Speed limits...interesting

[Sentinel9]

I note that many of the articles I have read regarding the matter only mention the highways where the speed is being reduced, but it is only on the highways where accident rates increased. However, as quoted from the CBC website "crashes did not increase on 16 stretches of highway where the speed limit was raised, and the speed limit will remain unchanged in those areas" (for reference https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...uced-1.4893914).

One of the few times a government is using evidence based decision making processes.

[the.tru.albertan]

^ Exactly.

There are only TWO sections of 120km/h that are being rolled back to 110km/h. The rest stay the same.

Further, 'excess speed' only accounted for 2% of serious crashes.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...ral-government

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

I saw on a news report that there are discussions to make speed limits lower at night in Alberta. It used to be that the speed limit was 10 miles an hour less at night. The road signs would say 60 day 50 night. That was when it was still in miles per hour.

Used to be a joke about the Ukrainians driving to Vegreville at night. They thought it was quicker because it was ten miles less at night.

Hey! I still remember that!

Does that make me old?

[jrowan]

Originally Posted by Versatile

How do you explain the 130km/hr limit in montana. Its how they build the roads, on ramps, off ramps, and hand out tickets to dumb asses that stay in the left hand lane.

Serveral states have traffic laws that say that the left hand lane is designated for passing only. they might not enforce it well for locals but if you're from out of town and sitting in the left lane with no one to pass they will ticket you.

[dmcbride]

Originally Posted by jrowan

Serveral states have traffic laws that say that the left hand lane is designated for passing only. they might not enforce it well for locals but if you're from out of town and sitting in the left lane with no one to pass they will ticket you.

BC has this as well,

Effective June 2015, motorists are required to keep right and let others pass. This applies to B.C. highways with two or more lanes of traffic travelling in the same direction and a posted speed limit of 80 km/h or greater.

Driving in the left lane is not permitted unless a motorist is:

overtaking and passing another vehicle
moving left to allow traffic to merge
preparing for a left hand turn
passing a stopped official vehicle displaying red, blue or yellow flashing lights (for example, police cars, ambulances, tow trucks, maintenance or construction vehicles). Remember to Slow Down and Move Over.
Slower-moving vehicles reduce the efficiency of the highway system. This frustrates many motorists and can result in aggressive and erratic driving behaviour.

[Taiga]

Sometimes it gets pretty annoying having to drive 120+ on Hwy 2 just to keep up with the traffic flow and still have someone 1/2 a car length behind your rear bumper. Pulling trailers is even more fun.
Alternatively, when conditions are good and less traffic then 120 is pretty tame.

[Dom4]

Originally Posted by Taiga

Sometimes it gets pretty annoying having to drive 120+ on Hwy 2 just to keep up with the traffic flow and still have someone 1/2 a car length behind your rear bumper. Pulling trailers is even more fun.
Alternatively, when conditions are good and less traffic then 120 is pretty tame.

Pulling a trailer on highway 2 has to be one of the worst experiences i have ever had in my life.

[Ariu]

Germany has no official speed limit in its hghy's. In some sections of highway the limit is 130kmh/h
Statics show 19 fatalities/year/100000vehicles
Canada 33 fatalities/year/100000vehicles.

So far for the speed limits.

[bat119]

NUFF SAID!

[Imagehunter]

There's also way more traffic in Germany so in a lot of areas you can't drive faster than 5km/h because you are standing in a +60km traffic jam with stop and go due to construction or an accident. While theoretically you drive +200km/h.
That also helps the statistics

A few people here mentioned drivers following others too close which I also noticed a lot. Isn't that an offense here in Alberta?
In Germany it can get as expensive as speeding and you can get points or worse if you are endangering someone like that. The cops use unmarked cars and film people on the autobahn following too close like they document speeding or cell phone use.

[jmedical]

“data released by the Ministry of Transportation did not show road safety had declined on that stretch of road following the speed limit increase. ”

If you look at the 10 peel backs only 2 were part of the new 120kph highways and it references the highways that are being rolled back have more crashes related to distracted driving and driving to fast for conditions rather then the maximum posted speed.. main alberta highways should have variable speeds of up to 120kph that change with conditions day/night.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Ariu

Germany has no official speed limit in its hghy's. In some sections of highway the limit is 130kmh/h
Statics show 19 fatalities/year/100000vehicles
Canada 33 fatalities/year/100000vehicles.

