Autobahn speedlimit in the works

[sgborgstrom]

Listening to NPR this afternoon while changing tires (2.5" long 5/16" diameter bolt stuck in carcass of the old one) and one of the pieces was about how the Germans are considering putting an 80 MPH speedlimit on the fabled road. Seems a sizable (50%or so) chunk of the population is concerned enough about the number of deaths and injuries to at least think about slowing things down. The auto industry over there is apparently quite strong and is against it but you never know.... I might never actually go there to ride the autobahn but is sure is nice to know that there is (was?) someplace left in the world like that.

Safetycrats wimping down the world again I guess.

On the up-side, nice article by Dexter Ford in this months Motorcyclist pondering the place of speed in MC accidents.

Steve

[jdiaz]

My parents lived in Europe for a spell at the end of the 80s, and I visited them after graduating from college. I remember driving the family during a trip from Rome to Venice, and maintaining 100mph on the autostrada in their Ford Sierra back then wasn't too difficult.

But it was incredibly fatiguing. The concentration levels to drive at that speed seemed to tire me a lot more than the every day driving I was doing around Seattle and Chicago.

Of course, Seattle's gotten way worse since then. :bliss