to it.
I drive rather often on Autobahn as I live in The Netherlands, and the speeds there would make the Canadian agent see red I would say. 

On autobahn you always monitor your mirrors as if you see a car gaining on you, move over cause it can well be a high performance car that is right up your bumper the next second you look in the mirror.

Aim for the sky!
Sudden

250 km/hr ? No big deal. A 21-year old was stopped on the 401 between Oshawa and Toronto in 2003 (May long weekend) doing 300 km/hr. On a bike. At night. Apparently it was a rush.

Vehicle seized, license forfeited. This was well before the street-racing laws.

Bikes do weird things to people. Two years ago I was on the Upper Levels Highway in North Vancouver when I saw a kid, no helmet of course, do the cross of iron on his bike in traffic. I guess at that age he thought he was invincible.

Fastest I've ever been in a car was in a taxi from Julich to Flughafen Dusseldorf in Germany. On the Autobahn we touched 220 km/hr a couple of times. I figured, "Well, you've got to go sometime, I guess if we blow a tire I'll just be a greasespot on the road". But it all ended well.

Quoting StarAC17 (Reply 25): I think speed is fine if it is managed, but too many truckers drive way to aggressive when physics doesn't work in their favour as they take longer to stop and can't turn at high speeds.

Did you know that in over 85% of accidents between trucks and cars, the car was at least 90% at fault? Myself, I've been cut off many times on the 400 series highways. Like the ramp from the 401 to the 400 Northbound. These yahoo come flying up beside you, get to that sharp curve (40 kp/h max), and then hammer the binders and cut in. Once on that curve, the guy cut in front of me (I saw him coming way back, so I slowed down), hammered the brakes, lost control, and ended up going under a cattle truck. Thank GOD he survived, but how much time do you think he saved himself?

Quoting StarAC17 (Reply 25): These truck drivers drove recklessly in rain and snow or on ramps where a lot of their accidents happen.

That I find very hard to believe. I'd tend to believe, again, some four wheeler pulled a brain "get ahead of the truck" stunt, and put himself and the truck in a no win situation, and 3 guesses who got the blame for it?

I think it is surprising that trucks may go so fast in the US. While there is no general speed limit on cars in germany, trucks indeed are limited, to 80 km/h, and they usually cannot go much faster than 90 km/h. This means that on some stretches you can pass trucks with 250 km/, so you are 160 km/h faster than the truck... If the truck overtakes, you can thank your car company for developing decent brakes  

It might not be safe at all, but it is fun  

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 29): Did you know that in over 85% of accidents between trucks and cars, the car was at least 90% at fault? Myself, I've been cut off many times on the 400 series highways

I didn't know that but I do believe it. Also I don't necessarily support this restriction just for trucks because there was no public analysis into this ban, just the "We must do something" attitude because 3 truck related accidents happened in a month. However we should all be capped in rain or snow because that is when these incidents usually happen, because for the most part physics isn't in your favour.

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 29): That I find very hard to believe. I'd tend to believe, again, some four wheeler pulled a brain "get ahead of the truck" stunt, and put himself and the truck in a no win situation, and 3 guesses who got the blame for it?

I heard this from other truck drivers calling into radio shows discussing this very thing, when there was an accident in late December/early January (not sure of exactly when). The argument made by other truck drivers was that the newer and younger drivers of rigs aren't receiving enough training and are under a huge amount of stress to make their deadlines that they put themselves at risk. In the end truckers likely work for a corporation and in these times they are looking to cut costs anyway they can.

What I do agree with you on is that the one who cuts off anyone usually gets the blame. Truck or no truck because most times that I have observed the one who is being the @$$ on the road will be in front of an accident that they set up like your situation and to someone who isn't a witness it looks like you were responsible because the driver that caused it has driven away possbily not seeing it.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 30): I think it is surprising that trucks may go so fast in the US. While there is no general speed limit on cars in Germany, trucks indeed are limited, to 80 km/h, and they usually cannot go much faster than 90 km/h. This means that on some stretches you can pass trucks with 250 km/, so you are 160 km/h faster than the truck... If the truck overtakes, you can thank your car company for developing decent brakes

Could not agree more with you..... however for the not so experienced Autobahn drivers things like that would scare the sh... out of them

Driving fast on a highways needs discipline & concentration an you need the left pass rule...... so "slower" traffic stays on the right.... I think 120-130 would be fine here in Ontario on the 400's.... they also could use time restriction speed limits during rush hour...... just so all these people can do their makeup, all the important calls, read the newspaper, have your coffee....