So far for the speed limits.

Who cares? Live in Germany. Cya.


Entitled morons always have been, always will be the problem here. Every idiot driving above the posted speed limit lives by the 'if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic (speeding) you are more of a problem than the speeders' pile of excrement. Daddy and mommy beat it into their heads so it must be right. And they are more than willing to express that crap here.

Some people just can not say no to peer pressure, it gives them an out, an excuse, a reason for driving above the law.

I drove in the States where the speed limit was 90 mph, fastest road trip in my corvette, ever. Man can you cover a lot of road in 6 hours!!! People were passing me constantly. I talked to a LEO who pulled into the gas station at the same time I did, he said he was surprised I was not doing 130mph, sees it all the time.
Then he said that nearly EVERY collision at those speeds ends in death. There are no lawsuits, no extended fights, everyone dies.

110kph-120kph is more than fast enough here. Like I said before, if speed limits are raised to 130+ here, people will drive 150+. Lots of power no brains.

[Ariu]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Who cares? Live in Germany. Cya.

Well, the "study" indicates the increase on speed limit, caused higher fatalities. I just think, this is not true and that's why the reference. It has nothing to do with morons going over the speed limit, whatever limit it might be.

[Iskra]

Originally Posted by C2C3PO

???Can you explain further please?
I honestly can say I have never heard this one.....

You can take two identical instruments and measure the same parameters and they may show slightly different results.The best instruments are very close to each other. Wear on your tires is changing speed value on your speedometer. To avoid arguments in courts, cops radar are set at+10% speed limit. And I know it from practice. I get finger shake or flash of cops red and blue lights but I am not stoped for ticket

[270person]

Originally Posted by Ariu

Germany has no official speed limit in its hghy's. In some sections of highway the limit is 130kmh/h
Statics show 19 fatalities/year/100000vehicles
Canada 33 fatalities/year/100000vehicles.

So far for the speed limits.

Have you seen what's driven over there vs what's on the road here? Not a lot of Noth American domestics on the road over there. Or half tons.

And if you dont think the vehicle can make a difference drive a BMW for a few years. Lots to do with suspension.

Generally speaking theres a lot less of everything bad over there.

[Habfan]

I’m surprised nobody has mentioned what the stats are for all of Canada in the last 4 years. What if it’s just due to the increased use of driving while on cell phones. Or what if the roads have not been maintained properly ? The real results will appear after the road speeds have been reduced back to what they were. Seems like more accidents in Alberta in the last 4 years, could be wrong though.

[C2C3PO]

Originally Posted by Iskra

You can take two identical instruments and measure the same parameters and they may show slightly different results.The best instruments are very close to each other. Wear on your tires is changing speed value on your speedometer. To avoid arguments in courts, cops radar are set at+10% speed limit. And I know it from practice. I get finger shake or flash of cops red and blue lights but I am not stoped for ticket

I beg to differ.
Whether it is old fashioned conventional radar or laser (lidar) both require testing and calibration at the beginning and end of the shift to determine if the device is properly working. Radar uses a specific tuning fork that vibrates at a known frequency and lidar uses a fixed-distance test. They either work and provide a known or expected result or they do not and are taken out of service and sent in for repairs.

Saying cops set devices a +10% of the speed limit is also absolutely and unequivocally false. There is no "set amount" that any officer gives as a grace amount - it is totally ( amongst many things) at the discretion of the operator and can be as varied as the person (and their mood) . Some would not stop you for going 15km/hr over and some would pull you over for going 5 km/hr over. This is dependent on so many things that it would be too lengthy to mention.

I appreciate you came to this conclusion through your own experiences and perceptions but having been employed as a police officer for 32 years now and having worked in Trafffic Section and taught recruits traffic law for many years, and to numerous police agencies, I hope you will take me at my word.

I have heard all kinds of things from people at traffic stops who were under the mistaken belief that some tidbit of info they once heard someone tell them was to be taken as gospel that I felt compelled to clarify this particular one.....

Cheers !

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by 270person

Have you seen what's driven over there vs what's on the road here? Not a lot of Noth American domestics on the road over there. Or half tons.

And if you dont think the vehicle can make a difference drive a BMW for a few years. Lots to do with suspension.

Generally speaking theres a lot less of everything bad over there.

What exactly are you suggesting? Domestics aren't as safe, people driving 130 km/hr are able to avoid collisions because of better suspension systems provided by German vehicles, people driving domestics aren't as good as driver, etc.? For your information, the best selling models in Germany in Q3 for 2018 were the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Polo, etc. The best selling BMW was the 1 Series slotting in at 20th. Don't think the Tiguan, Passat, Polo, etc. are known for their exception handling....

[Ariu]

Originally Posted by 270person

Have you seen what's driven over there vs what's on the road here? Not a lot of Noth American domestics on the road over there. Or half tons.

And if you dont think the vehicle can make a difference drive a BMW for a few years. Lots to do with suspension.

Generally speaking theres a lot less of everything bad over there.

Yes, I have driven there. Most of my adult life. A lot of cheap old Opels, VW's and Fords during the university years. Speeds of 160 -190kmh were normal when the conditions were right. So, the vehicle quality is not a paramount factor in my opinion. Much more than vehicle quality, I would say it is the drivers quality, the way how the traffic laws are enforced and not such a hostile government against drivers.

[270person]

Originally Posted by Trochu

What exactly are you suggesting? Domestics aren't as safe, people driving 130 km/hr are able to avoid collisions because of better suspension systems provided by German vehicles, people driving domestics aren't as good as driver, etc.? For your information, the best selling models in Germany in Q3 for 2018 were the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Polo, etc. The best selling BMW was the 1 Series slotting in at 20th. Don't think the Tiguan, Passat, Polo, etc. are known for their exception handling....

What I'm saying is speed is a/the number one factor in accidents. Ask a cop. Should be pretty elementary. Less time to react = more chance of accidents but a good driver in a good car, suspension, brakes, etc has a much better chance of avoiding one.

And yes at speed a nicely tuned suspension is a lot safer. If you could get a Ford Taurus to F1 speeds chances are it wont perform as well. If it even stays on the road and together. Again..elementary.

And yes...Golf, and damn rights Passat, are much tighter than 98% of NA domestic crap although they likely aren't the majority of vehicles wound up to 200k + on the Autobahn any more than Buicks are here so your point is moot.

Drive an M3 for a few years. You'll understand. Edm to PA in under 4.5 hours. Never felt safer.

Just dont drive it in winter.

Did you sit in the front row most classes?

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by 270person

What I'm saying is speed is a/the number one factor in accidents. Ask a cop. Should be pretty elementary. Less time to react = more chance of accidents but a good driver in a good car, suspension, brakes, etc has a much better chance of avoiding one.

That isn't what you said at all. You were going on about cars over there, suspension, etc., didn't mention speed at all actually.

Originally Posted by 270person

And yes at speed a nicely tuned suspension is a lot safer. If you could get a Ford Taurus to F1 speeds chances are it wont perform as well. If it even stays on the road and together. Again..elementary.

You can literally say that about any vehicle, a F150, Golf, M3, 911....

Originally Posted by 270person

And yes...Golf, and damn rights Passat, are much tighter than 98% of NA domestic crap although they likely aren't the majority of vehicles wound up to 200k + on the Autobahn any more than Buicks are here so your point is moot.

Just make that up based on your opinion? I wasn't making any point, just stated facts that are easily looked up.

Originally Posted by 270person

Drive an M3 for a few years. You'll understand. Edm to PA in under 4.5 hours. Never felt safer.

The vast majority of cars in Germany are not M3s. Not sure how this is really applicable. If you think everyone over there drives M3s and everyone over heard drives LTDs, I'd get your line of thought. But as stated above by Ariu, that simply isn't the case.

Originally Posted by 270person

Did you sit in the front row most classes?

No.

[KGB]

I think the majority problems happened on this hiway because of these idiots flying in their hi performance super cars. There are lots of reports from bC about Lambos and Ferrari’s and others going over 200km /hr. They are creating the problem for a regular commuter who is doing 130-140.
Beside this, the bc govern. should have made lanes with different speed limits. You wanna drive only100- stay in the right lane! Don’t be a moron doing 120 in a far left lane when everybody have to pass you on the right.
This is a big NO in Austria and Germany.