Cheerios,

Quoting StarAC17 (Reply 25): This is fine but there are times when doing 150 km/h is not so dangerous such as at night when there are hardly any cars on the road. I actually think someone going 110 on the 401 during rush hour is far more dangerous. The circumstances matter IMO and on that stretch of the 400 that had better been good. Also the OPP has let their own go on this law several times until people started complaining.

I beg to differ with both statements, and I'll state why.

- less cars on the road at night invites nocturnal animals out onto the road moreso than during the day.

- it's a known fact that driving at nighttime your response time to outside stimuli is even lessened.

- If everyone did the speed limit (within a few km/hour of each other), and people obeyed the laws (ie, left lane is for passing, right and middle lanes are for continual travel (moving into middle lane to let traffic merging onto the highway on), and keeping a safe distance between each vehicle, then the safety factor would increase just that much more.

There are many problems with our personal transportation system today.

1) There is NO forced drivers education. New immigrants and teenage drivers SHOULD be forced to take governement regulated drivers lessons.

2) The lack of respect for space around ones vehicle, and the "this spot is mine" mentality contribute to a plethora of problems such as road rage, rear-ender accidents, and sideswipes.

3) The police are not using the laws currently on the books to their full advantage.

4) A LOT of the highway systems are poorly designed. Here in Toronto, it's quite common to have an Express Lane exit sign within about 200 meters of an acutal exit. And even then, try getting over to the Kennedy Road off-ramp if you use the Express to Collector transfer that they tell you to use.. It's practically suicide. If you aren't from the city, or don't travel on the highway frequently, you wouldn't know to use the transfer lane before it.. and that's not the only glaring problem out there today.

5) People do NOT know how to drive cars properly. They are not comfortable with the automobiles they're driving, and this causes trouble!

If I had been the cop in this case, I would have thrown the book at this guy big time.

Not only do people who routinely speed and drive reckless put other people at risk, but they're also putting themselves at risk.

As a taxpayer of government funded healthcare, I do NOT want my tax money going to some idiots health bills because he wanted to show off how fast his car can go.

FInally, in closing.. There's a time and a place to race your car.. As others have stated, publicly funded roads are NOT the place to drive recklessly and speed.. Take your car to a privately funded track or oval, where you can wreck your car, and destroy your body (should it happen) without hurting other people.. then things will be relatively okay.

1011yyz

Quoting FlyMIA (Reply 26): Exactly what I was thinking. I-95 in Miami at 2am the left lane (when not filled with some idiot going 50mph) is going 90-100mph no problem. Same goes with the turnpike any given day. And its completely safe as long as you have a car that is made to go that fast safely.

Same thing on the TSP (Taconic State Parkway) in NY. During morning rush hour, southbound both lanes can get up to about 80-95 mph, and same thing northbound in the evening.

It's one CRAZY road to drive at those speeds. Passenger cars only, usually narrow walls on both sides, relatively sharp corners, and rush hour packed with cars. In other words, perfect for anyone looking for some fun.

Here is a good picture and description of the road

http://www.nycroads.com/roads/taconic/

Quoting Swissy (Reply 32): Could not agree more with you..... however for the not so experienced Autobahn drivers things like that would scare the sh... out of them

Bleibe rechts und bleib am leben   (stay right and stay alive)

There is only one thing I hate more than rediculous speed limits: People who want to introduce a general speed limit. These people just don't get that we do not have a speeding problem, we have an acceptancy problem of speed limits. By setting speed limits only where they are needed, people accept them better. That is why I like the variable speed limit signs on the Autobahn. They can set a limit of 120 km/h if it is needed, but can be switched off when there is no traffic... This is how to reduce accidents, not by imposing a rediculous 130 km/h limit.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 35): Bleibe rechts und bleib am leben (stay right and stay alive)

Simple rule of live!!!! 

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 35): There is only one thing I hate more than rediculous speed limits: People who want to introduce a general speed limit. These people just don't get that we do not have a speeding problem, we have an acceptancy problem of speed limits. By setting speed limits only where they are needed, people accept them better. That is why I like the variable speed limit signs on the Autobahn. They can set a limit of 120 km/h if it is needed, but can be switched off when there is no traffic... This is how to reduce accidents, not by imposing a rediculous 130 km/h limit.

Agree 100%..... it appears it is working fine for me the last few times I have enjoyed the German driving experience.... my Navigon helped me greatly with "ACHTUNG ACHTUNG" if I missed to slow down  were speed was reduced because of too much traffic.....