[Jack Hardin]

Originally Posted by Iskra

From what I know about instruments there is always tolerance build in. Cops radars are set at +10% of the speed limit. In town or out, there is no argument in court, my speedometer vs his radar.

I was a qualified radar operator in both conventional and laser radar. the manufacturer guarantees accuracy plus or minus one km on the conventional radar set assuming that the police car and the violator's car are in line with each other. The radar is given the tuning fork test prior to monitoring traffic to ensure that it is accurate. There are two tuning forks one is usually set for 50 kms and the other is usually set for 110 kms. The tuning forks must be calibrated once per year to ensure that they are still accurate. The operator is issued a certificate confirming that the forks are accurate and may be called to be produced during a trial.

The laser radar's accuracy is confirmed by the conventional one. In other words if the conventional one says a vehicle is doing 75 kms then the laser must show the same reading. The laser radar beam is the thickness of a pencil and travels at the speed of light and it is usually aimed at the where the lic plate would be as that is it the flattest point for the beam to shoot back with the violator's speed.

With conventional radar you will get a signal on your radar detector before you come into range of the police car before a reading will show on the radar, giving you a chance to adjust your speed but, only if they are letting the radar to run continuously. The beam from conventional radar is larger in width and height therefore it will trigger your radar detector. Sometimes they will have it in the off position and then flick it on when you are in range and zap, no warning. With laser there is not a beam until the LEO pulls the trigger after he/she aims it at your vehicle. There is no warning with laser unless science has advanced somewhat since I left the business over 20 yrs ago. FYI

[Bub]

Not everyone in Germany drives at a speed of 200+ km/h. There are people who keep right and keep at 120, some slower, some faster, but all going slower than the next guy keep right until the next guy passes. Yes, sometimes while moving at the speed of 190 km/h you get passed as if you you were parked on the shoulder, or so it seems. And everyone does alright. Imagine that tractor trailers are also part of traffic there and non drive at 150 km/h.

I agree, their vehicles and the big three are built differently. There are american vehicles there as well, but you do not see too many of them flying on autobahns. There are also "green zones" that have speed limits. Some sections have changing speed limits depending on time of day and weather conditions. For the most part, people are not idiots and drive within their abilities and preferences, vehicle type and condition, etc. And like I said, they seem to be doing just fine. Their gas prices are also quite a bit different from ours (though ours aren't that low anymore either), so many take that into consideration when driving on autobahns.

I speed more often than not on the highways. I do it within boundaries, depending on weather and traffic conditions. Yes, I think it is pretty ridiculous ticketing a guy going 130 km/h or whatever (regardless if the speed limit is 100 or 110 km/h) on an empty highway on a sunny summer day. But these are the rules and those who break them do so with that in mind.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by 270person

Have you seen what's driven over there vs what's on the road here? Not a lot of Noth American domestics on the road over there. Or half tons.

And if you dont think the vehicle can make a difference drive a BMW for a few years. Lots to do with suspension.

Generally speaking theres a lot less of everything bad over there.

Very good point. There's a vast difference between a Mercedes and a 3/4 ton Dodge.

[300WSM]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

Again, you don't understand the mechanics of speed control.
According to stats 50% of the accidents on the QEII are not due to speed...they are due to tailgating (only 10% are attributed to speeding). As I stated earlier it not the speed per se in Alberta...it's the inadequacies of the drivers.
If you are tailgating at 120km/h plus and something goes wrong, you have less reaction time to deal with what is happening...that and the higher speed means it's going to go south fast, creating more damage and injury.

Has anyone put any thought into, if people would get the hell out of the left lane unless passing or if we'd increase enforcement of the left lane law. There would be less accidents.

In my experience... speeders were not the problem. Semi's taking up all the lanes going the same speed, or new drivers doing 80 on the henday in the left lane, thinking it's the golden hwy to their office and lets not forget "braking for no reason what so ever". If police actually enforced driving laws instead of sitting on a bridge, we'd be getting somewhere

If you don't own a dash cam by now....you are a fool

[Scott h]

I do know that many of the sections that they are lowering the speed limit on have had MASSIVE increases of traffic in the last couple of years. The amount of traffic on the road to Squamish, the island and the Okanagan has gone through the roof with the insane property prices in the Lower Mainland. Is it speed or congestion ?

[Iskra]

Originally Posted by C2C3PO

I beg to differ.
Whether it is old fashioned conventional radar or laser (lidar) both require testing and calibration at the beginning and end of the shift to determine if the device is properly working. Radar uses a specific tuning fork that vibrates at a known frequency and lidar uses a fixed-distance test. They either work and provide a known or expected result or they do not and are taken out of service and sent in for repairs.

Saying cops set devices a +10% of the speed limit is also absolutely and unequivocally false. There is no "set amount" that any officer gives as a grace amount - it is totally ( amongst many things) at the discretion of the operator and can be as varied as the person (and their mood) . Some would not stop you for going 15km/hr over and some would pull you over for going 5 km/hr over. This is dependent on so many things that it would be too lengthy to mention.

I appreciate you came to this conclusion through your own experiences and perceptions but having been employed as a police officer for 32 years now and having worked in Trafffic Section and taught recruits traffic law for many years, and to numerous police agencies, I hope you will take me at my word.

I have heard all kinds of things from people at traffic stops who were under the mistaken belief that some tidbit of info they once heard someone tell them was to be taken as gospel that I felt compelled to clarify this particular one.....

Cheers !

atomic clocks have to be adjusted
.

[Mr Conservation]

Travelling from Merrit to the lower mainland in late August on the Coquihalla. Started to rain, and rain hard. Pulling a tent trailer behind my Tacoma, I slowed my speed to adjust to road and weather conditions, and stayed in the right lane. All sorts of traffic from sports cars and SUV's to semis passing me on the left like I was standing still. They were well over the speed limit, and I expected to come upon at least one that had gone off road. Fortunately that was not the case, and it appeared everyone made it past Hope safely.

Here on the island we can get very heavy rains, with accumulations of standing water on the road. Many times I have responded to accidents on the highway that were caused by drivers not slowing down, hitting the standing water and losing control, or hydroplaning on wet roads. The speed limit where the majority of thse crashes happened was 120 kmh. Had the driver slowed down to adjust to conditions, instead of driving at or above the posted speed limit, many of these crashes would not have happened.

I have also responded to accidents where the vehicle was going well above the speed limit, the driver had a moment of inattention, and due to lack of reaction time crashed their vehicle. I am hoping that the lower speed limits reduce the number of times I have to respond to crashes on the highway.

A bit off topic, but one thing that really bothers me is many drivers do not slow down when passing emergency scenes. A big red truck with flashing red lights parked on the side of the highway usually means something bad has happened - don't speed by and make it worse. The other thing is the people that feel they must take pictures of the carnage as they pass by. I have witnessed a driver with their cell phone out the window, looking at the crash scene and not the road, as they drive past. RCMP have actually started posting an Officer near the scene to identify and stop any offender who may be distracted by the accident scene, and attempting to take pictures or video with their cell phone as they pass by.

I do believe, in the long run, that lower speed limits are going to reduce the number of crashes, and reduce the carnage on the highways.

Mr Conservation

[Versatile]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Who cares? Live in Germany. Cya.


Entitled morons always have been, always will be the problem here. Every idiot driving above the posted speed limit lives by the 'if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic (speeding) you are more of a problem than the speeders' pile of excrement. Daddy and mommy beat it into their heads so it must be right. And they are more than willing to express that crap here.

Some people just can not say no to peer pressure, it gives them an out, an excuse, a reason for driving above the law.

I drove in the States where the speed limit was 90 mph, fastest road trip in my corvette, ever. Man can you cover a lot of road in 6 hours!!! People were passing me constantly. I talked to a LEO who pulled into the gas station at the same time I did, he said he was surprised I was not doing 130mph, sees it all the time.
Then he said that nearly EVERY collision at those speeds ends in death. There are no lawsuits, no extended fights, everyone dies.

110kph-120kph is more than fast enough here. Like I said before, if speed limits are raised to 130+ here, people will drive 150+. Lots of power no brains.

This is probably the guy who thinks doing the speed limit in the left hand lane is perfectly fine.