Cheerios,

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): If I had been the cop in this case, I would have thrown the book at this guy big time. Not only do people who routinely speed and drive reckless put other people at risk, but they're also putting themselves at risk. As a taxpayer of government funded healthcare, I do NOT want my tax money going to some idiots health bills because he wanted to show off how fast his car can go. FInally, in closing.. There's a time and a place to race your car.. As others have stated, publicly funded roads are NOT the place to drive recklessly and speed.. Take your car to a privately funded track or oval, where you can wreck your car, and destroy your body (should it happen) without hurting other people.. then things will be relatively okay.

Couldn't agree more with you.

Speeding is pure stupidity... some arrogant men (usually men) trying to proove something which to be honest is 100% childish.

Just check statistics. Most accidents and fatalities in car accidents in most coutries seem to have "speeding" is the main cause. Go figure! And nobody is invincible, no matter how great you think your car is, or what a great driver you think you are!

Quoting Toulouse (Reply 37): Just check statistics. Most accidents and fatalities in car accidents in most coutries seem to have "speeding" is the main cause.

And most of those accidents happen at speeds much lower than 60 mph. Why? Because it is speeding when you drive 60 mph while only 30 are permitted. It is speeding to drive 60 in thick fog where 60 usually is permitted.

It is not speeding to drive 160 mph on an empty Autobahn.

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): There are many problems with our personal transportation system today. 1) There is NO forced drivers education. New immigrants and teenage drivers SHOULD be forced to take governement regulated drivers lessons.

Could not agree more, I am an immigrant myself, came when I was 28 years old, got my license in Switzerland (was 18) and it cost me a great deal of money..... spend extra money on getting extra education were we did true speeds (special facilities) and experience the results of your actions....., have spend a long weekend @ BMW in Munich....

Came to Canada and had to start all over again with a beginners license which was fine by me.... but the bloody insurances were just ridicules.....

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): 2) The lack of respect for space around ones vehicle, and the "this spot is mine" mentality contribute to a plethora of problems such as road rage, rear-ender accidents, and sideswipes.

Yep do not miss the commute to YYZ which I did for 5 years....

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): 3) The police are not using the laws currently on the books to their full advantage.

  

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): - If everyone did the speed limit (within a few km/hour of each other), and people obeyed the laws (ie, left lane is for passing, right and middle lanes are for continual travel (moving into middle lane to let traffic merging onto the highway on), and keeping a safe distance between each vehicle, then the safety factor would increase just that much more.

Agree, that is why it is importand to educated the drivers.... my mom-in-law drives badly, she taught her daughter (sis in-law) when she was 16..... guess what, same thing with her, no clue.....and yes mom in-law got taught by her father..... hope you can see my point...

Cheerios,

Quoting StarAC17 (Reply 31): The argument made by other truck drivers was that the newer and younger drivers of rigs aren't receiving enough training

I agree with you there, with a minor exception:
Newly licenced truck drivers, from day one to about 18 months tend to be very cautious, as they're not yet comfortable, and tend to err on the side of caution. From about 18 months to 3 years, they tend to become cowboys. They have gained a lot of confidence, but not the skill level required to be "professionals". After 3 years, they have mostly gained both the confidence, and have had their fair share of "Oh SHIT!" moments to recognize, accept and allow for the traffic situations the road can throw at them. That roughly 18 month time frame is when they're the most dangerous.

One area of training I'd like to see more companies getting into is time management for drivers. When I was in training years ago, one thing my instructor taught me was: "The best way to make money, is keep your foot off the middle pedal, and the left door closed." All too often, green drivers, through poor time management find themselves running late, then they feel they have to hammer on it to get wherever they're going. Myself, I calculate an average speed of 45 mph (70 km/h). Exceept for very few instances, I manage to exceed this estimate, and in 14 years OTR, I've never been late for a pickup or delivery that was the result of poor time management. In one case a few years ago, a truck I was parked beside one night passed me 10 times during the next day, and was parked beside me again the next night. He was bragging about his 80 mph truck, and how great it was, and on and on. When I pointed out that he was no farther ahead than a 65 mph truck, and proved he drove the exact same distance as I did, he got the message, and changed the subject.

Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): and the "this spot is mine" mentality

Actually, according to the rules of the road, you do "own" the space your vehicle is in.

Quoting TheSonntag (Reply 38): And most of those accidents happen at speeds much lower than 60 mph. Why? Because it is speeding when you drive 60 mph while only 30 are permitted. It is speeding to drive 60 in thick fog where 60 usually is permitted. It is not speeding to drive 160 mph on an empty Autobahn.

Won't argue with you on that. As we often here, most accidents are during short trips and generally in an urban area.

While on a "good" motorway I am often tempted to puch the accelerator a bit beyond the limits imposed (and many speed limits imposed, on many road types, make no sense at all), but I have now decided to start using speed control to keep myself within the legal limits... why? a.) it IS safer, and b.) to avoid getting caught by the police (so far have a clean driving lisence).

So let's see, you "claim" driving at 160mph (approx. 258 km/h) is not speeding on an empty Autobahn, well don't know what your definition of speeding is, but I think it's dangerous. I suppose, as sections of GERMAN autobahn's don't have speed limits, of course you're not "speeding" then as the definition of "speeding'' is to exceed the speed limit... but just about anywhere else on the planet, it would be speeding, and as I said I firmly believe it's dangerous... Just checking some sites on driving in Germany, they do all seem to mention that while many sections of German Autobahns are free of speed limits, it is recommended to drive no faster than 130 km/h!!! Also numerous mention that pileups on the Autobahns due to drivers speeding is quite common in Germany. Also saw this on one site: "Accidents occurring at speeds of over 130 kph on the autobahns can result in insurance payment claims being annulled regardless of who was at fault."

Anyway...
What happens if you get a burst tire? Not good at 130km/h, and much worse I'd guess at 258km/h.
What happens if an animal jumps out accross you? Not good at 130km/h, much worse I'd guess at 258km/h.
What happens if you get distracted for whatever reason, no matter how good a driver you believe you are and no matter how great your car is, and you loose control of your car? Not goot at 130km/h, much worse I'd guess at 258km/h.

To be honest The Sonntag, I have zero respect for anyone who speeds or thinks it's ok to do so. I know somebody who lost their life due to a speeder, so sort of puts things in perspective.

Sure, when I was younger (still young!) I went through that stupit macho stage of speeding 'sensibly compared to what some are saying', but thankfully I've grown out of that.

Now, at the same time, I have no tolerance for slow drivers. Was driving the other day on a French motorway, with cruise control set at 130km/h (the speed limit here). Moved into left lane quite early as saw trucks ahead, all going well and then at the last moment just as I was approaching the only car who had been behind the trucks since I noticed them, the idiot driving it suddenly decided to overtake the truck, WITHOUT indicating, and at about 100km/h. I had to break, and broke out into a sweat (fortunately all was ok). Anyway, I flashed this guy, who then decided to start braking on and off, making matters worse! I gave up, no need to road rage, distanced myself, and waited till he/she had finally overtaken the two trucks. I was expecting to see some young careless driver, more so due to their response to my flashing them, and was shocked to see it was a middle aged very ordinary looking man driving! Just shows, you can never generalise!

Anyway, driving fast sucks. It's stupid. No point trying to change my opinion, as nobody will manage to. And I do actually hope you may change your opinions, and thus prevent some disaster to you or others in the future.

Quoting Toulouse (Reply 41): know somebody who lost their life due to a speeder, so sort of puts things in perspective.

Point taken and accepted, I know someone who lost its life due to some a..hole driving drunk, something which I would NEVER ever accept.

Nevertheless I like driving fast. It is fun.

I think we agree that it is not the problem to drive fast and endanger yourself, the problem starts when others (especially other cars) are involved. That is where responsible driving comes to play. I never got a speeding ticket, I never got points in Flensburg, despite driving several hundred thousand kilometres so far.

Yet I love to drive fast. I just would not do that where I could endanger others.

[Edited 2009-03-09 08:24:04]

One thing I've noticed in 41 posts so far regarding the most likely safety aspect of this incident...

Most passenger car tires subjected to this kind of speed for any appreciable length of time will fail rather quickly, and at this speed catastrophically. They'd have been cleaning this person up with a mop and a sponge, if that!. Far too often I've seen the results of a driver losing control when a tire fails. And even if they was no other traffic, a tire failure at that speed, and the car would start to come apart, in that area of the 400, parts of the car would be reduce to shrapnel flying in all directions, possible hitting cars on side streets in the Finch area, damaging businesses in the area (windows, etc) not to mention spilling fuel, oil and coolant onto the road, and into the storm sewer system creating very dangerous driving conditions for the next few vehicles and an environmental mess. I'm thinking along the lines of the car coming apart and dumping oil in particular, and in responding to the call, an emergency vehicle hitting that spilled oil and joining the mayhem.

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 40): Quoting Lnglive1011yyz (Reply 33): and the "this spot is mine" mentality Actually, according to the rules of the road, you do "own" the space your vehicle is in.

I think the more to the point way of putting this would be the "I'm not giving way" mentality. I've seen it far too many times people instead of making an opening in heavy traffic for merging into do everything they can to prevent it. And in bad weather for some reason it gets worse, not better, people don't want to give you room to merge because it might slow down "their" lane... which is deadly and stupid because it forces people to make holes in traffic by crowding in, in low traction conditions this is for obvious reasons very dangerous but if people are not going to slow down to let people into and out of lanes there isn't really alot of options.

Worse are the ones who CLOSE gaps when they see someone moving into them... these people are extremely dangerous and are basically inciting road rage and accidents with their actions.

Now of course for the reverse problem there are the fools who abuse people giving way and use onramps to queue jump... and im not talking about the ones who insist on only merging in at the very end of the ramp, i mean the ones that are in traffic, move into the open onramp, zip up the line of cars and then force their way back in further along. Alot of times they even cross the solid lines before the ramp to get into the ramp... is there any more i need to say about this?

And then there are the ramps where weaving is required and how people behave... all I am going to say is DON'T BRAKE... thank you. There is a reason the speed warning is well AFTER the off-ramp splits off the road, people behind you are trying to match traffic speed then you get in front of them and brake... guess what? I see this every flipping day at the 407 to 410 North to Steeles interchange. To set the scene for everyone the 407/410 interchange in a stacked interchange. 410 to Steeles is a standard "Partial Cloverleaf" exit of 2 lanes. The 407 Entry lane becomes the right hand must exit lane to Steeles but there is about 800m of merge room before that happens. AFTER the lanes split there is a 70km/h cautionary speed sign (note: In Ontario yellow ramp signs are NOT limits and are cautions only, only WHITE signs are enforcable, not to say i wouldn't slow down for ramps but they don't mean you have to be doing 70 before you get to the sign). Traffic moving from 407 to 410 Traffic coming off the 407 is posted to 100 and is doing that alot of the time. And EVERY day i see some twit pull into the lane right as the broken line starts and slow down to 70-80 because they are exiting at Steeles. Any regular driver of this stretch is expecting it, but I've seen 20 VERY close calls and 2 accidents caused (I won't even count how many brake slams i've seen) because people just can't maintain speed on that exit.

This isn't the a unique setup either. There are at least 2 others in Ontario i can think of in a similar situation (The entire 401 to DVP/404 setup with ramps to York Mills and Sheppard springs to mind and its a bad interchange anyways with lots of lanes ending and merging) Any cloverleaf requires weaving as well though the speed disparity isn't as severe.

Ok enough...

Quoting NorthStarDC4M (Reply 44): The entire 401 to DVP/404

That entire junction is a mess. Two major 400 series highways draining onto a 3 lane parkway (southbound) at the same spot. A parkway that is also one of the few major routes into downtown Toronto. Freaking horrible.

While I don't feel comfortable at those speeds exceeding 200 km/h (in Germany, I usually drive about 150-160 km/h if the road is free, and on the right side where possible  ), you also have to consider a few things there:
1.) Driving education in Europe is generally much more sophisticated than in America, so the average driver over here knows more what he does than the average American driver (at least what I and friends noticed),.
2.) The condition of the Autobahns here are much better than in America, when it comes to safety measures: continous guide-rails, nearly all sections of dual-carriageway roads have fences at the side to prevent animals to come onto the road, and signage is tailored to people driving those high speeds.
Btw, TheSonntag, if you're not already a member there, we have a motorway forum on www.autobahn-online.de/phorum/index.php  .

Quoting Don81603 (Reply 43): Most passenger car tires subjected to this kind of speed for any appreciable length of time will fail rather quickly, and at this speed catastrophically.

No they won't, they are certified for those speeds and are able to tolerate them for hours without issues. This is, at least, the case with European tyres, actually one reason why they are much safer also at lower speeds than cheap crappy tyres.

Quoting AustrianZRH (Reply 46): Btw, TheSonntag, if you're not already a member there, we have a motorway forum on

I only say Käfermicha  

Quoting NorthStarDC4M (Reply 44): Now of course for the reverse problem there are the fools who abuse people giving way and use onramps to queue jump... and im not talking about the ones who insist on only merging in at the very end of the ramp, i mean the ones that are in traffic, move into the open onramp, zip up the line of cars and then force their way back in further along. Alot of times they even cross the solid lines before the ramp to get into the ramp... is there any more i need to say about this?

Why is this not illegal and if it is why isn't it enforced.

Also I would much have a driver merge just before they would run out of space on the ramp (just before the merge lane ended) that when I am in the right lane because I would like to get off at the next exit and as soon as the dotted line appears the guy will merge at 60km/h when he has usually 300m to speed up to highway speed. This causes me and anyone behind me to slow down and while I have never seen an accident occur from this it slows down traffic quite significantly.

An interchange notorious for this is in Kitchener when highway 8 merges with the eastbound 401.